Part Two
In a previous column, we took a different approach to our usual answering of readers’ questions related to public relations.
This is because everywhere I go, people ask me about the importance of writing in public relations.
How important is writing in public relations today? In a recent PR News survey, 80 percent of senior-level communications at agencies, corporations and nonprofits identified writing as the top skill their team needs to improve on. In short, writing is the biggest weaknesses for communicators.
In the same column, we learned much from Glenn Leibowitz who, in an article for Inc-Asean.com, said it’s simply following time-tested principles. He likewise suggested one to ask himself eight simple questions throughout the process of writing and editing.
These questions, Leibowitz said, should serve as a framework for organizing, writing and fleshing out the meat of your piece. These include:
- What’s your story?
- What’s new or different about your story?
- What facts, analyses and examples will bring your story to life?
- Does your story flow logically?
- Is your story clear?
- Are you avoiding technical terminology, industry jargon and clichés?
- Are you writing in the active voice?
- Are you using correct grammar, usage and spelling?
In this column, we will tackle what we should avoid to make our writing more professional. In an article in PR News, Steve Goldstein shared a list of 7 Business Writing Sins PR Pros Commit Regularly, as compiled by Tracy Zampaglione, public information officer for Orange County Corrections in Florida; and Bailey Jacobs, director of communications and marketing for the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, D.C.
This list, he said, will help you keep your prose clean, honest and to the point.
“The beauty of the list,” Goldstein added, is that its form expresses the greatest of all writing virtues: concision.
- You don’t follow the three Cs. Compelling. Concise. Content (that’s worthwhile). “There’s nothing that needs to be said here,” Goldstein said.
- You’re not real. Authenticity in writing is everything.
- You don’t tailor your writing for your audience. “Writing needs to fit the tone, format, style and grammar of your intended audience,” Goldstein said, “not the other way around.”
- You’re sloppy with style. For PR professionals, style matters. Always. Goldstein advised PR PROs to choose a style guide, and make sure everyone on your team sticks to it.
- You think you’re proofing perfect. When you’re writing a piece, one sometimes gets too close to the material to see it objectively. Goldstein has a spoiler alert: “Even the best writers need a proofing buddy.”
- You’re not a writing leader. PR professionals make an entire organization stronger by fostering a culture of strong writing. Strong writing = strong branding.
- You think writing is a natural talent. “Writing is a skill,” Goldstein said, “one that can always be improved.
We will tackle more about PR and writing in the next column.
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.
Image credits: MARK CONLAN/THE NEW YORK TIMES
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