Describers new formulary and new rules for writing in business in our digital age, combining best principles and practices from experts, blogs, books, newsletters, author's teaching at New York University.

1. N E W F O R M U L A R Y, N E W R U L E S
F O R P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S
A N D B U S I N E S S W R I T I N G
C O P Y R I G H T 2 0 1 8
D O N B A T E S
A L S O F E A T U R E D
O N “ S L I D E S H A R E ”
Y O U R I N S I D E R G U I D E TO W R I T I N G B E T T E R O N
T H E J O B , I N S C H O O L , I N Y O U R L I F E

2. AUTHOR
FOREWORD
• This how-to guide is based on my long career as
journalist, editor, publicist, and freelance writer.
• Also, as adjunct professor in graduate-degree
programs of such prestigious schools as New York
University, Columbia and George Washington
University.
• Lastly, as executive tutor and trainer in private and
public workshops on business and public relations
writing I conduct on behalf of corporations,
consulting firms and associations in the U.S. and
worldwide.
• The ideas herein are dedicated to writers
everywhere, professional and newbie alike.
Don Bates
Writing Instructor
New York University
db155@nyu.edu
batesdon1@msn.com
917-913-8940
Executive tutor and trainer of
public relations and business
writing.

3. 10RULES
F O R W R I T I N G R I G H T I N B O T H
T R A D I T I O N A L A N D S O C I A L M E D I A

4. N E W YO R K T I M E S
I N T E R V I E W W I T H
G U Y K AWA S A K I1. ‘Snackable’ brevity
2. BIG PICTURE focus
3. BIG PICTURE headline
4. BIG PICTURE lead
5. Incisively written
6. Strategically linked
7. Image-enhanced
8. Multi-media targeted
9. Promoted/publicized
10. Immediately actionable
NYT: “What should business
schools teach more of, or less
of?”
Kawasaki: “They should teach
students how to communicate
in five-sentence e-mails and
with 10-slide PowerPoint
presentations. If they just
taught every student that,
American business would be
much better off.”
NYT: “Why?”
Kawasaki: “Because no one
wants to read ‘War and Peace’
e-mails. Who has the time?
Ditto with 60 Power Point slides
for a one-hour meeting.”

5. NEW RULES AMPLIFIED
1. Write ‘snackable’ content (shorter and sweeter than in past, and easier to read,
understand, act on). Text more audience friendly.
2. Focus on “big picture” meaning (all-important news for the audience, not the
sender). Cite facts and opinion that provide larger context for what employer or
client does.
3. Create social-media style headlines (more intriguing, enticing, engaging). Look
at BuzzFeed, Upworthy, Copyblogger.com for examples. One-line headlines
preferred, AP style, active voice.
4. Use condensed leads/ledes (sharply defined, credibly expressed). Synthesize
newsworthy facts, information, meaning.
5. Write direct and to the point. Cut fluff, adjectives, adverbs, hyperbole, jargon,
prepositions.

6. NEW RULES AMPLIFIED
6. Link to related content, but judiciously (news-jacked reports, news stories,
editorials). Add value, 2 or 3 links at most.
7. Aim for concrete action (FYA not FYI). Include information or create
opportunities that make it easy for recipients to buy your products, take your
surveys, subscribe to your blogs, etc.
8. Enhance with images to multiply readership. Include photos, logos, charts,
graphs, survey profiles, illustrations. You’ll attract three or four times as many
readers.
9. Disseminate via multi-media. Aim for “hits” in print, broadcast, social media
(Twitter, Facebook, Linked In).
10. Repurpose and republish as blogs, how-to advisories, editorials, newsletter,
Blogs can be repurposed many times.
amplified

7. 7 SHORTCUTS
FOR OBEYING
THE RULES
M A K E Y O U R W R I T I N G M O R E
E N G A G I N G A N D A C T I O N P A C K E D

8. DO AS I SAY, DO AS I DO
1. Remove unneeded adjectives and adverbs (most are superfluous).
2. Narrow the distance between subject, verb and object or action by removing
all that gets in the way (this sharpens the relation of one word to another, and
enforces more direct, energetic expression).
3. Reduce everything by at least half in your first drafts.
4. Make verbosity and redundancy repugnant (extra words and repetitive
statements compromise meaning and turn readers off).
5. Use active voice, which enforces immediacy/directness (passive voice, though
useful in some circumstances, doesn’t for PR purposes.)
6. Eliminate prepositions and “to-be” verbs (these are the bane of clarity, when
removed they automatically make sentences active voice).
7. Understand the form you’re working in. Form follows function.

