writing

WAY WITH WORDS: MAKING A CLEAR POST, AD, OR POSTER

Whether or not you use our Facebook page, consider these guidelines when making an ad, post, flyer or poster. 

All of this may seem so obvious, but I see ones which have clearly not been thought out from the perspective of your counterpart (the owner if you’re the finder, or vice versa. ) Your post doesn’t have to be a literary masterpiece, but it does have to grab the attention of a reader and get the most important points across right away.

  1. Your first word… this is critical. Which word expresses YOUR status with the animal? LOST (you’ve lost your pet), or FOUND (you have found and secured a lost pet not yours, or SEEN/SPOTTED(animal roamed by but you were not able to secure). You would be surprised, but finders often post the notice as “LOST” and an owner could overlook that one. 
  2. SPECIES (dog/cat/other), BREED (if known). On a poster, parts 1 and 2 should be big enough letters to be seen from a distance. 
  3. Basic description: SIZE, ADULT/PUPPY/KITTEN, COLORS, GENDER. [lost/found] on DATE (date you found or first went missing), from/at (NEIGHBORHOOD/MAIN INTERSECTION, CITY, ZIP.) (COLLAR? MICROCHIP? TAGS?) (SPECIAL MEDICAL NEEDS?) For purposes of searching boards, location and date are key. If Fido goes missing on 3/1, you can eliminate any similar posts for dogs found before that date. 
  4. What not to say? Many advise leaving a few specific markings OUT. If someone claims to have found Fido, demanding a reward, you can ask for a description of his tail, or color of his harness). We will refrain from advice as to whether or not to offer a reward, but if you do, be prepared to weed out anyone trying to scam you. In general, be kind and clear, and assume any person who has found your pet is acting out of concern. Blaming them for keeping it from you is not going to foster the goodwill you need. Likewise, if you have found a pet, unless there is evidence of abuse, please don’t assume the pet wasn’t cared for. Good pets can get away from good owners. 
  5. How to contact you. If publicizing your phone number worries you, or your cell phone is an out-of-town area code, consider setting up a Google Voice number you can have forward to your line. (If you need help with this, contact me.If you use Email, make sure you are able to check it frequently. 
  6. A good photo can be very helpful. Compile a file with a good closeup face pic and a standing shot, maybe collage those two into one JPG, and keep it handy on your computer or phone, with a record of your pet’s vitals.

Read it over. Do the first three words grab the gist?  Did you check your contact info for typos? Did you spell “chihuahua” or “papillon” correctly? (I’m not just being a word prig; any misspellings could mess up a web search. )