Chapter 15 PR practitioners are professional communicators communication means writing PR should write and speak better than their colleagues Effective writing and speaking is the essence of the practice of Public Relations Ability to write and speak is a coveted skill Ability to write easily coherently and quickly distinguishes the PR professionals from o Discussing public relations writing in general and the staple of that writing news others in an organization Fundamentals of writing releases o Reviewing writing for reading o Discussing writing for listening Writing for the Eye and the Ear Sad fact PR professionals by large are horrible writers o Unfortunate conclusion from PR teachers executives supervisors etc What does it take to be a PR writer o Good knowledge of the basics o Writing for a reader differs dramatically from writing for a listener Reader can scan material study printed words dart ahead reread for a better understanding facts have to be 100 accurate Listeners only gets one opportunity to hear what you have written have to grab the listener quickly Primary skill as a PR professional is writing Fundamentals of Writing Four part formula for writers o The idea must precede the expression think before writing Creating clever ideas lies more in borrowing old ideas and polishing them o Don t be afraid of the draft writing can usually be improved with a second look Draft helps you organize ideas and plot their development before you commit to a written test Writing clarity is often enhanced if you know where you will stop before you start for stimulating action o Simplify clarify more people who understand what you are saying better odds o Writing must be aimed at a particular audience writer must have target group in mind and tailor message to reach that audience Must be willing to understand others to get the point across effectively Flesch Readability Formula Rudolf Flesch said anyone can be a writer If we write more like we talk our writing will be better o Use simpler words to get ideas across just like we do when we are having a normal conversation o Shakespeare s simple sentences like to be or not to be have stood the test of Examples time o Scientists are inclined to write more scientific words but it is easier to write all the fish died instead o FDR changed a line in his speech to a much simpler and effective sentence even though his speechwriter wrote it in a more complex manner o Bible opens up with a simple sentence In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth Flesch gave suggestions for making writing more readable o Use contractions it s doesn t etc o Leave out the word that whenever possible o Use pronouns such as I we they and you o When referring back to a noun repeat the noun or use a pronoun Don t create eloquent substitutions o Use brief clear sentences o Cover only one item per paragraph o Use language the reader understands The Beauty of the Inverted Pyramid Words are precious and should not be wasted Climax of news stories comes at the beginning Inverted pyramid layout Largest ideas to more specific hence the name of the pyramid o Generally the first tier or lead is the first one or two paragraphs o Paragraphs are written in order of importance o Last paragraph is least important facts The lead is the most critical element o Usually answers who what when where and why occasionally answers how as well This is the style of straightforward writing that forms the basis for the most fundamental practical ubiquitous and easiest of all PR tools the news release The News Release News release is granddaddy of PR writing vehicles First recorded was by Ivy Lee in Oct 1906 Releases done correctly are the easiest most straightforward most understandable communication vehicles PR newswire paid wire service used by PR distributes hundreds of news releases every day to more than 5 000 websites and online databases News release may be a written document of record to state an organizations official position organizations One overriding purpose to influence a publication to write favorable stories about their Releases become the point of departure for a newspaper magazine radio or television story 5 newsworthy topics for news releases o Impact affects organization community or society o Oddity unusual occurance o Conflict significant dispute or controversy o Known principle individual making an announcement versus someone else o Proximity how localized is it Beyond those characteristics would be human interest stories emotional experiences Single most important PR vehicle News Release News Value Key challenge for PR writers is to ensure their NR reflect news NR ought to include the following elements o Have well defined reason for sending the release o Focus on one central subject in each release o Make certain the subject is newsworthy in the context of the organization industry and community o Include facts about the product service or issue being discussed o Provide the facts factually no hyperbole no fluff o Rid the unnecessary jargon o Include appropriate quotes o Include product specifications all pertinent info for telling the story o Include brief description of the company also called the boilerpoint at end of release o Write clearly concisely forcefully News Release Content Must get facts early and answer 6 key questions From there must follow the inverted pyramid structure to the conclusion News release must be objective Must appear fair and accurate representation of the news that the organization wishes to be conveyed News Release Essentials Honored essentials o Rationale well defined reason for sending NR o Focus speak about one central subject o No puffery no excess fluff o Nourishing quotes make them count o Company description commonly called boilerplate o Spelling grammar punctuation journalists look at quality o Clarity conciseness commitment understated confident News Release Style Writing is almost as critical as content Style is subjective and ever changing Typical style rules o Capitalization o Abbreviations o Numbers o Spelling Shows competency of person who wrote it Social Media Releases SMRs Companies regularly issue releases merely to be included on online databases Technically to qualify for an SMR you need a photo Should contain contact information boilerplate and quotes Can embed headshots and logos Use a lot of tags to make sure SMR can be found Social media news releases are best used at an organizations Website to
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