26 Jul Top tips for brushing up on your PR writing skills
Because PR professionals are required to develop accurate, compelling content on behalf of companies, having good writing skills is crucial. Whether you’re working on a blog post, an e-mail, a media release or social media content, writing well is a fundamental part of the job. Here are a few of our tips to consider before, during and after putting pen to paper:
- Be concise
Make your point clearly and succinctly. Your writing will be more effective, engaging and less likely to remain unopened in the inboxes of your target market if you articulate concisely.
- Use spell check
Though this tip sounds obvious, it’s ignored time and time again. Spelling errors can make an otherwise well-written piece of communication appear rushed and unprofessional.
- Write for your audience
Understand who will be reading your copy, and why you are writing it. Then write accordingly. You should not be writing the same way for every audience as they do not have the same interests and are not engaged by the same language, topics or storylines.
- Be credible, transparent and honest
Don’t exaggerate, mislead or misquote as you will lose credibility when found out.
- Carefully consider the structure and format of your work
We’re all busy people – many of us have short attention spans, especially while we’re flicking through our very full e-mail inboxes and social media feeds. Keep this in mind. In most cases you can’t go wrong with the holy-grail ‘inverted pyramid’ format.
- Get a second opinion
Ask a colleague to review your copy and check for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Having a fresh set of eyes to look over your work can often reveal a different perspective and improve your writing.
Please leave us a comment below – what are your top tips for PR writing?