The more things change, the more they remain the same, we hear from Don Bates of George Washington University. He told us that’s certainly the case with PR writing. Despite all that has happened in the field of public relations since it was first recognized as a professional pursuit more than 100 years ago, the basics of writing have pretty much stayed the same over the years. But that doesn’t mean the overall quality is all that good, particularly with respect to how the media view the situation.
Research by Bates, with the pro bono assistance of Cision, formerly Bacon’s Information, makes the case. According to the survey results, reporters and editors “love” what PR people do to assist them with news and information, but they “hate” the way PR people write.
But the situation can be reversed, said Bates, if PR practitioners commit themselves to practicing what the media consider good writing: be simple, clear and direct; minimize boilerplate; provide credible opinion; give good information; cover the 5 W’s; avoid gratuitous quotes; cut hyperbole; cut exaggeration; cut verbiage; cut adjectives; cut adverbs. More to the point, stop word-smithing (using words for show) and embrace word-working (using words to make things happen).
At the PRSA-NCC workshop, hosted by George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, Bates, instructor in writing and founding director of GW’s master’s degree program in strategic public relations, covered what PR practitioners have to do to change, using what the media said in his and Cision’s survey as a guide.
Barbara Burfeind, PRSA-NCC chapter president, attended the workshop and said the feedback from attendees was excellent. “This is the second time we’ve run the program and we intend to run it again in the months ahead. It meets the chapter’s philosophy of providing valuable advice and counsel from experts in the field.”
Entitled “Put More Power and Precisions in Your PR Writing,” the half-day event included a one-hour session on writing for social media. Conducted by Chip Griffin, founder of online monitoring service Custom Scoop, publisher of online and in-print magazine Media Bullseye, and well-known blogger and podcaster, this session focused on Twitter with asides about social media generally.
Griffin said “snackable writing” – “140 calorie snacking” in Twitter – was the goal but that some of the best blogs often require lengthy essays and analyses. So there is no one way of writing for social media although short is generally better than long, and transparency is always better than opaqueness.
Defining PR Writing
Bates told the audience of PR specialists from agencies, government organizations and trade and professional associations that “PR writing is an art and a science,” adding that “the best writers inside and outside PR are engaged with and committed to both.”
He also called writing a contact sport. “You have to be in shape, both physically and mentally, to play it well,” he said. “It’s never finished, it’s always a challenge. The best writing, like the best athletic performance, comes through practice, practice, practice.” He referred to Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, Outliers, as proof of the value of practice. In it, Gladwell shows how elite athletes get that way because they practice 2,000-4,000 more hours than other players.
In summarizing guidelines for improved writing, he invited PR practitioners to make sure their words and arguments reflect conventional measures of PR writing success. They should be 1) simple and direct; 2) credible; 3) factual (go heavy on the 5 W’s); 4) accurate; 5) measured in tone; 6) persuasively articulated; 7) benefits driven; 8) positively stated; 9) properly attributed; and 10) action oriented (makes things happen).
He added that strategic thinking makes the big difference – working through the big questions behind everything we write. He said there are several questions that a PR writer must ask before and during each writing assignment:
· Why am I writing, what is my goal?
· Who am I writing to, who am I trying to influence?
· What form should I use, what length, what style?
· What facts should I include, what arguments should I make?
· Whom should I quote, what should he or she say?
· What do recipients need to know, what do I want them to know?
· What do I want to happen, when?
“In the end, PR writing is a management tool,” Bates explained. “Think and act like a manager, not a tactician, when you write.
Griffin said strategic thinking was also key in social media. “You need to think before you publish,” he said. “You want to avoid ‘oops’ moments because once you publish something online it’s pretty much forever.” He added that if you write on Twitter or have your own blog you don’t want to “pitch and ditch.” You need to “engage in a conversation, using clear messages and links to supporting documents.” Links, headlines, subheads, hashtags (Twitter IDs) and other tools help to get people to and from what you’ve written. He said it is also important “to give others credit in social media” since you’re part of a larger community. “Transparency and disclosure are therefore essential if you want to avoid being viewed as a bad neighbor.”
For a free copy of the 33-page GWU/Cision survey results, go to
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Don Bates, APR, Fellow PRSA, is a public relations educator, and senior public relations and public affairs consultant. He was a reporter for a suburban Boston daily newspaper, and for more than a decade owned his own public relations firm, which he merged in the early 1990’s. Bates runs public and private workshops. He also teaches writing and media relations in the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management Master’s Degree Program in Strategic Communications, which he helped to establish. Don can be reached at dbates@gwu.edu (202-994-9419).