As a B2B PR agency, we write lots of content from press releases to brochure copy on behalf of our clients and it can often be a challenging task. Every person writing for PR or marketing purposes will have a number of audiences to appeal to: their own boss, the person who has the final say on the copy and of course the intended recipient of the copy e.g. an editor. Each will of course have their own style of writing and opinions on what they like or don’t like, so getting it right can be tough.
There’s no shortage of advice available for how to write effectively for PR or marketing purposes but I thought this was an interesting read on PR News Online who asked their readers for advice on: ‘What’s the most constructive suggestion you’ve ever received about your own PR writing?’
The responses were interesting and food for thought for anyone who writes for a living:
-Make your writing engaging; have a conversation with people.
-Find a balance between bragging about a client or brand and stating accomplishments that add credibility.
-The humble reminder is to think in terms of hard news. Think like a journalist, not a salesperson.
-Keep your writing short, sweet and to the point. Don’t write in flowery language or like you are writing an essay.
-Ask yourself “Why am I writing this? Why should they care?” And go from there.
-Tailor your writing for each audience—one style does not fit all.
-Be concise and precise.
-Assume editors only read the first two paragraphs, so get the salient facts in there up front.
