Book Notes for PUR3000 Final CHAPTER 15 PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING Introduction The Nigerian bank scam has been promising people on the internet that they will send money for your financial information Writing is the key to public relations Public relations practitioners are professional communicators and communications means writing Writing for the Eye and the Ear Sadly most PR people are horrible writers In order to be a good PR writer it takes a good knowledge of the basics Writing for a reader differs dramatically from writing for a listener A reader can check up on a writer A reader can check facts that the writer publishes Listener only gets 1 chance to hear and comprehend a message Fundamentals of Writing 1 The idea must precede the expression a The writer must come up with many ideas before trying to write These ideas have 4 criteria i They must relate to the reader ii They must engage the reader s attention iii They must concern the reader iv They must be in the reader s interest b The trick in coming up with clever ideas lies more in borrowing old ones than in creating new ones Don t reinvent the wheel 2 Don t be afraid of the draft them to a written test a The draft helps you organize ideas and plot their development before you commit b Organization should be logical Sometimes an outline should precede a draft 3 Simplify clarify a Trendy words should be avoided b Write the simple rather than the complex the familiar rather than the unconventional and the concrete rather than the abstract c The key to clarity is tightness that is each word each passage each paragraph must belong If a word is unnecessary get rid of it 4 Writing must be aimed at a particular audience a To win the minds of a specific audience must be willing to sacrifice the understanding of certain others Flecsh Readability Formula According to Flecsh anyone can become a writer When you write the way you talk you will write better For example Shakespeare s To be or not to be Flecsh gave seven suggestions for making writing more readable 1 Use contractions such as it s and doesn t 2 Leave out the word that whenever possible 3 Use pronouns such as I we they and you eloquent substitutions 5 Use brief clear sentences 6 Cover only one item per paragraph 7 Use language the reader understands 4 When referring back to a noun repeat the noun or use a pronoun Don t create Ylisela Cornerstones of Corporate Writing Ylisela believes like Flecsh that most corporate writing is dull uninspired and convoluted because writers are fearful to express themselves forcefully How to make words count according to Ylisela Be specific Don t get too vague Use more words stretch your vocabulary Companies use words like strategic key and quality far too often Find better verbs Omit needless words Embrace simplicity and clarity Tell a good story use examples illustrations anecdotes and personal experience to make points Find interesting voices Quote interesting people that say interesting things Take chances Use writing that defies the conventional Rewrite make improvements The Beauty of the Inverted Pyramid Reporters have to be very concise with their words The most important information is in the first couple of paragraphs This is so if a reader stops reading they have gained the basic idea The inverted pyramid is more the selection and organization of facts than it is an exercise in creative The lead of the writing The lead of the story is the first one or two paragraphs This contains the most important facts This is the most critical element The paragraphs are written in descending order of importance with progressively less important facts presented as the article continues The Less important Info News Release The inverted pyramid style of straightforward writing forms the basis for this The news release is the most fundamental practical ubiquitous and easiest of all public relations tools It is the single most important public relations vehicle The first news release was issued by Ivey Lee in October of 1906 as a statement from the road offering an explanation from client Pennsylvania Railroad about that month s crash that killed 50 people It was published verbatim by The New York Times The PR Newswire is a paid wire service used by Public Relations people in 170 countries to distribute releases It issues more than 1000 news releases by email every day Most frequently news releases are used to influence a publication to write favorably about the material discussed News releases can also be used to state an organizations official position Why do some editors describe news releases as worthless drivel According to Linda Morton the answer has 3 parts 1 Releases are poorly written usually written too complicated 2 Releases are rarely localized Release is ten times more likely to be used if localized 3 Releases are not newsworthy Editors will only release only what they consider news Morton also offers 5 requisites for what is newsworthy 1 Impact a major announcement that affects an organization its community or even society 2 Oddity An unusual occurrence or milestone 3 Conflict a dispute or controversy 4 Known principle the more important the person making the announcement the better 5 Proximity how localized the release is or how timely it is Human interest stories that touch on an emotional experience are considered newsworthy Most news releases are never published Less than ten percent are published News Release News Value The key challenge for public relations writers is to ensure that their news releases reflect news News releases ought to include the following elements Have a well defined reason for sending the release Focus on one central subject in each release Make certain the subject is newsworthy in the context of the organization industry and community Include facts about the product service or issue being discussed Provide the facts factually without puff bluff or hyperboles Include appropriate quotes from principals but avoid inflated superlatives that do little more than boost management egos Include product specifications shipping dates availability price and pertinent information for telling the story Include a brief description of the company what it is and what it does AKA a boilerplate at the end of the release Write clearly concisely forcefully News Release Content The content must be newsworthy If a reporter prints a non newsworthy article it can tarnish their credibility The news release must get to the facts
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