PR professionals do a ton of writing every day. Whether we are developing a press release, byline article, award submission, blog post, speaking proposal, case study, etc., we typically communicate through written words. Luckily, I love to write. It’s been a hobby of mine ever since I learned how to hold a pencil.
Why I love to write and what I love most about language is that language is organic and evolving – and I find this fascinating. By organic, I mean language is free-flowing and it only exists/depends on the beings who use it, and the fluidity of language adapts to fit their needs. For example, in 2011 the words OMG and LOL were added to the Oxford Dictionary, which is one of the world’s principal English-language dictionaries. The authorities of the English language now approve such terms because of their frequent use today. There have also been numerous myths to never start a sentence with and or but, and that a sentence cannot end in a preposition – but all great myths die hard.
As you can see, language is indeed evolving but, it’s important to remember, it exists within a structure and set of rules. For example, we have to keep time elements aligned, differentiate from singulars and plurals, and tenses in a series have to make sense. Given that I work in the field of communication, I am constantly playing with words to positively influence people so that I can reach the ultimate goal with my writing – to generate results.
In order to reach desired goals, however, the piece has to be well written and properly structured or the audience may not trust the content or worse, the author. Would you trust the author of a poorly written article full of grammatical errors and confusing sentences? I know I would be skeptical about it. Without rules or structure, the world would be in disorder and chaos. Bad writing can lead to misinformation, ambiguity, confusion and distrust, so it’s important to be an effective writer, especially if you want a successful career in PR.
My PR mentor and I developed a writing checklist that I would like to share with you because it has helped me immensely with a lot of my work. Here are several ways you can start improving your writing today.
Phase I: Pre-writing
- Ask questions:
- What don’t I know and how can I find it?
- Do I need more facts/stats on this topic?
- Why is this topic important/why will people care?
- What tone should I employ for this piece of writing?
- Who is the audience for the piece?
- Do I have evidence to support my claims?
- Research the topic and collect facts related to the topic from a trusted source
- Develop a thesis/the main idea of the piece
- Develop an outline on what the content will explore or cover
- Secure outline approval before writing, if appropriate
Phase II: Writing
- Use a large font
- Question the facts and the source
- Pay attention to the little details (names, dates, format, etc.)
- Am I varying the structure and length of my sentences?
- Am I using a tone that is appropriate for the audience?
- Am I choosing words that accurately convey the meaning I intend?
- Am I writing in the active voice?
Phase III: Post-writing
- Allow time to pass before proofreading, if appropriate
- Print it out and read it out loud (at least once)
- Does the title/headline accurately summarize the content and can I shorten it?
- Am I using the right language associated with the topic/industry?
- Read the piece backwards sentence by sentence (this is important to catch new errors)
- Make a list of common/repeated errors so you are aware of your bad writing habits
- Review checklist and then ask someone else to review the piece
- Revise and finalize
- Applaud yourself!