CHAPTER 15: PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITINGIntroductionWriting for the Eye and the EarFundamentals of WritingFlecsh Readability FormulaYlisela Cornerstones of Corporate WritingThe Beauty of the Inverted PyramidThe News ReleaseNews Release News ValueNews Release ContentNews Release StyleNews Release EssentialsSocial Media News ReleasesWriting Internet NewsImportance of EditingLast WordCHAPTER 16: WRITING FOR THE EYE AND EARIntroductionWriting for the EyeThe Media KitThe Pitch LetterThe Roundup ArticleThe Case HistoryThe BylinerThe Op-EdThe Standby StatementThe White PaperWriting for the EarThe SpeechThe Speechwriting ProcessThe PresentationCHAPTER 19: CRISIS MANAGEMENTIntroductionIssues ManagementRisk Communication and Message MappingManaging in a CrisisPlanning in a CrisisCommunicating in a CrisisEngaging the MediaLast WordBook Notes for PUR3000 FinalCHAPTER 15: PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITINGIntroduction• 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 EarSadly, most PR people are horrible writersIn 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 Writing1) The idea must precede the expressiona. The writer must come up with many ideas before trying to write. These ideas have 4 criteriai. They must relate to the readerii. They must engage the reader’s attentioniii. They must concern the readeriv. They must be in the reader’s interestb. 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 drafta. The draft helps you organize ideas and plot their development before you commit them to a written test.b. Organization should be logical. Sometimes an outline should precede a draft.3) Simplify, clarifya. Trendy words should be avoidedb. 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 audiencea. To win the minds of a specific audience, must be willing to sacrifice the understanding of certain others.Flecsh Readability FormulaAccording to Flecsh, anyone can become a writer.When you write the way you talk, you will write betterFor example: Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be?”Flecsh gave seven suggestions for making writing more readable1) Use contractions such as it’s and doesn’t2) Leave out the word that whenever possible3) Use pronouns such as I, we, they, and you4) When referring back to a noun, repeat the noun or use a pronoun. Don’t create eloquent substitutions.5) Use brief, clear sentences.6) Cover only one item per paragraph7) Use language the reader understandsYlisela Cornerstones of Corporate WritingYlisela 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 improvementsThe Beauty of the Inverted PyramidReporters 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 writing.The News ReleaseThe 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.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 lead of the Less important Info1. Releases are poorly written: usually written too complicated2. Releases are rarely localized: Release is ten times more likely to be used if localized3. 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 milestone3) Conflict: a dispute or controversy4) Known principle: the more important the person making the announcement, the better5) Proximity: how localized the release is or how timely it isHuman 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 ValueThe key
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