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WHAT IS FREELANCE PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING?
by Brian Scott
Becoming a
successful freelance public relations writer requires you to write persuasively
and analytically. The key to persuasive writing is the key to good writing in
general: know your audience. Public relations work requires you to address
various audiences, such as:
1) Your customer base. Your
customers already have some idea about what your client does;
2)
Potential customers. Most won't know about your client directly, but they
might be familiar with similar products, services, or programs;
3)
The press. They are interested only in whether the service or product your
client has to offer is worthy of mention in their publication.
When
you get a public relations assignment, your job is to take in all the data
related to whatever your client has to offer. Maybe your client is offering a
new product line, a new community outreach program, or news about a change in
ownership. Your job is to: 1) analyze that data for key points; 2) determine
how the data might affect the marketplace and consumers; and 3) communicate the
data in a clear, concise form.
Taking in the data is the easiest part.
Your client should provide you with all the data you need, plus any contact
information you might need to interview people for quotes, statistics,
point-of-views, etc. You need to think about how to connect what your client is
offering with the needs and desires of his audience.
Example 1:
If a high-end brokerage firm wants to distribute a press release about
their response to a recent rise in gold prices, you may need to research the
stock market to determine what that means to investors. If you know your target
audience, then you know exactly where to look to find out their typical
concerns. Typical research methods may include Internet searches, investor
forum posts, guides to investment, etc.
Example 2:
If you
need to generate PR aimed at a particular trade group or a segment of an
industry, such as promoting a local cleaning service, then you need to
brainstorm ways in which your client’s cleaning service provides cheaper
or better care than his competitors.
Once you've done the background
work, writing PR is simple. Your client should provide you with all the
pertinent information about length and venue. What you need to do is
communicate the details, connect it to audience’s desires, and present any
information that links the audience back to the client with the use of contact
information, store locations, event dates, and so on.
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Since
there's an expectation that PR is persuasive, advertisement-like material, you
have slightly more leeway with the writing than you might with informative,
research-based material; but again, the audience comes into the balance.
If you're writing a report on the release of a new video game aimed at a
teen-centric gaming magazine, a dry style won't be of much use to you. If
you're writing about the breakthrough of a new control chip for an overseas
microprocessor, you don't want to make too many assertions about how this will
"revolutionize the industry," or anything that a highly-trained engineering
department can't back up. In general, stick to the facts as closely as you can.
Your articles should have the blend of rational restraint and promotional zeal
so you communicate effectively.
Where do you get public relations
jobs? Corporate PR departments are your best bet for well-paying, steady work.
Some large corporations will have their own in-house staff of marketing
writers, and may not be interested in taking on freelancers except at certain
times. Another good choice would be local non-profit groups, political
organizations, or social clubs. These rely on effective PR to grow and thrive,
and you can pick up a good deal of work from just one or two groups. A drawback
to non-profits or other groups is they may not have a big budget or they may
not be able to pay consistently. Make sure you trust the group before you
commit to full-time PR work.
Above all, be careful of doing PR for
individuals. This type of PR can be among the most enjoyable assignments,
depending on your interests. Individual PR projects may include promoting
someone's self-published book or writing press releases for a garage band, and
so forth. The downside is individuals typically have little or no budget for
PR, and they often want you to work for free, alleging that "it'll be good for
your reputation" or that "once I get successful I can pay you." Never do PR
work (or any freelance writing work) for free. It wastes your time and it won't
advance your career, except for building a portfolio of writing samples. At
worst, it can lower average writing rates to the point that good freelancers go
out of business. It's not good for you, for your trade, or for your fellow
writers. So don't do it!
If you have the ability to analyze complex
material quickly and convey it clearly and persuasively into words that your
audience understands, then you are on your way to having a successful career as
a public relations writer.
© B.
Scott
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Scott has been
a professional freelance writer for more than a decade. He is an active forum moderator at Writing Answers, a vibrant community of writers helping writers.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
1)
The Public Relations Writer's Handbook by Merry
Aronson
2)
Writing Effective News Releases...: How to Get Free Publicity
for Yourself, Your Business, or Your Organization by Catherine V.
Mcintyre
3)
Public Relations Writing: The Essentials of Style and
Format by Thomas H. Bivins
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