Importance of writing in public relations?

Journalists and bloggers need help

Call her a preditor.

Elisa Lagos was an Edward R. Murrow and Peabody award-winning TV producer for ABC News.

Make that editor.

Make that both.

Elisa, now a communications associate at World Education Services, wasn’t alone doing double duty at ABC. In fact, many broadcasters now have two, two, TWO jobs in one.

Here’s how reporters’ lives have changed in the last few years:

• Three in 10 journalists are gone. Employment has sunk 30% since 2002, according to Pew’s “State of the News Media” study. Now journalists look to their left, and there’s nobody there. Fewer hands means more work for the remaining staff.
• Their jobs are expanding. Nearly six in 10 journalists surveyed by PWR New Media have added web work to their existing responsibilities. They’re not just reporting, they’re also writing social media posts, producing the infographic and making the video.
• There’s no letting up. The news cycle? 24/7. The news hole? Infinite.
• It’s tough out there. No wonder nearly seven out of 10 journalists believe their jobs have gotten harder over the past five years, according to a survey by media platform ISEBOX.

This problem will only grow worse. I had lunch recently with a friend from The New York Times. Every day, he told me, he looks around at his colleagues and asks, “How can the Times afford to keep paying all of these salaries?”

How can you help?

How can public relations professionals take advantage of — wait, I mean help — given this sad situation? (Hey, we can be preditory, too, right?)

1. Write releases that are ready to be read.

Half of the journalists in the ISEBOX study produce at least five articles a week. One in five produce more than 11 articles a week. A well-written press release can help these tired, busy professionals do their jobs better and more easily.

But instead of the hierarchical blurtation of facts that makes up most releases, why not write a story? A real story, that’s ready for publication. It takes great writing skills to write something your target audience wants to read, but it can be worth it.

Best-case scenario: You’ll convince a reporter that there’s a story here, worthy of pursuing. Worst case: A busy journalist publishes the release as is.

“We found official press releases often appear word for word in first accounts of events, though often not noted as such,” according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

2. Make it easy on the journalist (and the reader).

Write a one-minute release. Make it easy to scan with display copy, such as subheads, bullets and bold-faced lead-ins. Produce finished, publication-worthy written communications.

3. Deliver the goods.

Include the infographics, images, videos and other news assets journalists need to do all of their jobs.

In other words, become a preditor yourself.