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Vol. 1

WRITER’S GUIDEBOOKYOUR ROADMAP FOR MORE IMPACTFUL COMMUNICATIONS

5© PR News PR Writer’s Guidebook Vol. 1

ForewordDear reader,

Overstating the importance of writing skills for public relations professionals is difficult to do, as deftness with the written word remains the hallmark skill that sets professional communicators apart. At a time when the medium by which messages are delivered is rapidly changing, it has never been more important for communicators to evaluate and improve on their writing skills. While much in the industry has changed, the imperative of communicating well in writing has not.

In this 1st edition of PR News’ Writer’s Guidebook, that necessity is met with over forty articles explaining how best to write press releases, emails, speeches, biographies, backgrounders, crisis communications and annual reports. Our contributors also grapple with the question of how best to write for social media, as new platforms continue to shake the very foundations that time-tested messaging strategies were built on. And they explore how to get your content noticed by your target audience, specifically through search engine optimization.

Today, the astute communicator has tools at his/her disposal to disseminate information more quickly and more intelligently than ever before, but with the increase of content dissemination and consumption has come a growth in visibility and expectations. Diversified media appetites have changed the way we read and write. Learning how to grapple with and capitalize on the new ways people create and consume content is the newest challenge in PR.

That doesn’t mean that established methods aren’t useful anymore. The more things change, the more they stay the same. A major focus of the industry—and this book—is to take time-tested writing standards and apply them to the new situations PR professionals face today.

Our contributing writers to this Guidebook help us understand and adapt to the new while respecting tradition, bringing us insights from a variety of backgrounds and fields of expertise. From PR agencies to academia to recognizable brands like Clorox and the Miami Heat, each author offers a different, thoughtful perspective.

I want to thank our contributors who so eloquently shared their ideas, tips and best practices. I also want to thank you, our readers, for letting us help you as you learn new skills and further develop existing ones.

Sincerely,

Brian Greene Editor, PR News

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Guidebook Editor, Brian Greene, 212.621.4917, [email protected] Designer, Jake Hounshell, 301.354.1677, [email protected] President, Content, Tony Silber, 203.899.8424, tsilber@accessintelGroup Editor, Matthew Schwartz, 212.621.4940, [email protected]/Group Publisher, Diane Schwartz 212.621.4964, [email protected] President & Publisher, Amy Jefferies, 301.354.1699, [email protected] Director, Events, Steve Goldstein, 212.621.4890, [email protected] Manager, Events, Richard Brownell, 212.621.4693, [email protected] Marketing Manager, Laura Snitkovskiy, 301.354.1610, [email protected] Coordinator, Rachel Scharmann, 301.354.1713, [email protected] of Marketing & Event Logistics, Kate Schaeffer, 301.354.2303, [email protected] President, Heather FarleyPresident & CEO, Don Pazour

PR News ADVISORY BOARD Paul A. Argenti - Tuck School of BusinessMary Buhay - Gibbs & SoellNed Barnett - Barnett Marketing CommunicationsSteve Cody - PeppercommNeal Cohen - APCO Carol Cone - Edelman Peter Debreceny - Gagen MacDonaldMike Herman - Communication SciencesLaura Kane - AflacKen Makovsky - MakovskyMichael McDougall - McDougall Travers CollinsLarry Parnell - George Washington University Mike Paul - MGP & Associates PR Deborah Radman - Senior PR ConsultantBrenda C. Siler - Best Communication StrategiesStephanie Smirnov - EdelmanHelene Solomon - Solomon McCown & Co.Mark Weiner - PRIME ResearchPR News BOARD OF CONTRIBUTORSDave Armon - Critical MentionAndy Gilman - CommCore Consulting Bruce Jeffries-Fox - Jeffries-Fox Associates Angela Jeffrey - Salience InsightRichard Laermer - RLM Public RelationsRichard Levick - Levick Strategic Comms Ian Lipner - Lewis PR/YoungPRpros Katie Paine - Paine Publishing LLC Rodger Roeser - The Eisen Agency Lou Thompson - Kalorama Partners Reid Walker - Dir. of Communications, United States Senate Tom Martin - College of Charleston

