Five Power Writing Tips for Your PR Campaign

Public relations strategies in some form require us to write. First thing we should understand is that long, flowing prose just doesn’t grab the attention of average Joe and Jane. In fact, verbose writing tends to turn off a journalist’s button too. They get cranky when a news release does put their reader’s first, is not carefully organized, does not divide copy into small, bite-size sections, doesn’t uses short sentences and simple words.

And this week’s better news writing post we’ll discuss these.

Put the reader first

What does “putting the reader first” really mean? It means creating content your readers can use to solve a problem, or learn something new, or find amusement in the copy provided. One of the best ways is to write in the second person. This personalizes the material for the reader.

Your readers will also appreciate interesting content. As one copywriter put it this way; generate enthusiasm by telling a story, disseminating news, and show how you can improve the reader’s life.

Carefully organize your story

This isn’t the Victorian Age where people relish long flowing prose. Today is the age of immediacy. So give your readers the goods up front. I recommend writing in the inverted pyramid style. Check out “Writing from the Top Down: Pros and Cons of the Inverted Pyramid” for the benefits of writing in this style.”

Divide the story into short sections

Unfortunately, many people have the attention span of a gnat. So, dividing a story or content into short, manageable sections helps people consume and retain information faster and easier. For example, I read a 575 page tome on one of my favorite American authors in a few days because the author organized the information into two to three page sections. I could finish a section in two to three minutes. So I read the book in spare time and finished it in record time. Needless to say, I was thrilled to have consumed such a large amount of information quickly, while retaining a good deal of the details. Your readers will appreciate that too.

Use short sentences

Again, long flowing prose irritates people these day. Last month, I explained how writing news for a public relations campaign strategy must be concise. Short sentences, however, don’t have to boring. Look to Hemingway for short sentences that come alive. Why? Because he writes with active voice. And so should you.

Use simple words

Simple words embody more life and imagery than complex ones. For instance, one blogger used the work imbible, which embodies no life for the reader. It draws no picture in the mind. There’s nothing in imbible that entertains the reader.

In place of imbible, these words draw a picture, inform, engage and entertain. Some are even fun to say. They include: swill, suck, guggle, sip, guzzle, lap, drain the cup, gulp, and toss off.

William Zinsser wrote, “Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.”

Join me and write better copy for your people. They’ll appreciate it, and you’ll sleep better at night.