Cipr - Writing Skills 2008

Writing Skills Workshop Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Leeds Metropolitan University Robert Minton-Taylor (Associate Senior Lecturer)

Leeds Business School Friday, 15 February 2008

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The Writing Skills Menu • • • •

13.30 hrs PR Writing 15.00 hrs Tea 15.15 hrs PR Writing (contd) 16.15 hrs Close

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Skills Workshop Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Writing Press Releases

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

News Stories News stories fall into 3 categories:  



Breaking news – immediate real time events e.g. South East Asia tsunami Feature stories – articles or broadcast allowing for greater depth e.g. background on how survivors are rebuilding their lives following the tsunami Commentary – expert analysis providing context to a news story – e.g. foreign correspondent analysis of how tsunamis happen

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Creating A Press Release • Press releases are sent direct to the media outlet to whom you want to tell a story • They can be lightweight or fun to attract attention to your organisation's name or product or service • Or serious e.g. flood warning notice •

Please Note: financial press releases take on the duties of a legal document i.e. they are recognised by regulators as the instrument of formal disclosure of investor information, so great care has to be taken

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

6 Steps For A Successful Release 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Make headline punchy or direct Put the news upfront Give a quote Write so your mother would understand Save additional data for a fact sheet Include wrap-up sentence at the end

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

6 Steps For A Successful Release 1. Make headline punchy or direct – Your headline summarises the news in a few words – It can either state the facts or present the interesting “news hook” you think will capture the media's interest

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

6 Steps For A Successful Release 2. Put the news upfront – You have got to capture the journalist's attention by the end of the first paragraph – What you are announcing has to make a difference – The first paragraph should encapsulate the whole story – because, in spite of new technology, journalists still cut stories from the bottom up

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

6 Steps For A Successful Release 3. Give a quote – Quote someone in the organisation who is responsible for the development you are announcing – A quote provides perspective and context for the basic facts – It can be a platform to communicate key messages to varied stakeholders

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

6 Steps For A Successful Release 4. Write so your mother would understand – Your release will have a life of its own once it is distributed – So make sure your messages and news are really understandable by anyone likely to come across it – Avoid jargon, buzz words or acronyms at all cost

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

6 Steps For A Successful Release 5. Save additional data for a fact sheet – Do not litter your releases with every specification of a new project, or pages of facts and figures – Remember it is a news story not an essay – If there are important details you want to include add a “Notes to Editors” – Or if longer - a separate fact sheet or a Q&A document

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

6 Steps For A Successful Release 6. Include wrap-up sentence at the end – Save your background round-up sentence on the organisation until the end of the press release – Do not litter your releases with every specification of a new project, or pages of facts and figures – In the USA it’s called a “boilerplate”

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Example of a wrap-up sentence(s) • Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) is a leading independent provider of global factory-to-dealer transport solutions for the automotive, agricultural and construction equipment industries.

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Example of a wrap-up sentence(s) • WWL employs 3,200 people and uses 55-60 modern eco-friendly car carriers and RoRo vessels, servicing 20 trade routes to five continents. WWL transports 3.3 million vehicles annually: 1.7 million by sea and 1.6 million inland. • The company has a strong environmental focus and is an industry leader in developing innovative solutions to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment. WWL is owned by Wallenius Lines of Sweden and Wilh. Wilhelmsen of Norway.

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Example of a wrap-up sentence(s) • The company also specialises in handling complex project cargoes such as rail cars, power generators, mining equipment and yachts. • WWL’s also offers supply chain management services that integrate its ocean services, inland distribution, terminal handling and technical services offerings.

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing A Press Release The ‘5’ Ws and ‘How’?

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’? • Journalists are taught that there are six ‘Ws’ to every good news story: 1. Who? 2. Why? 3. What? 4. When? 5. Where? 6. How? • Use these as memory joggers • Try and incorporate the answers to these questions in your stories. Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’? The Five ‘Ws’ and ‘How’? Answer: 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Who are you writing about? Why are you writing about this event? What event are you writing about? When did it happen? Where did it happen? How did it happen?

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’? WHO? • Answering this question provides more detail about the who - whether it be an organisation or person.

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’? WHY? • Answering this question will provide the explanation of what is happening, and the reasons behind it.

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’? WHAT? • Answering this question will provide all the information you need for the news editor to understand what is happening

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’? WHEN? • Answering this question will tell the reader, listener or viewer when something is going to happen • It is a good idea to ensure that a summary of this kind of information is in your opening paragraph • If more explanation is needed, you can provide it later in the story

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’? WHERE? • Answering this question will build extra and relevant facts into your news release about the location

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’ HOW? • Answering this question explains how people will be affected or how an event or act came about

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’ Thus, a newspaper would not write: • The global shipping industry is responsible for widespread emissions that could damage the enviroment says a confidential United Nations report. The emissions are believed to be almost three times larger than those previously announced.

