ContentJournalist.com / Rusty Cawley, APR

Copy Makeover No. 1Supertel Hospitality, Inc., news release, http://goo.gl/F5HQN

Friday, February 15, 13

Before ...

Written  for  high  school  grads,  scoring  a  12.7  on  the  Gunning  Fog  Index.

Supertel  Hospitality,  Inc.  (NASDAQ:  SPPR),  a  real   estate   investment   trust   (REIT),   today  announced   that   it   sold   the   114-­‐room  GuestHouse  Inn   in  Jackson,  Tennessee  for   $1.1  million.  Supertel  purchased  the  property  in  July  1998  and   it  was  no  longer   classiTied  as   a   core  holding.   The   company   will   use   the   proceeds  from  the  sale  for  general  corporate  purposes.    Year-­‐to-­‐date   Supertel   has   sold   11   non-­‐core  

hote ls   generat ing   gross   proceeds   o f  approximately   $19.3   million.   Four   hotels   are  currently  under  contract  and  expected  to  close  by   year-­‐end,   pending   Tinancing   and   other  customary   closing   conditions.   The   sale   of   the  hotel   demonstrates   the   company's   continued  commitment   to   the   business   plan   which   calls  for   continued   balance   sheet   improvement   by  shedding  underperforming  assets.

Stops  the  eye  with  early  parentheses.

Buries  the  news  with  needless  corporate  verbiage.

23%  of  words  have  3-­‐plus  syllables.

Hard  to  read  aloud,  therefore  hard  to  read  at  all.

Friday, February 15, 13

... and after

Supertel   Hospitality   has   sold   the  GuestHouse  Inn   in  Jackson,  Tenn.,  for  $1.1  million,  the  company  said  today.The   GuestHouse   is   one   of   11   hotels  

Supertel  sold  this  year  for  a  total  of  $19.3  million.  Supertel  viewed  the  hotels  as  poor  performers   and   sold   them   to   improve   its  balance  sheet.  Contracts  to  sell   four  other  hotels  should  close  by  Dec.  31.  Supertel   Hospitality   is   a   real   estate  

investment  trust  that  trades  on  Nasdaq  as  SPRR.  The  company  bought  the  114-­‐room  GuestHouse  Inn  in  1998.    Proceeds  will  go  into  the  general  fund.

Takes  out  parentheses  that  slow  or  stop  the  eye.  

Easier  to  read  aloud,  thus  easier  to  read  overall.Re-­‐written  for  

sixth  graders  with  a  Gunning  score  of  6.8.  

Makes  the  news  easier  to  Tind.  

Cuts  more  than  half  of  multi-­‐syllable  words.

Friday, February 15, 13

Side by side

AFTERSupertel   Hospitality   has   sold   the  

GuestHouse   Inn   in   Jackson,   Tenn.,   for  $1.1  million,  the  company  said  today.The   GuestHouse   is   one   of   11   hotels  

Supertel   sold   this   year   for   a   total   of  $19.3   million.   Supertel   viewed   the  hotels   as   poor   performers   and   sold  them   to   improve   its   balance   sheet.  Contracts   to   sell   four   other   hotels  should  close  by  Dec.  31.  Supertel   Hospitality   is   a   real   estate  

investment   trust  that  trades  on  Nasdaq  as  SPRR.  The  company  bought  the  114-­‐room   GuestHouse   Inn   in   1998.    Proceeds  will  go  into  the  general  fund.

BEFORESupertel  Hospitality,   Inc.   (NASDAQ:   SPPR),  

a   real   estate   investment   trust   (REIT),   today  announced   that   it   sold   the   114-­‐room  GuestHouse  Inn  in  Jackson,  Tennessee  for  $1.1  million.   Supertel   purchased   the   property   in  July  1998  and  it  was  no  longer   classiTied  as  a  core   holding.   The   company   will   use   the  proceeds   from   the   sale   for   general   corporate  purposes.    Year-­‐to-­‐date  Supertel  has  sold  11  non-­‐core  

hotels   generating   gross   proceeds   of  approximately   $19.3   million.   Four   hotels   are  currently  under  contract  and  expected  to  close  by   year-­‐end,   pending   Tinancing   and   other  customary   closing   conditions.   The   sale  of   the  hotel   demonstrates   the   company's   continued  commitment   to  the  business  plan  which  calls  for   continued   balance   sheet   improvement   by  shedding  underperforming  assets.

Friday, February 15, 13

Takeaway: Cut needless words

✤ Lawyers  love  to  add  words  that  add  nothing.    In  the  pursuit  of  absolute  precision,  they  sacriTice  clarity.  For  example:

✤ “Four  hotels  are  currently  under  contract  and  expected  to  close  by  year-­‐end,  pending  Tinancing  and  other  customary  closing  conditions.”  

✤ Needless  words  put  the  burden  on  the  reader.

✤ Readers  seldom  work  harder;  they  are  more  likely  to  quit  reading.

Friday, February 15, 13

1.  Keep  sentences  short,  on  average.

2.  Prefer  the  simple  to  the  complex.

3.  Prefer  the  familiar  word.

4.  Cut  unnecessary  words.5.  Put  action  in  your  verbs.6.  Write  as  you  speak.

7.  Prefer  the  concrete  to  the  abstract.

8.  Relate  to  your  reader’s  experience.

9.  Vary  your  style.10.  Write  to  express,  not  to  impress.

Follow Robert Gunning's10  principles  of  clear  writing

Friday, February 15, 13

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Friday, February 15, 13