How to win a 25 words or less competition

There's been a bit of a revival lately of the "jingle contest." You've seen them. "Tell us why you like [our product] in 25 words or less." You might win anything from coupons for more of the product to a new car! It's a fun game, and somebody has to win--it might just be you!

Instructions

1. For your starting copy, don’t limit yourself. Just write down the points you want to make. The following copy is 51 words, twice your goal.Example: "I like Smith Rice Cereal because it gives me energy and it keeps me from being hungry for the whole morning. It’s yummy, I never get tired of it, and even my baby brother likes it. It’s a cereal the whole family can enjoy. Even the box is fun to read!"

2. On your first edit use more action words and eliminate passive voice. Start to shorten things a bit. This takes us down to 43 words.Example: "I feel more energized when I eat Smith Rice Cereal and I don’t get hungry for hours. It’s yummy and I don’t get tired of it. My baby brother likes it. My whole family likes it. Even the box is fun to read!"

3. Start to combine sentences. Look for more ways to shorten things and use more active verbs to spice it up. Place the emphasis on the subject: the cereal! This takes us down to 29 words.Example: "Smith Rice Cereal gives me energy that lasts all morning. It’s always yummy. My whole family loves it, even my baby brother! Even the box is fun to read!"

4. Start looking for words that serve no purpose. Look for ways to shorten, while punching the energy up a bit more. This isn’t perfect yet, but it takes us to our goal of 25 words.Example: "Smith Rice Cereal is yummy, and it keeps me energized. My family loves it, even my picky brother. And the box is fun to read!"

5. Now, play with the words a bit. Sometimes there isn’t much you can do, but you can make small changes and see what sounds good. This is better than the previous version, and it's still 25 words.Example: "Smith Rice Cereal is delicious--it keeps me energized all morning. Everyone loves it, even my picky brother. And the box is fun to read!"

Tips & Warnings

• Do make sure you count your words. it's easy to miscount, and a magnificent entry that has 26 words will be tossed out.