VOLUME 20, ISSUE 4 – APRIL 2021
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: AN ODE TO THE “NEVER-GIVE-UPPERS” AMONGST US
Pondering BIG Undertakings (like my new book) & Those Who Pull Them Off
II. “FIELD” GREENS: “WHAT AM I MISSING HERE?”
Atlanta Creativity Guru: This Important Question Can Enrich Any Writing Project
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: 3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PR WRITING
PR Writing Pro: Why PR Writing Might Be Different from Your Perceptions…
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORY & TIP
Yours Truly Underscores: Skills = Value = Loyalty = Higher Rates
TIP: Got Too Many “Crutch” and “Filler” Words in Your Writing?
I. APPETIZER: AN ODE TO THE “NEVER-GIVE-UPPERS” AMONGST US
Pondering BIG Undertakings (like my new book) & Those Who Pull Them Off
So, BIG announcement last week: The release of the third edition of TWFW, nearly 21 years after the first. How time flies. Check out all the details HERE.
As I was putting finishing touches on the website, in advance of the launch, I pondered the enormous undertaking I’d just completed. Or, should I say, Part One, anyway: The book is the easy part. Now comes the ongoing job of getting the word out.
In this age of instant celebrities, “overnight experts,” and the perplexing trend of so many people wanting the end result of hard work minus said “hard work,” I was reminded of the literally tens of thousands of little tasks that took me to this moment, all the “bricks in the wall,” as it were.
After several years of work to finish the book (and the updates to the Tool Box, Time Line and Ezine Banquet ebooks), working with dozens of contributors along the way. Then, hiring a small army of production folks, and overseeing all their work—literally, hundreds of rounds of revisions—to produce the new book, a new website, and the updated ebooks.
In many ways, it’s very similar to building a successful commercial-writing practice. If you’ve done that, hats off to you. You intimately understand the seemingly endless tasks in the realms of marketing, prospecting, networking, admin, logistics, project execution, follow up, etc., that have to take place, continuously, to build a practice.
There’s nothing easy about it. No shortcuts. When starting, it’s a long hard slog. If worked diligently enough, for long enough, it will bring you some solidity. But, it can all change quickly, and will, if you’re in the game long enough—especially this past year—and then, you’re back beating the bushes again. But the freedom, oh the freedom, it makes it all worthwhile.
A few years back, I think I shared an email from a site visitor (who presumably was aware I’d written a 300-page book on the subject). His note epitomized that curious worldview (i.e., give me the goodies, but without the work to get the goodies). It’d be comical if it weren’t so sad:
I am interested on getting started in this field of work. You had mentioned some End-Users? Where can I get at least one end user to work with? Eventually, I would like to get up to 4-8 customers within the next 4 months. Thank you.
You can’t make this stuff up. Anyway, here’s to the sloggers, the pounders, the grinders, the never-give-uppers, who know what it takes to create something lasting. You know who you are. On that “celebrate-you” note, let’s eat!
Check out my new TWFW baby here. Mighty proud of it.
II. “FIELD” GREENS: “WHAT AM I MISSING HERE?”
Atlanta Creativity Guru: This Important Question Can Enrich Any Writing Project
Friend and Atlanta-based advertising-industry veteran and creativity consultant, Sam Harrison, in a recent edition of his Speaking of Ideas email newsletter, offered up this useful piece:
“What am I missing here?”
An important question to ask ourselves.
When baffled by a situation.
When consumed with a problem.
When studying customers and clients.
When dealing with objections and rejections.
When in the middle of a debate or argument.
When feeling afraid, frustrated or downhearted.
When struggling to get ideas accepted by others.
Good stuff. After reading it, I got to thinking how important that question has been for me in a variety of situations throughout my career. For example:
“What am I missing here?” When I’m finished with a first draft of copy, and I want to make sure I didn’t leave anything out (like that one fact the client sent you after you got started, and it slipped your mind to include it) or want to make sure there wasn’t a better way to say something.
“What am I missing here?” Coming up with ideas for a name or book title, and I want to make sure I come at the challenge from a number of distinct angles in order to ultimately craft the most robust list of possibilities.
“What am I missing here?” A great question to ask yourself to ferret out blind spots you might have in a particular creative scenario. Good example: Are you falling prey to The Curse of Knowledge, and assuming a higher knowledge level on your reader’s part than is warranted?
And an exceptionally useful variation on the above:
“What’s missing?” A question to a client who’s asked me to rewrite something that they or another writer put together, and I want to know “what’s missing” for them about the current version. They may not always know, but any answer will likely give you clues.
When Sam saw how I’d built onto his ideas, he added this one:
“What am I missing?” A good question to ask someone you’re interviewing for a project—at the end or near the end of the interview. I’ve often gotten candid responses and info that would have gone uncovered had I not asked.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: 3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PR WRITING
PR Writing Pro: Why PR Writing Might Be Different from Your Perceptions…
Another welcome contribution from PA FLCW Jennifer Mattern, PR writer and founder of the acclaimed All Freelance Writing site. In the February EPUB, Jenn served up a solid primer on the five most common PR-writing projects.