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’ Thus, a newspaper would write: • The true scale of climate change emissions from shipping is almost three times higher than previously believed, according to a leaked UN study today. – Who shipping – What emissions – When today

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’ • 10 passengers are believed to have been killed when an express train bound for London from Newcastle hit a stationary car which had careered off the M62 trans Pennine motorway near Selby in North Yorkshire in the early hours of this morning. – Who 10 passengers – Why Don’t know – What Died – When This morning – Where Selby – How Hit a stationary car Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’ • Ryanair is threatening to sack pilots after being criticised by air accident investigators over a series of dangerous approaches to airports – in less than a year. – Who Ryanair – Why Criticised by air accident investigators – What Dangerous approaches – When Within the past year – Where Airports – How Threatening to sack pilots

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’ • The government was last night investigating possible links between the discovery of H5N1 avian bird flu at a Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Suffolk and recent outbreaks of the disease in Hungary. – Who The government – Why Investigating link between H5N1 & Hungary – What Avian bird flu outbreak – When Last night – Where Bernard Matthews turkey farm, Suffolk – How Birds died Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

The 5 ‘Ws’ and ‘How’ Main clause • Most news stories begin with the main clause as in the preceding sample news stories • Why?: The ‘who’ and the ‘what’ tend to be the most important. • The public do not want to wade through dull details, background or comment before arriving at the main point

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Please remember Please remember: • The job of a reporter is to report NEWS • Your press release must be of topical or current interest - yesterday’s story is no story • Journalists love facts and figures • Keep sentences short and to the point (journalists write the story, you provide the facts*) • “Your first sentence has to be the killer.” *Ron Wain, business editor, Southampton Daily News Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

And finally Please remember: • Confine each thought to a paragraph The first paragraph - the “intro” is the attention grabber • The “intro” should précis the whole story • Each paragraph must be in descending order of importance - an editor will cut from the bottom upwards

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

And really finally Please remember: • Include comment, or quotes, from the subject of the story - it adds flavour and gives perspective to your story • Always consider the implications of what you say

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

But not quite finally

A John Foster* Note 1.

Clarity is at stake once there are more than two commas in a sentence 2. Restrict sentences to 20-25 words 3. Three sentences to a paragraph 4. Keep to plain, un-fussy English 5. Use short words 6. Write tight 7. Don’t make the reader reach for the dictionary 8. Read out what you have written to yourself – and preferably to others as well 9. If you are stuck for technicalities explain what you mean or out it in another way 10. Once you see gibberish, rewrite, replace, reconstruct – and jump the jargon *Effective Writing Skills for Public Relations Third edition, John Foster, Price: £16.99 Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Skills Workshop Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Press Release Writing Exercise

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Skills Workshop Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Writing Features

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Features Features can: • Inform – from providing coherent and accessible data to offering analysis • Help • Entertain • Persuade – prompting perhaps a reader to think differently e.g. about the environment • Amuse Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

So What Makes A Good Feature Views of 4 feature editors in Yorkshire 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Be readable and credible Have a grabbing ‘intro’ i.e. introductory sentence Involve the reader Meet the brief – of the article Be accurate – don’t ‘spin’ the information Have substance – to the feature Contain an element of surprise Ensure its crafted well

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Features Features divide into 4 categories:   

Profiles – of individual people, usually based on interviews Product stories – about one product/round-up of many, described, compared, tested Background features - putting the news in context • •



‘News features’ are hybrids, somewhere between a straightforward news story and a feature ‘Colour’ pieces describe events as they happen e.g. sporting events

Opinion pieces - leaders, think pieces, etc

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Features Features • The sole constraint for a feature is to write in the way that’s right for the publication e.g. What may suit Car won’t necessarily suit Classic Car • Being so varied, features are hard to define and harder to write • Features are liberated from the sparse, functional prose of a press release • They require research and often an ability to master complex subjects – turning chunks of information into an accessible and digestible form Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Feature Guidelines The guidelines are: • • • • •

Think Focus Have something to say Take the reader with you form A to Z Choose your words carefully and make them flow

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Skills Workshop Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Tea Break 15 mins

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Skills Workshop Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Features Writing Exercise

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Skills Workshop Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Business Writing & Editing Skills

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Business Writing Before you write a report, think about: • • • • • •

The purpose of the document Who it is aimed at Who will actually use or read it How would you like it to be used How is it is likely to be used What you want to achieve, how and why

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Business Writing Trevor Bentley, in ‘Report Writing in Business’ maintains that you should only write a report: • • • •

If you need agreement to a course of action If you need to explain specific events As a basis for discussion To inform

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Structure of Reports Structure • Reports need a beginning, middle and end • Need an introduction or heading about what the report is about • Must include what you want the reader to know and do • Put in lots of headings and short paragraphs • Use bullet points – people do not have the time nor inclination to read long documents • Use graphics to make visual point • Progression and presentation of points and arguments should be logical Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Writing Skills Workshop Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Questions?

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634

Thank you, goodbye and have a great weekend! If you need anything - email or call me:

Robert Minton-Taylor Email [email protected] Tel 01535 634 634 Mobile 07947 818 816

Tutor: Robert Minton-Taylor FCIPR E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01535 634 634