Written by: Lukia Xu
As PR professionals, we often hear people say that good writing skills are essential to success. You may argue that the landscape has changed and you can be good at strategy or digital stuff, but being able to write well would still be a big advantage.
Writing this blog is not saying that I’m good enough to advise others as an expert, but to share some tips that I found most helpful as I am trying to improve my own writing skills.
Do the research, know your audience.
Although as PR professionals we often need to write in different styles, the one true standard for good writing is whether your content could engage the audience. If it’s a press release, you better be very clear because journalists spend only 1 minute on every pitch letter. If you are writing for Buzzfeed, you might want to add a bit of humor or sarcasm, and put in some funny stuff like GIFs. When cases are not that obvious, you can only find out what your target audience would like though proper research. Understanding the audience is like the GPS that keeps you on the right track.
Start writing, and keep revising.
A copywriting master wrote in his book that the best way to write well is getting started. I found this to be so true – as tasks pile up, I don’t have time to think very much about each article. In the best cases, I got rolling as the words on the screen inspired me and sentences just came flowing. In some not-so-ideal cases, at least I had written something down thus helping me become less anxious.
After you finish the draft, lay it there for a while before you come back. During this time, clean up your mind, forget about the writing, so you will be able to scrutinize it like a reader. You’ll find it easier to spot typos, craft better phrases, and even come up with better ideas. The first draft may look like garbage, even for the top writers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make an excellent final piece through relentless revising.
Read, read a lot.
Immerse yourself in all sorts of good writing. This could be news stories from major sites, popular blog posts, or magazine articles. Basically pieces published on mainstream media are seen as good enough. As you get accustomed to good work, you are likely to imitate their style. And for international students, this is an easy way to learn more about authentic English and American culture.
Like any other skills, writing can only be excelled through practice. So be patient and take every chance to write, even if it’s just a cla7s assignment or a blog post.