Product Briefs The article can serve as a great basis for expanded product briefs – say front and back of an 8-1/2x11, or a longer technical brochure. Edit article for length and jazz up text, and you’ve got a solid technology basis for marketing document. (Good marcom can explain what a NAS gateway is, but not by yammering about “enterprise-wide intelligent data management portals.” Puts readers right to sleep.)

Booklets One of best press kits I ever saw included a sharp and informative booklet on vendor’s technology. The booklet explained general technology’s development and background, presented vendor’s product, and listed clear customer advantages. It impressed both journalists and customers in a way a press release or even a white paper wouldn’t have done. Booklets are labor-intensive, so use your trade journal article as basis for writing your own.

Speech Outline and Handouts Use existing articles as basis for client speeches and presentations. Since trade journal articles are usually vendor-neutral, they’ll work as-is for similar talks. When presentation is about a product you can still use article outline for background technology and analysis then add product details, customer case studies, and Q&A’s. You can use article reprints as a handout, or turn outline into speaker’s notes and use that instead.

If your client gulps at cost of developing a trade journal article, don’t leave them gasping for breath – list all ways they can leverage it to increase market exposure and profits.

Once you’ve done your research it’s simple to assign pieces to different sections. Believe me, it’ll light a fire under your writing time.