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Public Relations Careers | Writing as a PR Professional
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As a public relations professional you are at the forefront of the communications efforts of the company. Your goal is to connect and interact with the public whether that be consumers, the media, other businesses, or the general public. There are a few ways you can do this, and the vast majority of them include writing. (Even if they don't involve your target audiences reading something, you often write the scripts and speeches delivered to that target audience.)

From The Public Relations Practitioner's Playbook by Larry Litwin, here is a great list summarizing the publications and other articles that one might have to write as a public relations professional or company practicing PR:

• News releases
• Media advisories (media alerts; news and photo memos; invitation to cover)
• Fact sheets
• Histories
• Backgrounders
• Feature articles
• Photo captions
• Public service announcements (PSAs)
• Letters to the editor
• Op-eds
• Pitch letters
• Position letters
• Counseling papers
• Newsletter copy (newsletters)
• Brochures
• Annual reports
• Issue ads
• Obituaries
• Visual presentations
• Speeches

While that may look like a long list, they all serve a very important purpose. Some are self-explanatory terms, but here are some definitions of the most important and sometimes difficult to define terms:

• News releases: a news release, online or offline, is a document written to share the release of a piece of news (as the name suggests). News releases are also referred to as a press release. There are many components of a press release, but the most important to remember is that it must be complete and include information for a media contact, blogger, or even a consumer reading it to know that Who, What, When, Where, and How. In the past, news releases were only seen by the media. With personal websites, press release distribution sites, and media contacts online press releases can be read by consumers and the media alike.
  
• Media advisories: similar to a news release, this is a document, often sent to the media, to notify them of an upcoming event. This is usually more specific and timely than a news release, which can talk about past events and occurrences. A media advisory is often used to talk about a future event, usually with the goal of inviting a media presence to come to the event to cover the story.
  
• Public service announcements: as the name suggests, this is an announcement aimed at the public. These often take place through radio or television vehicles, but can also be found in print. The goal of a PSA is to increase awareness of an issue at hand or a specific topic. They are used to educate and inform.
  
• Letters to the editor: from the PublicRelationsBlogger.com glossary, "A letter sent to an editor of a reader's opinion congratulating, discussing, or criticizing an article the editor may have been responsible for approving or writing." These are often used to help correct, amend, or show appreciation for a topic being covered.
  
• Op-eds: Also from the PublicRelationsBlogger.com glossary, "Stands for Opposite the Editorial. An op-ed is an article written and positioned opposite the editorial, usually written by a professional/expert." This is meant to accompany or contrast that which was written by the editorial to offer some additional information or point-of-view on the topic.
  
• Pitch letters: these are letters to media, bloggers, or other business professionals, often times accompanied by a news/press release, asking for your story to be covered. The pitch is usually the first thing read and should convey the importance of your story. Like a cover letter, however, the pitches may not be read, so remember to make your press release easily readible with the most important information at the top. (See "inverted pyramid style writing".)
• Position papers: an essay that presents an opinion about an issue, typically that of the author or another specified entity; such as a political party. Position papers are published in academia, in politics, in law and other domains. (Source)
• Issue ads: "Issue advocacy has historically been viewed as political advertising intended to influence a political issue, legislative proposal or public policy—not to advocate the election or defeat of candidates. Because of this, issues ads have fallen outside the definition of campaign advertisements and beyond the realm of most state and federal campaign regulations." (Source) There are also sham issue ads, defined as: "Sham issue ads are paid political advertisements that target individual candidates and are designed to influence the outcome of elections, but avoid important requirements of the Federal Election Campaign Act because of a loophole in the law." (Source)

Some important things to remember when writing:

1. Make sure you can be contacted. This means putting a contact name and contact information that will actually get a person calling or emailing to someone they can talk to. You want to be readily available for questions since they may often times come from a reporter.
   
2. Write well. If you have trouble writing (and even if you don't have trouble) have someone else read your copy before you send it out. This is a great way to proofread your work and to get a second opinion. Also, try reading your copy outloud; you can often hear mistakes better that way.
   
3. Close the release. Be sure that you indicate the end of a release with the appropriate tag, such as ### to really signal the end of the press release.
4. Simple is key. Use clear words and avoid jargon. As noted above, customers and the public must now be taken into account when writing a press release if you plan to submit your release online. If you are submitting you press release to a trade publication media contact, still try to write in a clear manner so as to be easily understood.
   
5. Use the inverted pyramid style writing. This can greatly increase your chances of having your story featured or press release published.

What are some other tips you have for writing? Click on this post's title and leave a comment!

Also, be sure to check out Larry's Blog for useful PR tips, more on his book, and other useful information!