Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

Ah, the good old Question-&-Answer format:

the perfect way to get information out in easily absorbed bite-sized bits, in an informal manner that keeps folks reading because it sounds just like they’re having a back -& -forth conversation with a real person!

It’s a great format for press releases, as an addendum in your press kit, and many other uses.

Here’s some tips for writing your own Q&A:

* Have a specific message to get across. Stick to the topic. If you’d like to “talk” about assorted issues, create separate Q&As for each.

* Think of the questions a curious conversationalist might really ask, not the points you want to make. Avoid such self-serving questions as What other things do you sell? and How often do you get new items in? The points you want to get across can be interwoven in your answers.

* Write as though you were talking. Stuffy or curt answers don’t get your personality or the ambiance of your shop across.

* Have someone else, someone who can be straight with you, read the Q&A before you release it in the wild. Do they feel it’s a comfortable, interesting, informative conversation? Then you nailed it!

Here’s an example of a Q&A format addressing one specific issue in furniture consignment. It might have been originally a press release, before it appeared in a newspaper as an article. (Please overlook that there is a confusion over the “consignor”/ “consignee” issue.)

An example focusing on readers who are considering opening a resale shop of their own, The Top 6 FAQs about Resale on the Start a Shop page at TGtbT.com.

And remember: even if your Q&A press release is not picked up by the media, it can be a guest post on a locally-popular blog, a static page on your shop blog, a permanent page on your web site, a paper handout during an off-site promotional event such as a fashion show, a Facebook tab, a mailer to prospective suppliers or shoppers, an email to your list… or even an in-store bag-stuffer!

Go ahead, use it in every one of those ways!

(Then come back here and tell us, in the comments, where to see your creation!)