4. “Public relations is a strategic communication
process that builds mutually beneficial
relationships between organizations and their
publics.” - PRSA
8. Why are writing skills important?
26.2% of college
graduates produce
writing that rates as
deficient.1
1 Partnership for 21st Century Skills
9. Why are writing skills important?
$3.1
Billion
1 National Commission on Writing
Poor writing
cost employers
$3.1 billion per
year.1
10. The Framework of Public
Relations Writing
O Four components to public relations
O Research, Planning, Communication,
Evaluation
O Writing is part of the communication
component
O Writers are communication technicians
O Perform tactical roles including:
O Writing news releases
O Formulating feature stories
O Pitch stories to the media
11. Preparation for Writing
O Objectives
O Advocacy, not objectivity
O Inform, persuade, and motivate
O Congruent with organizational goals
O Audiences
O Numerous and specialized
O Tailor information to audience interests &
concerns
O Channels
O Numerous and varied
O Select most effective for specific audience
12. The Public Relations Writer
O Extensive research is key to effective
writing
O Use search engines
O Google, Yahoo!, Bing
O Search Tips
O Use specific words or phrases, nouns are
best
O Use electronic databases to find in-depth
info.
O Ex. Academic Search Premier
13. Writing Guidelines
O Establish purpose
O Is the writing consistent with organizational
goals and objectives?
O Writing Tips
O Write succinct sentences and concise
paragraphs
O Use simple words
O Write with active verbs in present tense
O Include visual descriptions
14. Errors to Avoid
O Typos and misspellings decrease credibility
O Jargon complicates messages
O Spell check doesn’t catch correctly spelled
wrong words
O Be careful of homonyms, similarly spelled
words, and redundancies
O Exaggeration damages credibility and
believability of message
O Bias, stereotypes and politically incorrect
language reduce clarity, and accuracy of
communication
15. 10Ways to Become a Better PR Writer
Discover stories
Make business data compelling
Look for milestones
Listen to companies and employees at all levels
Have confidence when you know something is
not a story
6. Capture attention
7. Write for SEO
8. Writing for social media
9. Know the place for jargon
10. Revise, review & edit
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2.
3.
4.
5.
John Forrest Ales, PR News Online
