How would you write?

PR WRITING

BASIC SKILLS FOR SUCCESS IN PR (FRASER SEITEL, COMMUNICATIONS CUNSLTANT & AUTHOR OF THE PRACTICE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS)

• Knowledge of Public Relations

• Knowledge of Current Events

• Knowledge of Business

• Knowledge of Management

• Knowledge of Communications

KNOWLEDGE OF COMMUNICATIONS

“At best, PR practitioners are professional communicators. Communications is their skill. That means they must be best writers, speakers, media experts, communication theorists, etc. in the organization.” Seitel

WRITING GUIDELINES (WILCOX, 2009)

• Outlining the Purpose

“I try to delve into the minds of the readers. What is the main benefit to them? What do they want to know about the subject?” Julie Goldsborough, president of Kansas Public Relations Firm

• Major Topics

• Minor Topics

• Facts

• Statistics

• Examples

• Quotes

WRITING GUIDELINES (WILCOX, 2009)

• Sentences

• 15 to 17 words

• 25 to 30: Difficult for a college-educated audience

• Paragraph

• Journalistic Style: 6-8 typeset lines

• Lead paragraphs: 2-3 lines

• Word Choice

• Fourth- to sixth-grade level

• An estimated 30 million adults in the U.S. lack basic reading skills and often cannot comprehend messages written beyond the second-grade level.

WRITING GUIDELINES (WILCOX, 2009)

• Active Voice

• The annual report produced a disappointed reaction among the board of directors → The annual report disappointed the board of directors

• Imagery

• “If all the system’s customers lined up along the equator, a thirsty consumer could purchase a Coca-Cola every 16 feet” A recent annual report of Coca-Cola

• “If Mr. Gates’ fortune were converted to dollor bills, it would take 296 747s to fly the pile from Microsoft’s Redmond, Wash., headquarters to New York. And once there, the loot would cover every square inch of Manhattan, not just once, but six times.”

• Be clear

• Use Action Verbs

• Apply Active Voice

• Avoid Jargon

• Focus on People

• Don’t Neglect the First Paragraph

• Include Quotes

• Write with Your Ear (Revise!!)

• Allow Yourself to Write Crap (Let your thoughts go!!)

• Take Chances (Why should I care? So what?)

ADVICE FROM KATIE BADEUSZ (RAGAN.COM)