11
Writing for Public Relations
The field of public relations encompasses all the forms of writing that we have examined so far in
this book — and then some. The chief idea of this chapter is to impress upon students the
versatility in writing that a public relations practitioner must possess. Most of the work of the
public relations practitioner involves writing, and it is rare that only one kind of writing is
required.
Key terms and concepts
The following are some key terms and concepts
about public relations and public relations
writing that the student should understand as he or she works through this chapter:
News release — The good news release is essentially a good news story in a public relations suit.
Intents and purposes — Like the advertising copywriter, the PR writer must have a good idea
what the writing he or she produces is supposed to do. The intent of the writing must be firmly
in mind as the writer begins the project. Otherwise, the writing will be inefficient and ineffective.
Intents and purposes are discussed in some detail in the “Letters” section of the chapter, but they
apply to other parts of it as well.
Links and resources
How to write a press release. Discover how to deliver news to the media. The site covers details
PR News Blog. Check out the PR News Blog for some advice on writing and other information
Chapter notes
Public Relations Society of America. One of the major professional organizations in the field of
public relations is the Public Relations Society of America. it has a very helpfulwebsite. The site
Question bank
1. The key to getting news releases noticed and used in the mix of regular news stories is to use
public relations values different from the traditional news values of most stories that will be
carried in the newspaper.
2. News releases are not simply aimed at informing; they are targeted messages aimed at getting
across some particular message
3. A business letter might have the purpose of
4. Writers of speeches and statements should follow the rules of writing for broadcasting.
5. Part of the job of the public relations specialist is to help corporate officers understand what
will be appropriate messages for the audiences intended and what will not.
6. Company publications come in a wide range of sizes and shapes and are aimed at a wide
variety of different types of audiences.
7. Part of the job of the public relations specialist is
8. What is the most important ability a public relations practitioner should have?
9. Companies that sell stock to the public are required by law to produce
10. The four steps of the public relations process are
11. An agreement between public relations practitioners and news media people not to run a
story before a certain time is called a(n) __________.
12. Probably the most important principle of writing for mass communication is
13. Generally, a news release should be written
14. The language of a business letter
15. In writing speeches or statements, one good technique for keeping the audience interested is
to
17. The writer of a speech should use the techniques that we learned in
18. For the most part, what style should be observed in letter writing?
19. One of the traps that a letter writer should avoid is
20. The production of newsletters, in addition to writing skills, requires