ISSN 1546-0193

6 PR Writer’s Guidebook Vol. 1 © PR News

Table of ContentsForeword ........................................................................................................................ 5 Index of Companies & Organizations ...................................................................... 188 Board of Contributors ............................................................................................... 190

Chapter 1—Creating News- and Share-worthy Press Releases ............................. 11Crafting a Concise, Relevant Email Pitch That Will Make the Media Bite– by Ashley Halberstadt Sherman ........................................................................................................12A Lost Art: Transforming Press Releases from Marketing Collateral Into Stories– by Beth Monaghan .............................................................................................................................16Why News Releases Are Not Dead and How To Use Them Correctly – by Anthony Hardman ........................................................................................................................20Adopt the 5 Rules of News Writing When Crafting Your Press Releases – by Reg Rowe ........................................................................................................................................25The Art of Press Release Writing: What Every PR Professional Needs to Know– by Dan Smith......................................................................................................................................274 Steps for Creating a Bulletproof Press Release and Driving Media Coverage– by Jonathan Varman ..........................................................................................................................30The Press Release: Still the Essential Public Relations Tool After 100 Years– by Randy Savicky ...............................................................................................................................33

Chapter 2—Communicating Internally and with the Media via Email .................... 37Don’t Let Poor Email Communication Skills Kill Your Business Relationships– by Deborah H. French ........................................................................................................................385 Guidelines to Communicate Effectively With the Media Through Email– by Erika Kauffman .............................................................................................................................41Room for Improvement: How to Get Results When Communicating via Email– by Julie Baron .....................................................................................................................................44Use Other People’s Time Wisely by Constructing Action Inspiring Emails– by Deborah Sittig and Karen Carolonza ...........................................................................................47Stand Out in the Inbox: Dos and Don’ts for Better Media-Facing Emails– by Malayna Evans Williams ..............................................................................................................50Crafting Clear and Concise Business Communications With Personality– by Kymberlee M. Norsworthy ............................................................................................................54Reaching Your Readers: Crafting Email that Engages, Informs and Motivates– by Ken O’Quinn .................................................................................................................................56Getting to Open and Action Successfully: Proven Strategies for Email Marketing– by Veronica Appleton .........................................................................................................................64


Chapter 3—Speechwriting and Giving Presentations .............................................. 69Write Like a Pro: What Professional Sports Can Teach Us About Speechwriting– by Katherine R. Fleck .........................................................................................................................70Ditch the PowerPoint: How to Give an Engaging Presentation Without Slides– by Kathy Ridgely Beal ........................................................................................................................737 Tips for Researching and Writing Compelling and Impactful Speeches– by Melva B. Robertson .......................................................................................................................76Crafting a Memorable Speech Requires Personality and a Focus on the Audience– by Rochelle R. Daniel .........................................................................................................................80

Chapter 4—Writing for Social Media and SEO ......................................................... 85The Importance of Mosaic Storytelling When Writing for Social Media– by Martin Jones ..................................................................................................................................86Boosting Your Rankings: Anticipating and Implementing SEO Changes– by Samira Adams ...............................................................................................................................893 Tactics for Better Social Media Content: Small Routine Adjustments for Big Results– by Alyssa Runner ................................................................................................................................9210 Rules for Creating an Engaging Messaging Strategy on Social Media– by Nolan Wilson .................................................................................................................................96SEO Isn’t Dead: What to Do to Optimize Your Site for Google Hummingbird– by Marcia W. DiStaso and Ashley Sprain .........................................................................................99Capturing Fleeting Attention Spans on Social Media with Strong SEO Writing– by Samantha Arigapudi ...................................................................................................................102

Chapter 5—Bringing Your Subject to Life: Biographies and Backgrounders ...... 107The Backgrounder Reskinned: Writing the Corporate Story in the Digital Era– by Regina Pappalardo ......................................................................................................................108Using Biographies and Backgrounders as Powerful Brand-Building Tools– by Nancy Marshall ...........................................................................................................................112Create Executive Bios That Are Informative, Elegant and Readable– by Karen S. Mack .............................................................................................................................116Ask the Right Questions to Put a Face on Your Biography or Backgrounder Subject– by Cindy Bertram .............................................................................................................................120Create Media Buzz with an Attention-Grabbing Biography or Backgrounder– by Linda Tancs .................................................................................................................................123Bring Your Subject to Life by Focusing on Unique Contributions and Achievements– by Mark D. Harrop ..........................................................................................................................126


