11 PR and communications lessons from theSkimm

Why is this e-newsletter winning fans in internal and external comms? Start with its witty style. Plus, there’s that vital news about woman who found a rat sewn up in her Zara dress.

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If you got your news from an email newsletter called theSkimm, the story was introduced more obliquely—even though it linked to the same USA Today piece:

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO WANTS TO GO SKYDIVING FOR HER BIRTHDAY…

Be careful. That’s what President Obama is telling President-elect Donald Trump when it comes to dealing with Russia. Obama’s been on his final world tour…

TheSkimm’s off-beat, wry approach is winning fans among communicators, both internal and external. After hearing from several of them, I rounded up a few lessons from theSkimm.

Here’s what its communicator fans told me:

1. Simplify complexity.

Kaitlin Bitting, a longtime subscriber to TheSkimm, says she is impressed by the authors’ ability to make complex subjects more relatable, particularly through the section headers.

“It’s a great reminder that casual language can be even more effective than super-formal writing, even in business communications,” says Bitting, who is vice president of public relations at Allen & Gerritsen.

2. Find your unique voice.

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