9. WRITER
FIGHTER
BIG PICTURE EXAMPLE
Script writer and novelist Nora Ephron had a
favorite teacher, Charles Simms, who taught
journalism at Beverly Hills High School in Los
Angeles.
The first day of class, he taught students how to
write a headline and lead.
He had them write their own headline for a news
story in the high school newspaper, which went to
more than 1,000 students.
He provided these facts:
Nora Ephron

10. “ K e n n e t h L . P e t e r s , p r i n c i p a l o f
B e v e r l y H i l l s H i g h S c h o o l ,
a n n o u n c e d t o d a y t h a t t h e f a c u l t y
o f t h e h i g h s c h o o l w i l l t r a v e l t o
S a c r a m e n t o o n T h u r s d a y f o r a
c o l l o q u i u m o n n e w t e a c h i n g
m e t h o d s . S p e a k i n g t h e r e w i l l b e
a n t h r o p o l o g i s t M a r g a r e t M e a d ,
e d u c a t o r R o b e r t M a y n a r d
H u t c h i n s , a n d s e v e r a l o t h e r s . ”
W H AT S H O U L D T H E H E A D L I N E B E ?

11. ‘NO SCHOOL NEXT
THURSDAY!’
T E A C H E R S G O TO S A C R A M E N TO TO L E A R N
F R O M N AT I O N A L E D U C AT I O N L E A D E R S

12. PREPOSITIONS,
THE BANE OF
CLARITY
T H E Y A R E N O T T H A T E S S E N T I A L
F O R M O S T B U S I N E S S W R I T I N G

13. W H AT ’ S A
P R E P O S I T I O N ? W H AT
D O E S I T D O ?
--Prepositions connect
nouns and pronouns in
sentences.
--They are useful, but
their use should be
minimized if you want
your writing simpler and
more active.
--Prepositions act as
small pauses that slow
reading and
comprehension.
85 OF ESTIMATED 150

14. KILL AS MANY AS YOU CAN
• Eliminating prepositions and “to be” verbs helps to make complicated
sentences and paragraphs easier to read, more logical and more
understandable.
• In doing so, you cut excess words that interfere with clarity, directness
and style.
• You also turn passive constructions into active automatically,
sharpening your message in the process.

15. THE ‘PARAMEDIC METHOD’
LESSON IN WRITING CONCISELY
• Retired Yale Professor Richard
Lanham’s “The Paramedic Method” (in
his Revising Prose) improves
and paragraphs.
• The method helps to make confusing
syntax comprehensible by cutting
prepositions and “to-be” verbs that
interfere with the clarity and
of what’s written.
This method borrows from the work of
retired Yale professor, Richard Lanham,
and from the treasure trove of free
writing guidelines at the Purdue
University online writing lab (The OWL):
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writ
ing/academic_writing/paramedic_metho
d.html

16. EXERCISE:
ELIMINATING
PREPOSITIONS
P U T A D V I C E TO W O R K S TA R T I N G N O W

17. ACTION VERBS
• Assists
• Builds
• Constructs
• Consults
• Contributes
• Creates
• Delivers
• Designs
• Educates
• Enables
• Funds
• Gives
• Helps
• Improves
• Makes
• Manages
• Manufactures
• Offers
• Provides
• Researches
• Serves
• Studies
• Supplies
• Supports
• Trains
• Underwrites

18. T H E PA R A M E D I C
M E T H O D
SENTENCE TO CORRECT
The point I wish to make is that the employees
working at this company are in need of a much
better manager of their money – Word count: 25
1. Circle or underline all
prepositions and “to be”
forms (be, am, are, was,
were).
2. Find the action and put it
into a simple (not
compound) active verb.
3. Eliminate prepositions
and unneeded adjectives,
adverbs, transitions, passive
constructions,
redundancies.

