8 simple ways to improve your PR writing

1. Read it out loud. Good writing is as much about how it sounds as about putting words on a page. If you find yourself struggling to find the right turn of phrase, read it aloud to hear how it sounds. It’s guaranteed to clarify what’s working and what’s not. (We can always tell when one of our colleagues is hard at work writing because it sounds like he’s talking to himself. He is not. He is reading aloud.)

2. Trim, cut, and trim again. A common mistake novice writers make is being overly verbose. Young or inexperienced writers falsely equate more words with better writing. Generally, the opposite is true. A more concise sentence holds the reader’s attention, because there are fewer things to distract from the main idea.

3. Incorporate a good quote. This one is particularly apt for public relations and journalism. A good quote will grab a journalist’s ear in an instant. Learn to listen aggressively to the way people speak. Develop a knack for hearing the quote that “sings,” and then (if you’re a spokesperson) discover how to create those types of quotes yourself. It’s part intuitive, part practice, and partly a fun approach to listening.