Writing Suitable Copy for the Press

Summer is finally here and school is out, but learning for the rest of us continues. Whether you're a seasoned PR professional working for a top agency, a novice just beginning a career, or a mid-level manager working in-house at a small business, the time comes when we all could use a refresher course in properly writing suitable copy for the press.

My lesson occurred recently upon reading an interesting interview with retired Wall Street Journal assistant managing editor, Paul R. Martin, Sr., in The Bulldog Reporter, a public relations trade newsletter. Reporters and public relations professionals alike greatly admire Mr. Martin's experience, and they should because his advice for avoiding common writing mistakes is the best primer available for writing great press releases.

Allow me to share with you what I learned: ·

Keep your press release short and simple. Try to use one word instead of two, and ask yourself if what you've written is redundant. If in doubt, have a colleague or friend read your release. Reporters want to understand your key points immediately. They don't want to call you multiple times for clarification. ·

Write plainly and avoid company-insider phrases, clichés or industry-specific jargon. Unless you are targeting the trade press, avoid all jargon because it has have no meaning outside of the company or industry. An example phrase would be "state of the art." ·

Do not capitalize titles to elevate your boss or company. Never capitalize titles like "President" or "Chairman". Capped titles should only be applied to things like the names of countries or political heads of State.

Refrain from creating new words or phrases. Instead of saying, "grow the economy" verbs like 'expand,' or 'increase,' still work just as well. ·

Write in active voice. Remember that no one likes to read poorly written copy. Brush up on your grammar and never use the passive voice, which is boring.

Whether you are a PR professional or a small-business owner writing press releases in-house, you must know how the media writes. Keep in mind that journalists expect the quality level and same attention to detail in your copy that their editors demand from their own stories. If you violate these rules, here is yet another instance where your release will receive a one-way trip to the reporter's trash can.

Notable PR Resources: The Bulldog Reporter

Steven R. Van Hook's All About Public Relations

PR Newswire

About The Author

Carolyn Davenport-Moncel is president and founder of Mondave Communications, a global marketing and communications firm based in Chicago and Paris, and a subsidiary of MotionTemps, LLC. Contact her at carolyn@motiontemps.com or by phone in the United States at 877.815.0167 or 011.331.4997.9059 in France.

---

Give Me $1 And Ill Have A Powerful Marketing Weapon

One of my most powerful marketing weapons costs me less... Read More

8 Tips for Writing Headlines that Grab Attention (and Keep Prospects Reading!)

Effective headlines make all the difference in whether your prospect... Read More

A Quick Free n Easy Content Writing Course

I do not pretend that a one-stop shop solution to... Read More

Kick-Start Your Juices

Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More

11 Reasons Not to Hire a Freelance Copywriter (and Why Theyre All Poor Excuses)

Think you can take the Copywriting Challenge on your own?... Read More

Accelerate Your Freelance Copywriting Master Business Plan!

Ever wish for your own copywriting business?Ever wish you could... Read More

Keeping It Real: The Only Copywriting Trick That Works

Much of today's accepted copywriting wisdom comes from old books... Read More

What A Ghostwriter Needs To Do To Earn Top Dollar

The huge demand for writers online is really for ghostwriters.... Read More

On Copying and Stealing Designs

The notion on the great artist, Pablo Picasso's quote, "Bad... Read More

Professional Copywriting Services - How to Provide Your Own

Just because you're running a small business doesn't mean you... Read More

How To Find Editing Services Online

Quality is what you need. What you don't have is... Read More

Memorable Sales Copy -- How to Write it

Want to know the secret of creating MEMORABLE promotional copy?... Read More

How To Write Headlines That Get Attention

No doubt, the headline is the most important part of... Read More

Stop Chasing Away Customers! Bad Copy is Your Worst Enemy

Every day, more and more of us begin new online... Read More

The Power of Saying You Can

If you have children, you will doubtless remember saying to... Read More

Sticky Homepage Copy in 30 Seconds

Yes indeed, that's all you've got, 30 seconds to make... Read More

Freelance Copywriters on the Internet: How to Tell the Difference Between Heaven-sent and Hack

If you're hunting for a good freelance copywriter and have... Read More

Five Sections of Your Copy Guaranteed To Get Read

Only about 20% of your copy is going to get... Read More

Website Advertising: 10 Tactics To Make Your Ad Copy More Impactful

If your ad is not generating a lot of sales,... Read More

Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy

Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important... Read More

Are You Losing Customers Because of Typos?

Overlooking simple steps such as proofreading and grammar can affect... Read More

How To Make A Career Out Of Copyediting And Proofreading

Do you possess the qualities of a good proof reader?... Read More

10 Things You Should Expect From Your IT Copywriter

Anyone who's ever tried marketing IT products or... Read More

Freelance Business Writers - How To Get The Best From Your Writer

At times, it can be frustrating to find freelance business... Read More

The Second Most Important Element of Your Ad... after the Headline

Hi {FIRSTNAME Friend},Next time you're flicking through your local newspaper,... Read More

Better Copy: The Interview is the Key

Most of us spend our days persuading others to buy... Read More

Fill Your Readers with Confidence

Site visitors generally stay with you for as long as... Read More

Working on the Internet: Role of Proofreading and Copy editing OnLine

When one is in a creative state, rarely can one... Read More

Help, Help, Help, Sell

Here's a fundamental difference between copywriting offline and copywriting for... Read More

19 Secrets to Making Your Ad Copy More Effective

The sales letter is the key; the sales letter is... Read More

Web Copy ? How Much is Enough?

These days, there's widespread acceptance that a website is an... Read More

Impulse Writing for Better Ad Headings

Writing headlines for your ads is the most important part... Read More

Long Copy vs. Short Copy? If You?re Still Debating This, You?re Missing The Point!

I've seen this ongoing debate debate jump up again recently... Read More