Chapter 6—Crisis Communications and Official Statements ............................... 129Prepare for the Worst, Hope for the Best: Writing, Editing and Legal Approval in Crisis– by Meghan Gross ..............................................................................................................................130The Wise Brand Builds a Crisis Plan: Preparing, Writing and Sending Messages– by Sarah Chollar ..............................................................................................................................133One Bite at the Apple: The Importance of a Proper Start in Crisis Management– by Bobby Zafarnia ............................................................................................................................137Communicating During a Crisis: What to Do When Your Organization Is in Trouble– by Terri Thornton .............................................................................................................................140Employing the Right Tools and Developing Key Messages for Crisis Communications – by Linnie S. Carter ...........................................................................................................................143

Chapter 7—Writing Annual Reports ........................................................................ 14921st Century Corporate Reporting: 8 Steps to Producing an Integrated Annual Report– by Kathryn Caulfield ........................................................................................................................150How to Create an Annual Report That Resonates with Your Senior Leaders– by Kim Menard ................................................................................................................................1556 Things to Remember When Writing Your Company’s Annual Report– by Jackie Allder .................................................................................................................................158Crafting Compelling Annual Reports Requires Transparency and Future-proofing– by Aarti Maharaj .............................................................................................................................161

Chapter 8—Making the Leap from Communications to Storytelling ................... 165Creating a Corporate Narrative: Rethinking the Role of Storytelling in a Digital Age– by Barbara Bates ..............................................................................................................................166Once Upon a Time: Using Stories to Draw in and Engage Audiences– by Alisa Agozzino .............................................................................................................................168Building a Championship-Caliber Narrative: Storytelling, Selling and the Miami Heat– by L.A. Diaz .....................................................................................................................................172Translating Big Business Lessons Into Small Organizational Success– by Allison Steinberg ..........................................................................................................................1775 Steps for Making Complex Topics Simpler and Easier to Understand– by Rose Mary Moegling ....................................................................................................................180What Makes a Great Corporate Storyteller? Crafting and Communicating Brand Identity– by Leslie Billera.................................................................................................................................182Create Inspiring Content By Seeing Stories Everywhere and Thinking Beyond Copy– by Kari Wethington ..........................................................................................................................185


Chapter 1: Creating News- and Share-worthy Press Releases

A Lost Art: Transforming Press Releases From Marketing Collateral Into StoriesBy Beth Monaghan

“I rarely use press releases.” When we asked an NPR pro-ducer about how he uses press releases, that was his response.

The press release is a lost art. In many situations, it has become a com-munications tool that reporters regularly (and often willfully) ignore. Yet PR people diligent-ly continue writing and issuing them.

I studied public relations at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University (which is a journalism school) and focused heavily on the tenets of journalism. We learned that a press release should be designed as a news story. The goal was to produce a news story worthy of publication in a newspaper.

This might sound humorous today as you consider the hundreds of press releases you’ve seen and written that begin with, “ABC Corporation, the leading provider of best in breed e-commerce solutions…” However, today’s news cycles make the reality of verba-tim pick-up a very real outcome—that is, if the release is written well. Time-constrained bloggers often take pieces of news releases and print them as parts of their stories. This is good news for PR professionals because it means that the integrity of our intended mes-sages remains intact because they are printed word-for-word.

However, it also means that we need to rethink the press release.

Try leading with the “why” instead of the “what.”

Write Good Headlines Headlines are often slapped onto a press

release with little thought. Before you write a headline, stop and ask yourself—what is the most interesting thing about this release? Don’t pull out the most interesting fact from the release itself. Consider that fact within the context of the market. Draw out why it mat-ters to other people, not why it’s important to the company issuing the release.

