How To Write Good Writing Do’s and Don’ts – PR News Writing Boot Camp
Beth Haiken Vice President, Corporate Citizenship and Communications, Waypoint Homes
@bethhaiken, [email protected]
Stephanie Corns Director, Corporate Public Relations, Charles Schwab
Introduction: Name That Title
I can name that piece of good writing in…
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Name that title
Many years later, as he faced the firing squad,
Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon
when his father took him to discover ice.
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Name that title
Call me Ishmael.
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Name that title
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the
epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of
Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
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Name that title
The knife came down, missing him by inches,
and he took off.
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Name that title
It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted
the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York.
Part 2: General Principles
“Five minutes of planning are worth fifteen minutes of just looking.” — From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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Before you pick up a pen Good writing is 80 percent good reporting
Think like a journalist Talk to at least three sources/experts Brainstorm of three different, unique story
angles If you use all your notes, you didn’t do
enough reporting
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Purpose-driven writing What do you want people to DO?
Identify the call to action Determine why your audience cares about
your news and what will motivate them to take the call to action
Understand what they need to know and feel to take action
Articulate what they are empowered to do now that they couldn’t do before
Connect the dots for them!
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Connect with your audience Connect, don’t just communicate
Crowded news landscape; challenging to earn mind share
Break through the clutter with communications that connect with audiences on multiple levels
How will you connect with your audience? Emotionally Rationally Values/beliefs Sensory Other
One size does not fit all
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Break your mindset
Stop doing what you’ve always done Get me fired In their shoes Why chaining Free association Creative stimulation
Part 3: Pen to Paper
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Does it pass the “so what” test? Company X Appoints Four New Vice
Presidents Company Y Moves to Seventh Floor Company Z Continues to Offer the Same
Product Cloud Solutions Provider Launches
Website
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Does it pass the smell test? T-Mobile Makes Bold “Un-carrier” Moves The Juice by Energy-X is Hollywood’s
Hottest New Craze A Truly Innovative Way To Lose Weight Stanford Who’s Who Selects Sensational
CEO For Membership
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From “something happened” to “someone does something”
Price Change Announced
Price Changes Announced
Acme Announces Price Changes
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From “someone does something” to “someone does something AND IT MATTERS”
Price Change Announced
Price Changes Announced
Acme Announces Price Changes
Acme Slashes Prices 50% for Schools, Educators
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KISS How would you describe the
announcement at a cocktail party? How would you explain it to a kid? How would you describe it in 100 words or
less? 50 words? 25 words? 10 words? What is the average length of sentences
and paragraphs? What reading level does Microsoft Word
assign to your document?
When You Think You’re Done…
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Spot (& cut) the jargon
Clickability Immersive experience CPL Snackable content P-commerce ROI SoLoMo Engagement Second-screen Earned media Value proposition Contextual marketing Big data Ideation viral
Curator Social commerce KPI Two-way conversation Native advertising Advertainment Custom activation Growth hacker Gamification Synergy Showrooming Thought leader 360 campaign Agile marketing infographic
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Kill zombie nouns What is a zombie noun (aka “nominalization”)?
Take an adjective (implacable), verb (calibrate), or noun (crony)
Add a suffix like ity, tion or ism Congratulations, you’ve created a monstrosity:
implacability, calibration, cronyism Example: The proliferation of nominalizations in
a discursive formation may be an indication of a tendency toward pomposity and abstraction.
Translation: Writers who overload their sentences with nominalizations tend to sound pompous and abstract.
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Change passive to active voice My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by
me I will always remember my first visit to Boston Change negative to positive
Did not remember Ignored Did not pay attention to Forgot Did not have much confidence in Distrusted
Eliminate unnecessary words – look for: The fact that; who is; which was Anything ending in “ly” The verb “to be” The pronoun “by”
Line edit
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Cut til it hurts Kill extraneous copy
Descriptions of the previous version/iteration, instructions for use, where to find FAQs, etc.
No matter what you’re writing, in your final edit cut 10-25 percent of your copy
Review your wire release bills – overage charges are an indicator you could cut more
Cut til it hurts (ow!)
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Managing edits from executives and legal 1. Have the courage to push back – and the
knowledge to explain why 2. Spot the difference between
legal/compliance requirement and editorial commentary (or ask about it)
3. Pick your battles
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1. Have the courage to push back – and the knowledge to explain why
Less refers to bulk amounts (less water); fewer, to countable items (fewer people)
Farther refers to additional distance; further, to additional time, amount, or other abstract matters
Between is used when it’s about two; when more than two are concerned, use “among”
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2. Legal/compliance requirement vs. editorial commentary
“This morning, we finalized terms for a merger.” vs. “This morning, we signed a preliminary agreement in principle to discuss a merger.”
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3. Pick your battles John Smith, President and CEO of Company XXX, said, “This is a huge development for us.”
Part 4: Conclusion
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Key takeaways Make a plan Think like a journalist Write with purpose Approach it from a different perspective Focus on why the announcement matters
to your audience Use strong quotes Test your use of jargon Cut, and then cut some more
Resources Strunk & White, The Elements of Style The Associated Press Stylebook The Chicago Manual of Style William Zinsser, On Writing Well Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to
Punctuation Mignon Fogarty, Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl http://dailygrammarlessons.blogspot.com/ http://www.grammarblog.co.uk/ http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/language-blog/ http://www.theslot.com/ http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog
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Thank you, Elmore Leonard
If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
