This weekend I finally got around to watching the latest “Hunger Games” movie and afterwards I started thinking about the similarities between mockingjay birds and writing in a PR agency setting.
Stay with me here.
Good PR professionals are (hopefully) good storytellers. I’d wager that most of us chose this as a career path because we love writing, as well as developing and shaping stories that get our clients noticed.
Which is why it can be frustrating – and potentially expensive – to get stuck in the endless cycle of writing and editing and re-writing documents for your clients. Who among us hasn’t been trapped in a never-ending revision round on a press release or pitch with a client that just never seems happy with your writing?
I’ve had multiple clients say they fired their previous PR agencies because of bad writing. Endless revisions aren’t just time consuming for both parties, but it can negatively impact client relationships and your agency’s business.
Which is why there are lessons to be learned from the fictional mockingjay bird when it comes to writing:
Listen to your clients. Mockingjays, in the movie, mimic sounds they hear in the forest. Pay attention to what your clients tell you when it comes to, say, a press release that needs to be drafted. When do their voices get excited? Is there a point when they show enthusiasm about a particular feature or customer benefit? Those are the important things to pay attention to and make sure are included in your draft. Are there phrases or differentiators they keep mentioning over and over? Those might be woven into a quote or help position the news in a broader context.
Adapt to your client’s writing style. Mockingjays memorize and repeat human songs. It’s important to remember that your particular writing style may not align with your client’s, or that of a particular publication. That’s OK. But in an agency setting, you need to adapt to their way of writing – and that’s not always easy. The language may seem overly formal or technical; the sentence structure might be too short for your liking – whatever the issue, you need to de-personalize your writing in order to reflect your client’s style and that of the broader industry/sector in which they operate. Again, listen to what your client is saying in their feedback/edits and try to replicate them as much as possible.
Be resourceful. Mockingjays are mentioned in various districts and environments in the movie. Spread your wings when approaching any writing project. Don’t just take what your client gives you – now is the time to be relentless and resourceful. Comb through their website, read previous press releases, white papers, and product literature – get educated on what you’re writing about. Read articles about their competition or partners and pay attention to the tone and language being used to describe them. This won’t just help with the project at hand, this type of research pays off for you and your team for future efforts and ultimately makes it easier and faster to write compelling content.
Develop a thick skin. Mockingjays are described as being as tough as rocks, being able to thrive in almost any environment. This is a must for survival in PR and especially in agencies where you’re handling multiple clients and projects. Stand by your writing and be able to defend it to your client if you get questions or negative feedback. Explain why you drafted the quote like you did, or why you didn’t include a certain element in the pitch. If you’ve done your research and paid attention to what your client wants in a particular document, you should be well-prepared to mitigate any concerns.
Have you ever drafted a release or pitch that knocked a client’s socks off? I’d love to hear how you approached it and why it worked. Or, if you find yourself frequently stuck in a dead-end of constant revisions, let us know that too and we’ll see how we can help. Happy Hunger Games!