Dear PR Matters,
I have been tapped to do writing work for a public relations agency. While I have developed my skills over the years, I think I would be more confident if I could get some tips on how I can write better articles.
It is common knowledge that better written articles tend to get published more than those that are not that well-crafted. I am looking forward to my new assignment and hope you will be able to help me on this.
Sincerely,
Letty G.
Dear Letty,
First of all, I would like to wish you good luck on your new assignment, and wish you well.
You are correct in saying that better written articles have a better chance of getting published by media—whether this be traditional or digital. But it might surprise you that writing well starts from the basics, and it is best that we find meaning in fundamentals.
In an article in prnewsonline.com., Jerry Ascierto makes us aware of “A few common writing mistakes you’re probably still making.”
“Strong writing skills can supercharge your brand’s message and propel your own professional growth,” he begins. “After all, the best way to influence anyone is with a story well told.”
So, “whether you’re crafting a tweet, working in a newsroom, or writing a press release, the goal is to make every piece of writing concise, impactful, and clear.”
Yet, many of us can undermine our brand’s message—and our own credibility—by overlooking simple “linguistic hurdles.” And this can be very tricky.
Ascierto lists three potential ways we can sabotage an otherwise well-written article: unnecessary words/redundancies, passive versus active voice and commonly confused words.
Unnecessary word/redundancies
Using repetitive words can lessen the impact and flow of your narrative. Instead of a smooth sentence, we can end up with a stuttering style, similar to a car’s engine starting and then going off repeatedly.
That is why Ascierto said it is a good idea “to proofread out loud. Doing so can help you identify words and phrases [that] you can do without.” He lists some common examples of redundant phrases to look out for with the essential word in parenthesis.
- Direct confrontation (confrontation)
- Future plans (plans)
- Absolutely sure (sure)
- Final outcome (outcome)
- End result (result)
- Unintended mistake (mistake)
- Exact same (same)
- Each individual (each)
- Often times (often)
- Small in size (small)
- Until such time as (until)
Passive versus active voice
“Using a passive voice makes a sentence less impactful and forces the reader to work a little harder. Always keep in mind that the subject of a sentence depends upon the verb, not the other way around.”
Ascierto gives us some examples.
Articles using the active voice
Passive voice: This article will be written by Jerry.
Active voice: Jerry will write this article.
Passive voice: There were four awards won by The Shape of Water.
Active voice: The Shape of Water won four awards.
Commonly confused words
At a time when writers can turn to spellcheckers, we should not be so complacent, as sometimes “a spell-checking program only tells half the story. Always watch out for certain words that while spelled correctly, are often confused for each other. It may surprise you how tricky this can be. Here’s what’s in Ascierto’s list:
Ensure versus insure. “If you want to make sure of something, you’re ensuring it,” he said. “But if you want to buy a house or get your car on the road, you’ll need to insure it.”
Than versus then: Than is always used in comparisons, such as “bigger than” or “older than.” Then is often associated with time (I’ll call you then) or referring to what comes next (Do this and then that.)
Their/They’re and Your/You’re. The apostrophes make all the difference. Other commonly confused words on Ascierto’s list:
- Its/It’s
- Whose/who’s
- Affect/Effect
- Compliment/Complement
- Farther/Further
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.
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