5 ways for PR pros to sharpen their writing

Both new and veteran communicators can benefit from these guidelines that can tighten their copy and make their prose more compelling.

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Though great tips, they’ve been covered many times, and professionals who write frequently already have these in their standard practice. If you’re looking to elevate your writing as an intermediate or advanced wordsmith, keep reading.

1. Start in the middle.

Staring at a blinking cursor? It happens to all of us. Sometimes words come easily, and sometimes we get stuck in a seemingly never-ending spiral of OMG I can’t think of anything.

First, watch your internal monologue. Don’t confuse I’m not feeling particularly inspired right now with I’m a terrible writer, this is torture and I should have become a pharmacist like Mom suggested. It’s easy to psyche yourself out; don’t fall for it.

Then, start writing. Get words on the page—it doesn’t matter if you start in the middle of your piece or start at the end. Don’t try to finesse anything at this stage. Once you begin, your main points will reveal themselves buried a few paragraphs down. Then, you just need to lop off that copy that got you going.

2. Stop being wishy-washy.

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