On a
daily basis we are exposed to millions of adverts, stories and information
about the world and ourselves via a range of mediums. I don’t think that it has
been until now that I realise the effort and work put into constructing this
information for the world to see. We almost become oblivious to it, like it’s
apart of everyday life. We wake up and the paper is in your mailbox. You don’t
think about the people who have created it, or those who has crafted their
images and writing to suit their clients needs and wants. This is a very
selective process, one which takes times and effort. During my first week I
learnt about this process and the skills needed to ensure that work is crafted
to the highest standard, in order to give the client the best possible chance
of receiving coverage. Some might ask how? It’s simply, or rather complex. You
learn to sift through the rubbish.
On
my second day I was asked to write a press release for a client who is opening
a new gymnasium. In order to do this the steps are as followed
- Research about the client and the new gym.
- Produce ‘word vomit’ as my mentor likes to say.
- Now its time to refine your writing skills.
- Repeat step 3 multiple times until you believe all the refining is done.
- Produce press release to the client
- Repeat step 3, again until given the ok.
Something
I thought would be a quick process, soon turned into a process that consumed
half of my day. You see in step 1 its all about sifting through the rubbish and
realising what is the essence of your story. This process is very much a form
of art, because this information will form your story and your title.
Step
2 has to be my favourite. Now you must regurgitate that information and vomit
it up onto the page. Hopefully following a pyramid structure. When I look back
on my first go at writing the press release for the gym opening, it was all
over the place and some key elements of the story were being lost. This is
where Step 3 came in.
Step
3 is where you start shaving away at parts of the apple so to speak. Removing
bits from here and changing words from there. This is where writing really
becomes an art form. You learn to hone your writing skills. And this does take
time. I’ve learnt that only practice will make me a better writer and maybe this
is why I’ve been asked everyday this week to write a media release for a
client, after all writing is a core foundation to PR.
Step
4. Yes, this step can be monotonous and tedious at times, but its essential to
ensure the best possible coverage. It can be the simplest of thing during this
process that can make the world of difference, to whether your story gets
coverage or not. For example the title “Harper Family to Open New Gymnasium
at St. Fredrick's Grammar” is far less appeal than “WA Premier to Open New
Gymnasium”. No ordinary citizen would know who the Harper family is, but
EVERYONE knows who the WA Premier is. Instantly your story has newsworthiness
and coverage. And you now have a happy client.
So
for us as PR students I encourage you all to practice your ‘sifting through the
rubbish’, your writing and your refining, after all it is these skills that
along with appealing and captivate photos that engage people and hopefully
bring your client coverage. But for now,
what do you guys think is the most important skill in PR?
Georgia
