Mastering Public Relations Writing: Insights from the Author
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Written by James Mahoney, Author of Public Relations Writing
What inspired you to write “Public Relations Writing” at this moment?
Clear and concise writing is at the core of public relations practice. If you can’t write that way, and, for media releases, in a style that journalists recognise, you’ve missed out on the ability to effectively deliver messages on behalf of clients. And this writing involves far more than being able to dash off a tweet or do something for the myriad digital media applications an employer or client uses. A major aim of the book since the first edition is to inspire students to develop writing skills that aid their careers.
Who is the intended audience for Public Relations Writing? Is it primarily for students, educators, or professionals?
First, this is a book for students studying public relations. It will also be useful for those studying other disciplines, such as advertising and marketing and political communication, because the principles it explores are shared in other professions that rely on professional writing. And perhaps senior practitioners will earn something from it despite their long-term practice.
Based on your experience, what do you think is the most important skill for PR professionals to master, and how does the book help with this?
Apart from learning how to write concisely and clearly, the most important skill they need is to think critically and ask questions. Asking why something needs to be done is a useful way of clarifying a situation. Additionally, students need to come to grips with an old-fashioned, but vitally important, idea: public relations is about far more than media relations and using social media tools. It is about relationship building and dealing with issues in a strategic way, all of which can’t be handled with instant tweets and giving stuff to journalists. It takes time.
The book covers a wide range of PR writing skills—could you share more about how the book is structured to teach these skills?
Public Relations Writing is designed to introduce students to the reasons this skill is important, and the contexts in which various forms of writing, including “writing” a strategic plan, are applied. All this is done through backgrounding them in the strategic planning process and how various communication pathways and tools can be used. Thus, Public Relations Writing follows the structure of a strategic public relations plan and deals sequentially with the planning, writing and implementation skills required for each step. It ends with a discussion about campaign evaluation—another step in the planning process that requires effective writing skills.
What are some key takeaways or unique insights that readers can expect from this book?
When they have worked through the book, students should appreciate several professional factors. First, PR is planned communication, a learning that sets the base for everything they’ll do. Second, the writing skills they’ll hone involve far more than preparing material for journalists, or social media activity. Both are important, but they are not the only communication tools practitioners need. Third, students should take away the knowledge that they are writing for specific target publics they need to carefully identify, and they should know that this does not mean everyone in the “general community.” Fourth, it should become clear that writing can be fun and creative. There are many more takeaways from the book, but students will pick those up as they work through the readings and exercises.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to excel in PR writing, beyond reading your book?
Being able to excel in public relations involves a lot more than knowing how to write effectively and for specific publics. That’s an essential skill, and one that employers demand graduates have. Excellence is about how well you perform as a practitioner and that means knowing how the profession works, that thinking creatively and critically, and having the ability to write appropriate strategic plans that outline how tactical implementation will work. And why. Be someone who thinks about what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and who, specifically, needs to receive, and understand, your messages. You’ll be working in a creative profession that rarely has two days in which the same challenges arise. That’s what makes this profession exciting and fulfilling.
Public Relations Writing – 4th Edition
Public Relations Writing is an undergraduate communication and public relations textbook. It positions writing for public relations in the context of strategic planning, and is based on traditional communication writing principles, including for news and digital media. The book illustrates how writing for all public relations tools reflects the concepts that inform professional planning and practice.