The techniques you learned in school for compiling research papers will come in handy. Here’s how:
1. Start with research. PR is not a fake-it-till-you-make-it situation. Researching and reading daily about the industry, news and trends are crucial to help you get to know journalists and get your clients covered, but they also play a huge part in writing articles. When you sit down to write, that research will come into play as you think about what the audience knows, what’s relevant for your client to discuss as new and interesting, and what the industry is already talking about.
2. Cite your sources. In academia, essays relied on the strength of your research. In writing about the industry, including quotes or research isn’t a necessity, but it can go a long way in demonstrating your credibility and knowledge. Resources such as research reports, analysts’ quotes and other related articles help liven up an article, keep your information fresh and provide more value to the reader.
[RELATED: Find out how to make meaningful connections with your customers and journalists at the Practical PR Summit.]
3. Use examples. One of my favorite tools for PR is the case study. They fuel articles and provide real-world examples of what you’re discussing. If you have lots of case studies backlogged, you can draw several examples to create a trend story. Taking the raw content from the case study can inspire ideas and keep your articles fresh and interesting. Peppering them with research data will make them even better.
4. Try out a new voice. As a PR pro, sometimes you’re a ghostwriter. When writing for particular people with specific areas of expertise—and even for different publications— consider what terms they would use, as well as the audience’s perspective. This adds an aspect that we don’t usually study, and learning to write for someone else’s voice can take time. Have them write responses on a few different things so you can pick up their phrasing, or speak with them directly about the topic. Sometimes it takes getting to know the person to get their writing voice right.
5. Print and edit. Write the whole first draft from start to finish, and then walk away from it for a day (time allowing). The next time you look at it, print it out and go to town with a red pen. Printing it helps me see structural issues and more ways to improve sentence structure than just viewing it on the screen. This also can help you weed out spelling or grammatical errors; once you put all the changes in, have a colleague check it over before you make it final.
Laura Shubel is a senior account coordinator at Caster Communications. A version of this article was originally published on the agency’s blog. You can connect with her on Twitter: @LauraShoebell or LinkedIn. Connect with Caster Communications on Twitter, too: @CasterComm.(Image via)
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