A tip sheet is an article or mini-report that is published as a series of numbered tips. The article you’re reading now could be made into a tip sheet, as it meets that criteria.
Tip sheets can be easily overlooked when sharing your story. People often want to look online or at other documents, such as guides. Your tip sheets can be easily reproduced in these places, or in brochures. Information in a tip sheet can also easily be reproduced in a podcast or video.
Tip sheets can play a useful role in many ways.
- They raise awareness of your product, service, and organization.
- They provide best practice information for your product or service.
- They establish credibility with your clients, prospective clients, and the public.
Avoid these five things when preparing your tip sheets.
1. The tip sheet is too long.
Keep your tip sheet verbiage short, no more than one page, front and back. Use between 300-800 words to keep it short yet not superficial.
2. The tip sheet is complex.
Keep your tip sheet simple, both in content and in layout, so readers can easily scan it. Use numbered lists to clarify and organize your tips.
3. The tip sheet has unhelpful information.
Keep your tip sheet focused on useful information. Think of how your reader will benefit from knowing what you’ve written.
4. The tip sheet has unactionable information.
When you think about preparing a tip sheet, ask yourself what you want the reader to do with the information you share. This information can be summarized in the heading. For example, this article provides a list of five things to avoid when preparing your tip sheets.
5. The tip sheet information is unnecessarily limited in circulation.
Tip sheets are created with the idea of providing simple, useful, and actionable information. Towards that end, the information should be easily accessible.
Make sure the tip sheet information isn’t limited just to tip sheets. Recirculate the information in your sales literature, such as brochures, and technical documentation (including podcasts, videos, and web sites).
By avoiding the issues listed here, your tip sheets can help your readers achieve their goals…and can help you achieve yours.