A reporter at the New York Times said, “The more direct, the better” when it comes to press releases. She said the worst press releases are the ones that strain to be relevant to current events. For example, “In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, corporate event planners look for celebrations that are charitable, yet festive.”

The debut of a new product, the opening of a new office or the hiring of a key executive is not interesting in and of itself. To make it interesting, the release must illuminate why the company is making the move, what need it fills and who will benefit in ways that mat-ter. The inverted pyramid still applies. Find the things that set your announcement apart. If you don’t have them, maybe you shouldn’t be making an announcement.

While you are writing the headline, re-member that less is more. Keep your headline short. Twitter has made us used to writing in 140 characters or less, and headlines should be easy to tweet. To optimize your release for search engines, you should keep your head-line to 66 characters or fewer.



Make the Body Easy to Read and Understand

As with headlines, releases should be short. Don’t make the audience work to read them. Unless you read The Economist or The New Yorker, you probably aren’t reading full-length news stories much longer than a few para-graphs these days. Apply that to your press release. Shoot for one page and link to more information for those that are interested.

Likewise, make it easy to read quickly. Newspapers are supposed to be written at a third grade reading level. So are press releas-es. Michelle Obama’s DNC speech reportedly

broke the intelligence record for First Lady speeches by coming in at the 12th grade read-ing level. Whatever you choose, consider your audience and match the reading level accord-ingly. You can try the handy Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test that you can find in Micro-soft Word or Outlook to determine the grade level of your writing.

Jargon and acronyms are often the cul-prits when a press release is hard to read. The moment you begin a press release with “the leading provider of,” “next generation” or “best in breed,” you’ve lost a big chunk of your audience. These phrases have been used so many times that they are virtually meaning-less. Technical and scientific terms and acro-nyms are also mind-numbing, so leave them behind. If you must use them, spell them out and explain them in plain language.

Draw Your Audience in with the LedeNothing makes me want to push the delete

button more than a story that begins with, “InkHouse Media + Marketing today an-nounced that it has hired a new vice presi-dent.” Take a lesson from the great novelists of the world and make the opening interesting.

If Louisa May Alcott had started Little Women with, “This book chronicles the lives of four sisters,” instead of, “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” would you have read further?

Try leading with the “why” instead of the “what”. Perhaps you are announcing a new vice president who will support a growing practice that is changing your industry. What that practice intends to do is much more in-teresting than a personnel announcement.

Show, Don’t TellNo reporter will come close to using copy

that sounds like marketing collateral. With the exception of quotes, the copy for a press release should be factual. This does not mean

Press Releases: The Most Trusted Form of Company-Generated NewsPress releases are the most trusted source of company-generated news according to a study InkHouse conducted in partnership with GMI Lightspeed of 1,000 Americans ages 18 and up. Thirty-three percent of respondents trust them the most, followed by articles authored by the CEO (16 percent), blog posts by the CEO (4 percent) and advertisements (3 percent).

The trust factor varies by age. Younger audi-ences trust blog posts more (11 percent of those 18 to 34 vs. 0 percent of 55 or older) and articles by the CEO (23 percent of those 18 to 34 vs. 9 percent of those 55 and older) more than older audiences. They also put more trust in compa-ny-generated news overall—only 31 percent of those 18 to 34 do not trust any source of com-pany-generated news. Older audiences are more skeptical.

What does this mean? Press releases, while less common today for technology startups in particular, are still important PR tools (and they are required public disclosure vehicles for public companies). Over time, though, they have become more marketing brochure than news vehicle, and this evolution has lessened their impact. Press releases were designed to be news articles that could be printed in a newspa-per, and they have veered a long way from that original purpose.



that it can’t be interesting too. In fact, it must be interesting. Avoid color commentary until you get to the quotes. Creative writing work-shops call this showing instead of telling. In press releases, you should show why the announcement matters. Use third-party data and support to back up your facts. Color-ful words alone do more to detract from the news than add to it. In practice, this means that you should avoid adverbs (those tempt-ing words that often end with “ly”).

Write a Quote Someone Would Actually Say

If there is cause to issue a press release, we hope your spokesperson is excited. When you begin an executive’s quote with the phrase, “We’re excited to…” you’ve lost your opportu-nity to say something meaningful. The quote is the one place for your spokesperson to talk about what he or she thinks, so focus it on the meaning of the news, not how he or she feels.

