Why your quotes have no juice for reporters

Why are these two or three sentences so hard to formulate?

Sometimes they are the most time-consuming sections of documents PR pros put together.

Through experience, feedback and education, PR pros can glean helpful tidbits to create quoteworthy statements.

Here's a collection of anatomical components that make a good quote and how you can use them to better represent your organization to the wider world:

1. First, keep in mind that a quote is the only place where you can editorialize.

The body of any release should be facts-based, which helps reporters put together their stories. In your press release, quotes should be the only section in which your organization editorializes. That means your commentary, analysis and opinion should come from someone and can make a great quote.

2. Answer the question, “Why is this important?”

Quotes should put the announcement, event or milestone into the broader context of the industry, company or climate. Include the newsworthiness of your announcement in this section so stakeholders understand the impact.

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3. Make sure the quote adds color and context.

Quotes often reiterate the announcement; that's a mistake. They should be complementary and provide commentary or analysis, or you risk boring the reader or sounding stilted and formulaic.

4. Every part of a quote needs to work on its own.

Does this sound familiar?

“They only took a piece of the statement. That quote is totally out of context!”

To avoid getting heat from your boss, quotes should be carefully reviewed to ensure that every section, no matter how it may be sliced, is effective.

5. Keep it pithy.

Keep it concise and to the point. Otherwise, it loses impact and seems to ramble. Shorter quotes are also easier to remember.

6. The author must be someone relevant.

This may be an obvious one, but the spokesperson should be familiar with and involved in the situation. Attention should be paid to make sure the author of the quote is the most relevant to the situation they are commenting on.

7. A quote can be used to address concerns or correct facts.

In a sensitive situation, what do you want to make sure stakeholders understand?

A quote or statement is where you can ensure that your key messages get across, and sometimes that message is a correction or a redirect.

8. The quote can be aspirational or inspirational (or both).

Like adding context, a quote can address how the announcement gets an organization to its goals. In a message to employees, being inspirational and aspirational should be an important consideration.

Julia Sahin works in financial communications at one of the largest PR firms in New York and is a monthly contributor to Muck Rack. Connect with her on Twitter. A version of this article originally appeared on Muck Rack, a service that enables you to find journalists to pitch, build media lists, get press alerts and create coverage reports with social media data.

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