Look for regular pieces from Jenn in the E-PUB in the months ahead. In this piece, Jenn gives us a few “heads-ups” about PR writing. Thanks, Jenn!
PR writing can be a lucrative specialty for freelance writers. And with a diverse selection of project types—from press releases to PSA scripts—you won’t risk becoming bored.
But before jumping into PR writing, there are a few things you should know.
- Money isn’t the motivation. This is especially important if you’re coming from a background writing marketing and sales copy.
In PR copywriting (vs. “marketing copywriting”), no matter the specialty, making money isn’t the primary motivation. Instead it’s about awareness, visibility, influence, and reputation.
And that’s not only about a brand. For example, a household name might not need brand awareness. You might instead be asked to help build awareness about specific products, events, or initiatives.
Unlike direct sales copy which often relies on creating a sense of urgency, PR copywriting is more often (though not always) about the long game. You influence perceptions and actions over time through building and maintaining awareness, reputation, and trust.
- PR writing goes beyond media relations. When I talk to fellow writers about PR, their thoughts tend to go right to press releases—in other words, media relations. Yet, media relations isn’t synonymous with public relations; it’s one small specialized area of PR.
With PR writing, understanding your publics is essential. And this doesn’t mean “the public” in a general sense. In PR, your “publics” are various stakeholder groups.
Sometimes those stakeholders are members of the media. Sometimes they’re members of the public at large. But they can also be government officials, internal staff, investors, members of a certain community, or even customers.
That means your PR writing specialties aren’t limited to media relations. For example, you also have government relations, employee relations, community relations, consumer relations, and investor relations as potential specialties.
- PR writing projects can come at short notice. Something else to consider before pursuing PR writing is your willingness to take on projects with little-to-no notice.
While there are plenty of PR writing projects with adequate lead times, you’ll also find short-notice projects. That’s because requests can come in response to news outside your, or your client’s, control—such as a media request for their comments on newly-proposed legislation in their industry.
As another example, you might be brought in to assist with crisis messaging. If you’ve watched company crises play out on social media, you’ll know people aren’t always patient when they want an official response. As a PR writer, your clients might call on you to help with this.
Nothing to worry about. Just know it’s a reality of PR writing and being able to take on these kinds of projects will make you more valuable to clients.
Whether you’re just getting started as a freelancer or looking to transition from sales copy or another specialty, PR writing is worth a look. Understand these basics before jumping in, and you’re bound to find a specialty that suits your skills, interests, and schedule.
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORY & TIP
Yours Truly Underscores: Skills = Value = Loyalty = Higher Rates
TIP: Got Too Many “Crutch” and “Filler” Words in Your Writing?
So, I had this mysterious leak in my kitchen some months back, coming from above. Got two estimates, and both confirmed that the issue required major work, and quoted $1500-$2000 in repair costs, not counting fixing the carved-out walls and ceilings to get at the problem. Sigh.
One plumber had hurt his back earlier, so he recommended I call a younger guy he’d worked with before. That third plumber comes by, spends an hour poking around, then announces that, not only is the problem far simpler than the others imagined, and won’t involve major tear-up, but that the entire cost to fix it would be $675. Yee-hah. He made the fix, and with no lingering issues.
Who do you think I’m going to be calling from now on, and forever?
We all know that, when it comes to, say, plumbers, electricians, doctors, lawyers, etc., that some are more skilled than others—and worth paying more for. (NOTE: Though, what’s also true—and certainly in this case—is that, in terms of measurably better outcomes, a more skilled practitioner will, in the end, actually cost you less).
Yet, for some strange reason, many clients perceive that writing is something anyone can do, so they don’t imagine a spectrum of skill levels. As such, since, as they see it, writing is a “commodity,” they choose writers largely on rates.
Course, we seasoned folk—AND clients who’ve experienced the BIG differences between writers—know that nothing could be further from the truth.
Recently, I was happily reminded of this, when a longtime client tapped me to write copy for a new website. She had a partner she needed to consult with, yet, when it came to choosing a writer, she put her foot down. After I’d sent an estimate, she replied:
My business partner had someone he wanted me to talk to that was cheaper. I didn’t talk to his guy, but I had to explain why I was going with you. Go ahead and send me an invoice, please. I’ll get the signed agreement to you today.
Lovely to get notes like this, and we should all be aspiring to get to that point with clients, where they recognize the superior value we bring to the table—value that, within reason, always wins out over price.
Love this piece from James Corbyn, a writer/blogger at IvyPanda, who sent me this beauty on “crutch words” and filler words. I winced a bit as I read his list of both, as I was guilty of using any number of them over the years.
No, it’s unlikely we’ll ever eradicate them completely from our writing, but with a list like this essentially serving as nagging writing monitor sitting on our shoulders, ready to say, “Uh, are you really going to use that word? Seriously?” their prevalence in our writing should diminish a bit. Thanks, James!