Chapter 16: Public Relations Writing

Writing for the eye and the ear
Public practitioners must understand the difference between writing for the eye and the ear. Some structure for writing for readers (eye) while we have other structure for writing to target the listeners.
Fundamentals of Writing:
The idea must precede the expressions: think before writing. Ideas must satisfy four criteria:
They must relate to the reader
They must engage the reader’s attention
They must concern the reader
They must be in the reader’s interest.

Don’t be afraid of the draft: the writer should prepare a rough draft. Writing how matter how good can usually be improved
Simplify, clarify: the simpler the better. Writing requires judicious editing , copy must always be reviewed with the eye toward cutting.
Finally, writing must be aimed at a particular audience: the writer must have the target group in mind and tailor the message to reach that audience.

Flesch Readability Formula:
Flesch gave seven suggestions for making writing more readable:
1. Use contractions such as it’s and doesn’t
2. Leave out the word that Whenever possible
3. Use pronouns such as I, we, They and you
4. When referring back to noun repeat the noun or use a pronoun. Don’t create eloquent substitutions.
5. Use brief, clear sentences
6. Cover only one item per paragraph
7. Use language the reader understands
· Avoid big words
· Avoid extra words
· Avoid clichés
· Avoid latin
· Be specific
· Be active
· Be short
· Be organized
· Be convincing
· Be understandable.

The Beauty of the Inverted Pyramid
The first ties of the story is the first one or two paragraphs, which include the most important facts. From there, paragraphs are written in descending orde of importance, with progressively less important facts presented as the article continues thus the term inverted pyramid.

The News Release:
Relaeses are poorly written
Releases are rarely localized
Releases are not newsworthy
The News Release News Value:
Have a well defined reason for sending the release
Focus on one central subject in each release
Make certain the subject is newsworthy in the context of the organization, industry, and community.
Include facts about the product, service, or issue being discussed
Provide the facts factually with no puff, no bluff, no hyperbole
Rid the release of unnecessary jargon
Include appropriate quotes from principles but avoid inflated superlatives that do little more than boost management egos
Write clearly, concisely, forcefully.
News Release Style
Capitalization: most leading publications use capital letters sparingly so should you. Editors call this a down style only the most important words begin with capital letters.
Abbreviations: avoid abbreviations as much as possible to avoid confusions.
Numbers: spell out numbers zero through nine and use figure for 10 and up.
Punctuation: use punctuation to clarify the writer’s thoughts, ensure exact interpretations and make reading and understanding quicker and easier.

News Release Essentials:
Rationale: there must be a well defined reasons for sending the release. You must answer the two critical questions: What’s new? And So What?
Focus
Facts: facts about product and service is essential
No puffery: avoid some taboo terms
Nourishing Quotes: include quotes but make them count.
Limit jardon
Company Description: or boilerplate must be included
Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation must be verified.
The Media Kit:
The Biography
The background
Fact sheet and Photos and So one.