The Mill House Media blog archive
Allan Scott has chosen to keep these posts online as many still have value – and they also include a record of his 40-year freelance career – a host of experiences that he cherishes and is happy to share with anyone who might learn something from them. He regrets (almost) nothing – and he’s had a ball…
How do you respond to an ‘invisible illness’?
So what do I mean by an 'invisible illness'? Let me explain. Early in my career I was lucky enough to meet a talented young audiovisual and video producer who had seen - and loved - one of my scripts. He recognised my (emerging) talent, and gave me a lot of work. At...
How well do you know your own business?
If you’re thinking about asking someone to write your blog or your website copy for you, you’ve taken the first step to a very sensible decision. But paying for a professional writer doesn’t mean that the words appear on the page by magic! Whether you’re...
Content Marketing 101
You’ve probably heard the expression ‘Content Is King!’ Well, not only is it king, it is queen and all the pawns too, and it works together in concert to make a wonderful and enchanting kingdom. Okay, seriously... all the types of content you put on your blog, or...
Here is the news – and it’s not the same as a blog
A while ago I wrote in praise of short words and how to avoid the curse of ‘office-speak’. And a while before that I advised on how to engage a short attention span – mostly by varying the length of sentences and paragraphs. This post is about to undo a lot of that....
Telling it like it is: how to say what you mean and really benefit your customers
So what do I mean by 'say what you mean'? Well, if you’re writing to promote your business, there’s a piece of advice you will probably have seen before. It’s advice that seems obvious as soon as you’ve been told, but plenty of business writers still seem to need it....
Are you consistent? And should you be?
When politicians are not consistent, we hear all about it. There'll be talk of U-turns. Of weak-mindedness. Of failure to live up to their principles. And of anything else that suits the agenda of their critics. When the rest of us are not consistent, we may face...
Banjaxed by writer’s block?
Writer's block is a bitch. Content marketing - you've been told again and again – is the way to go. Excellent. But right now you're sitting in front of a blank screen. Which is a good analogy for the current state of your brain… And the writer's block? There's nothing...
Mill House Media meets Carmen
Just occasionally I like to sing my 60-second presentation at one of my regular breakfast networking meetings. This week I took a minute to text Aled Jones on the Classic FM Breakfast Show to tell him what I was up to - and he was kind enough to broadcast a suitable...
Why I will never want to ‘leave Europe’
If you're seriously annoyed by the very idea of someone saying ‘I’m a Remainer - I don't want to leave Europe’ – then please read on. There’s something you need to understand before you let your gut reaction kick in. I was born in 1952, in London. My father - Leonard...
Is your marketing strong and stable?
The June 2017 election offered some fascinating insights into the way that political parties go about marketing themselves... My own political sympathies are well known, but not relevant here. However, there are useful lessons we can learn... Known, liked and trusted...
Trust me, I’m a businessman…
Trust has always been an important issue. And now that 'fake news' seems to be replacing the real thing it's just become mission-critical for your business. So how can you create and build trust in yourself, your business, and the work that you do there? The most...
Is your message getting lost in all the words?
Warning: this blog is interactive. It contains suggestions which some readers may find embarrassing. But to help you to be clear with your message, it’s worth a go. It’s about the power of short words and phrases. What some call 'plain English'. In an earlier post, I...