One of the greatest assets that a public relations practitioner provides is knowing when to be creative and when to get to the point in news writing. It is my pet peeve, as it probably is for other news persons, to wade through pointless copy in order to get to the relevant news. (Get to the point!)
There is a time and place to be creative, but in this age of reduced space and news personnel, creativity can be more of a detriment than a selling point.
Sure, sad news for all of us writers, but that’s the way it is—the new normal.
People have less time to read, are required to do more at work, and have an abundance of communications outlets. Quick and to the point matters more than creativity when writing news. The ultimate goal is to be able to do both.
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4 quick tips to make your news writing strong:
- Tell the news in your headline and first paragraph. If these can’t stand alone, then re-write it.
- Use your delivery method to lay out the news for the reporter. It’s like a cover letter with a resume. If email is your delivery method, explain to the reporter why this is relevant news to his/her audience. If it’s a broadcast journalist, explain the visual. A radio journalist, give him/her the sound bite.
- Use bullet points in your copy if you have multiple items to discuss. (As I have so nicely demonstrated for you.)
- Make your quotes meaningful. Once again, if they can’t stand alone, don’t include them.
I'd love to hear your agreement or disagreements in the comments below.