Can you get your story across in 200 words?
Tick tock.
In the time it takes you to wash your hands, buckle your seat belt or start the dishwasher, your favorite journalist can finish reading your news release.… Read the full article
PR writing
Which headline verbs should you use?
‘A story is a verb, not a noun’
When it comes to headlines, The New York Times’ leap into action: People, places and things arrest, attack, confront, explode, fight, grow, spread, struggle and work.… Read the full article
Tip sheet examples: An eggcellent idea
The American Egg Board offers how-to stories
When Americans bought more plastic and candy eggs and fewer real eggs for Easter 2012, the American Egg Board turned to Edelman to take back Easter.… Read the full article
6 ways to write numbers-based headlnes
Numerals quantify value, draw readers
Next time you hit the Safeway, take a look at the magazines displayed at the checkout counter. Chances are, you’ll find that they’re packed with numerals.… Read the full article
What’s the maximum length of a paragraph for PR pieces?
Why are press release grafs so damn long?
Quick! Which of these paragraphs would you rather read? This 11-word paragraph, from The New York Times?… Read the full article
Avoid announcements in feature writing leads
Don’t announce that you’re announcing
When I was editor of an executive magazine, I received dozens of press releases every day.
This was back in the day when releases moved on paper, so I read them over the trash can, giving myself just a few seconds from the time I picked the release up off the stack to the time it hit the circular file.… Read the full article
Avoid abstraction in feature ledes
Concrete leads are the price of entry for feature articles
I was training a group of magazine writers recently, when one brave soul, Marty, shared this lead:
As someone who’s built build models in some exotic places, I know it’s easier when you have a special modeling studio.
… Read the full articleHow to write a good feature lead with statistics
Prove it with a data point
Research shows … that nearly half of commuters text and drive … that one in three patients enters the hospital malnourished … and that 66% of women won’t kiss men with moustaches.… Read the full article
Engage readers by writing in the second person
Lead with you in media relations pieces
It’s counterintuitive, but true: The product is never the topic. The program is never the topic. The plan is never the topic.… Read the full article
How to write a good PR pitch
They chew gum, don’t they?
Famous story about a pitch gone bad:
A PR pro at Warner-Lambert Company calls an editor at Inc. magazine. When, she asks, is Inc.… Read the full article