19. CORRECTED SENTENCE
Employees at this company need a better money manager.
• (Now 9 words from 25, 1 preposition from 5, no “is” verb.)
• Here are shorter alternatives with no prepositions:
This company’s employees need a better money manager.
– Word count: 8
Our employees need a better money manager.
– Word count: 7
We need a better money manager.
– Word count: 6

20. T H E PA R A M E D I C
M E T H O D
SENTENCE TO CORRECT
It is widely known that the engineers at Sandia Labs
have become active participants in the Search and
Rescue operations in most years. – Word count: 23
1. Circle or underline all
prepositions and “to be”
forms (be, am, are, was,
were).
2. Find the action and put it
into a simple (not
compound) active verb.
3. Eliminate prepositions
and unneeded adjectives,
adverbs, transitions, passive
constructions,
redundancies.

21. CORRECTED SENTENCE
Sandia Lab engineers have participated in recent annual Search and Rescue
operations.
• (Now 12 words from 23, 1 preposition from 3, no “is” verb.) [MAKE VERB MORE
ACTIVE]
Sandia Lab engineers participate* in annual Search and Rescue operations.
• Word count: 10 (9?), 1 preposition, no “is” verb.
• *Alternative verbs: take part in, volunteer in, assist in, help in, lead annual.

22. T H E PA R A M E D I C
M E T H O D
SENTENCE TO CORRECT
After reviewing the results of your previous
research, and in light of the relevant information
found within the context of the study, there is ample
evidence for making important, significant changes
to our operating procedures. – Word count: 35
1. Circle or underline all
prepositions and “to be”
forms (be, am, are, was,
were).
2. Find the action and put it
into a simple (not
compound) active verb.
3. Eliminate prepositions
and unneeded adjectives,
adverbs,, passive
constructions, transitions,
redundancies.

23. CORRECTED SENTENCE
Your research results provide ample evidence for changing our operating procedures.
(Now, 11 words from 35, 1 preposition from 7, no “to-be” verb.)
Here’s a shorter alternative with 10 words, 1 preposition:
Your research offers ample evidence for changing our operating procedures.
Here’s an even shorter version at 8 words, no preposition, no “to be” verb:
Your research proves we need new operating procedures.

24. EDIT, ELIMINATE, REPEAT…
When you see prepositions or prepositional phrases, ask yourself if you can
eliminate all or most of them, thereby making what you’ve written clearer.
1. The agenda for the tonight’s program.
Tonight’s program agenda.
3 words from 6, no preposition.
2. The need for doing good to help people and to make
society a better place is essential.
The essential need to help people and society.
17 words to 8, 1 preposition from 3. no “to be” verb.
3. In keeping with this PR plan’s goal of gaining significant coverage in mainstream
media, we will send news releases and pitch stories to editors and to reporters who
handle particular “beats” that relate to your [client] priority interests.
Since significant mainstream media coverage is a plan goal, we will send top
journalists news releases and story pitches related to their “beats” and your
priorities.
26 words from 37, 1 preposition from 8, 1 “to be” verb.

25. “ W R I T I N G I S E A S Y. A L L Y O U
H AV E T O D O I S C R O S S
O U T T H E W R O N G W O R D S ”
MARK T WAIN

26. T H A N K Y O U
F O R V I E W I N G
D O N B A T E S ,
W R I T I N G I N S T R U C T O R
N E W Y O R K U N I V E R S I T Y
D B 1 5 5 @ N Y U . E D
9 1 7 - 9 1 3 - 8 9 4 0
C O P Y R I G H T 2 0 1 8
A L S O F E A T U R E D
O N “ S L I D E S H A R E ”
S U G G E S T I O N S F O R C H A N G E S A N D I M P R O V E M E N T S
W E L C O M E