A great quote also emulates the spokes-person’s speech pattern. Get to know your spokespeople and help them get quoted more frequently by making their quotes authentic and interesting.

Press Release Lessons From National Public RadioEarlier this year, NPR’s Steve Inskeep and Rich-ard Harris reported on the winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for “Morning Edition.” James Rothman, Randy Schekman and Thomas Sud-hof shared this year’s prize for their discoveries of “machinery regulating vesicle traffic.” This is not the language of the average third grader or the average NPR listener.

Yet, Inskeep and Harris made this accessible to the average listener by providing real-world analogies and plain language descriptions of the discoveries. They have massive implications, but without an easy-to-understand explanation of their impact, no one would know (save the Nobel Prize Committee, of course).

So how did they describe these discoveries? They went back to the basics of a good press release:

What: Inskeep said that the three scientists had, “figured out how cells package up material like hormones and how they deliver those materials to other cells. This is one of the most basic functions for living cells, and diseases can result when the machinery goes awry….”How: Inskeep provided this: “This is how cells communicate with each other. The cells transmit substances to one another. This is the phone line. This is the FedEx system.”Why: Harris made it very clear: “….this is very, very basic stuff that you need to under-stand if you’re going to cure diseases like diabetes or some neurological diseases or immune system dysfunctions.”

I am certain that the scientific community would balk at this simplified explanation. However, it is instructive for communications profession-als. At its heart, a successful press release must tell a compelling story. And a company that has a transformational breakthrough is deserving of media attention. Yet, a company that can-not translate that breakthrough into everyday language will never be heard beyond its own community.



Remember, too, that the spokesperson’s quote is always a good place for a little con-troversy. This does not mean you should disparage the competition, but a perspective that is contrarian to others in your industry is

a great way to spark interest. This also makes your quotes a lot more quotable. PRN

Beth Monaghan is principal and co-founder of InkHouse Media + Marketing.


Chapter 8: Making the Leap from Communications to Storytelling

Create Inspiring Content by Seeing Stories Everywhere and Thinking Beyond CopyBy Kari Wethington

Every brand needs more and better content—now. Small marketing teams face the challenge of keep-ing a brand’s digital marketing channels robust and engaging.

They also have the benefit of a nimble struc-ture and ability to bend to the needs of the organization more quickly than a larger team.

Whether you’re creating content for your company blog, events, media outreach or an-other need, the desire for quality content only continues to grow. Great content engages au-diences and helps to grow business. Consider, for example, that B2B companies that blog generate 67 percent more leads per month than those who don’t blog. At the same time, just 34 percent of companies have a dedicated content marketing budget. While the need for engaging, share-worthy content is high, there’s often no dedicated staff appointed to create it.

The good news for PR pros is that we have fine-tuned our writing chops. The challenge we now face is how to keep up with the de-mand for quality, results-driven content that is fresh, engaging and inspiring.

It helps to find shortcuts to great content. While some pieces will come together in a more traditional way—from outline to deep research to draft—by necessity much of it happens in a more compressed way.

Here are five ways you can keep your con-tent machine running smoothly, with creative ideas for producing the content you need efficiently:

Create a TeamEven if you are a solo practitioner or part

of a small marketing department, find ways to expand your virtual team and bring others into the content creation process. Where can you find these collaborators? Here are some starters:

New team members: The newer mem-bers of your staff—whether they’re in marketing, IT or finance—are hungry for experience. Many of them are fresh out of college, where they were regularly writ-ing, regardless of discipline. Tap into that knowledge and enthusiasm. Even a more experienced hire wants to integrate quickly into company culture and make a mark. Help them do so by giving them a chance to write for the company blog, create a slideshow or contribute to a newsletter. Leaders in other departments seeking to raise their profiles: In the age of social media and digital-powered hiring, we all

3 Brands to Watch for Content InspirationTake a look at the great work these brands are publishing by experimenting with formats and bringing fresh ideas to the table. Watch and learn from them.

