Tag Archive for: accordion method

Whether you’re preparing for an interview or for generating content, the Accordion Method involves having ready a short, a medium, and a long answer for every question you’re likely to be asked, Paula Rizzo advises in Writer’s Digest:

• The short answer is the sound bite that grabs attention.
• The medium answer adds more content around the topic.
• The long answer adds much more detail and opinion.

As a senior health producer at Fox News Channel, Rizzo recalls, she was booking guest experts all the time. Sometimes an expert would ramble when the host wanted a short answer, and sometimes people didn’t give enough information. You need to be able to deliver content in a way that fits the situation, Rizzo cautions.

Here is how, in creating online marketing content, writers can follow Rizzo’s five steps for success:
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1. What is the question? First, brainstorm the basic question (or questions) you’ll likely be asked during the interview. You need to get to know the show and its audience, Rizzo advises.

Who are your target customers or clients? What approach would have the most appeal to that segment of your market?  Will the emphasis be on your products? Your special services? Your expertise?  Pick one primary area of focus in preparing your “short answer”.

2. Watch previous episodes. Learning what questions were posed by hosts to other interviewees is crucial, Rizzo says.

At Say It For You, we encourage freelance content writers and business owners alike to curate, meaning to gather OPW (Other People’s Wisdom) and share that with their readers, commenting on that material and relating it to their own topic.

3. What is the short answer? Think in headlines. For the host who wants a short, targeted answer, interviewees must be prepared to offer just that, Rizzo explains.

A business blog post should impart one new idea or call for a single action. Focused on one thing, your post has greater impact, since people are bombarded with many messages each day. 

4. What is the medium answer? Even when a medium answer is called for it’s important to “start with a bang” and then add some context and evidence.

When expanding to a medium from a short answer, think about whether the information is not only useful, but will be received as unique (rather than the same information found in other places..

5. What is the long answer? Give compelling evidence for your attention-grabbing short answer.

To sustain our content writing over long periods of time without losing reader excitement and engagement, we need to constantly add to our own body of knowledge – about our industry or professional field, and about what’s going on around us in our culture.

For online marketers, the Accordion Method helps writers research and “store” content for different segments of a target audience.