I stumbled across this post by Joe Ciarallo on PRNewser this morning.
The most overused press release buzzwords (updated)
At best this blog highlights one of the challenges faced by PR practitioners on a daily basis.
That of being able to craft a document which not only stands out but captures the attention of the journalist and the essence of what is being “sold”.
Here’s my three top tips:
- I read the most recent press release I’ve sent on behalf of a client before beginning a new one – this way I know what words to include / exclude, style, tone etc
- I always have a minimum of two others read over any document that is to be sent (with the exception of some emails)
- I always have a thesaurus handy – both online and on my desk
I’d be interested in your practices as to how to overcome the challenges associated with crafting a press release.
You make a great point Brooke. The media are bombarded with media releases everyday so PR professionals have to ensure their media release is going to cut through the clutter before sending it.
Using buzz words such as the ones listed just won’t cut it. Everyone uses them and journos are going to get sick of reading the same thing.
A great piece of advice I recently received when having my release reviewed – and yes, I always have more than one person read my work before sending it out! – was to “sweat” the copy, to make sure every word is working for you, to highlight ‘buzz’ or cliche words and come back to them with something new.
It takes time, but definitely worth it in the end when a journo actually enjoys reading your realease!
Cheers,
Gem
A great blog post Brooke. Its something you have to be constantly mindful of.
Quite often if I have a lot on, I’ll write something and think it comes across as fairly generic. Then go back to the drawing board.
I always try and encapsulate the client’s individual style, but be unique with every piece that I send out.
The reinforcement of Key Messages is something I try and do in the course of copy as well.
When I do feel a bit stale, I’ll look for something where I can be a little more creative, such as writing a journalistic piece. I find the freedom of writing in a journalistic style assists in my PR writing.
Cheers,
Matt