Microsoft: microsoft.com/en-us/news/stories

American Express OPEN Forum: americanexpress.com/us/small-business/open-forum/explore

Mint.com: mint.com/blog



must put consistent, ongoing work into growing our personal brands. Help your colleagues raise their profiles as thought leaders by offering them opportunities to write blog posts or write in other channels.Your audience: Why not take social en-gagement a step further and crowdsource content or directly engage one of your top commenters or social followers and ask if they’d like to author a blog post or contrib-ute to a white paper? You’ll bring in a fresh perspective, and the author will act as a built-in content promoter.Clients: Your clients are also peers and thought leaders in their own rights. By inviting them to write with and for you, you provide them a venue to express their professional opinions while further foster-ing your relationship. All of these cases require some teaching,

guiding and editing, but each will bring in much-needed fresh perspectives to your con-tent while filling up your content calendar.

See Content Everywhere Every conversation you have could turn

into an engaging piece of content. You just have to open your eyes to the possibilities. An email chain could turn into a white paper, or an internal meeting presentation could be the starting point for a press release about your company’s capabilities. Even a casual brain-storm can later become a topical blog post.

While these sources of content will often

need guidance and rewriting from you, the bulk of the idea is there for you to start with, putting you steps ahead in the writing pro-cess. Check out the table at the bottom of the page for examples of repurposed content.

Rely on an Arsenal of Story TypesSometimes the best ideas come when you

begin creating content from an existing tem-plate. By following a templated approach to writing, you avoid the dreaded writer’s block that can strike when sitting down to a blank page. Here are some starting points:

List: Readers respond to numbered lists for their simplicity, but be careful not to overuse this format. Play to the benefits of the list approach and use it when you need a quick and easy way to share information.Recap: Some of the most engaging con-versations happen in real-time on social platforms like Twitter. Using a service like Storify allows you to pull that content together to give a big-picture view of the topic.Q&A: Share your subject’s stories and opinions in his or her own words, cutting down on your own editing time along the way.Roundup: Try a weekly blog post that links to the top news in your industry.New spin: A deeper dive into a roundup, this approach takes inspiration in another writer’s content but brings a new angle to the story. News sites like Gothamist are

Repurposed ContentThis… Could turn into this…Presentation Downloadable white paperInternal meeting Press release/media opportunityEmail chain on industry news Bylined op-ed piece published on industry site New employee introduction Q&A profile blog postAttending a conference Recap article for company newsletterColleague’s update on a side project Video about the project with tie-in to company work



Content Marketing ResourcesWant more tips on planning your content and staying on top of trends? Here are some go-to resources:

Content Marketing Institute: contentmarketinginstitute.com

Grammar Girl: quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl

Contently: contently.com

Hubspot: blog.hubspot.com

Copyblogger: copyblogger.com

great at this. While the news they cover is most often first reported elsewhere, they offer a new perspective on the story.Review: Review a book, presentation or industry event that is relevant to your audience.QuickSprout’s “Advanced Content Mar-

keting Guide” is a great resource for how to create templated articles.

Think Beyond CopyGet creative with your storytelling—

whether it’s on the company blog, in a press release or for a live event. Words have power, but videos and photos can help take your message even further.

Photo gallery: According to a 3M study, 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual. Lean on multimedia to

make powerful statements and engage your audience. Enlist the shutterbugs on your staff and experiment with photography yourself. Video: Studies show that videos increase people’s understanding of products or services. Teach yourself the ins and outs of video editing, or recruit team mem-bers who have mastered the art and create videos to intersperse with your written content.Presentations: With its ability to present information quickly and share it broadly, SlideShare is one of the fastest growing social platforms for B2B marketers. By marrying copy with visual elements and great design, you can pull in readers who might not read through to the end of your text-heavy story.

Plan for Evergreens, But Leave Room for Spontaneity

With an editorial calendar that implements the tips above, you can have a full sched-ule of content most weeks. However, leave room for spontaneity, breaking news and great ideas from other departments that you hadn’t scheduled in. Your readers will love the consistency—and the freshness. PRN

Kari Wethington is associate director, marketing and public relations at Rockfish.

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