Top 20 Tips to Improve Your Writing

If you’re in the public relations industry, then you know that you have no future in this business if your writing sucks. If you’re not in public relations, chances are you write e-mails, don’t you? Writing is important for all fields, but let’s take a closer look at the role writing has in the PR field.

Between writing media releases, memos, messages to clients, copy, and social media statuses, you could say a PR pro’s day is full of writing. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Just because your writing is good doesn’t mean it’s going to be read.

Writing for public relations also involves getting to your point quickly and connecting with journalists, bloggers, and influencers across all channels. When you write for public relations, you have to think strategic and write to achieve a purpose.

Here are 20 tips to improve your writing and as a bonus, a few writing exercises to improve your technique.

1. Know your audience: Different audiences like reading their material in different ways. Do some research on your audience and find out what they’re interested in reading. How do they like reading it? Do they like visuals? Research it.

2. Be creative: I know they say that everything that needs to be said has already been said, but at least find a different way to say it.

3. Be aware of what you don’t write: We’re always pressured to include all the important characteristics, but remember what you don’t write will be filled in by the reader’s imagination.

4. Avoid linear storytelling: Your writing should look like a pyramid, beginning with the lead. The most important details should be at the top and the least important should be at the bottom.

5. Keep quotes relevant: Only use dialog when it advances the information, details, or story line. Your quote should fit into your writing even if it wasn’t a quote.

6. Keep it simple: Never write more than one sentence if it can be said in one sentence.

7. Edit your paper: Reading your writing aloud is a great way to check your paper. Does your word choice sound good to the ears?

8. Actions speak louder than words: Instead of telling us why the company or person is great, show us. A story filled with examples tells more than any word can.

9. Keep it audience-friendly: Only write in a way your reader can understand. If it’s complex, simplify it. If your reader doesn’t understand you, they will stop reading.

10. Less is more.

11. Use all five senses: When telling a story, bring the scene to life. Include textures, scents, noises, and other things that we can relate to or experience. This ties a connection with your reader and puts them at the scene of your story.

12. Introduce with excitement: Introductions need to catch the reader’s eye and make them keep reading. Start your writing with a question, a declarative sentence, or an evocative scene description. Make it exciting!

13. Get to know your AP: Get to know the ideal writing style for reporters, writers, editors, and journalists. Check out books like Syn and Syntax or Associated Press's Guide to News Writing.

14. Don’t ask for permission: Be careful when writing opinions, but if you do, don’t say something like, “in my opinion.” I know it’s your opinion, they know it’s your opinion; we all know it’s your opinion. You’re writing it.

15. Make love to your library: This lifts up your writing. It shows you what the published authors are doing and gives you ideas on ways to improve your own writing. Reading also expands your vocabulary and helps you process information at a faster rate.

16. 8-Word Test: When you’re done writing and you begin the editing process, perform the 8-word test. All nouns and verbs should be within eight words of each other. Keep your characters close to their actions!

17. Your title says it all: Your title is the headline of the article. Your subject line is the headline of your email. Most importantly, your title should tell the reader exactly what they’re going to get out of reading your writing.

18. Try reverse storytelling: Remember when I told you to keep your lead at the top and to introduce with excitement? Reverse storytelling is a great way to do this. You begin with the end by giving a snapshot or preview into what’s going to happen later in the story. Then you end it by bringing it back to the beginning and closing your story into a tight package. It’s the perfect present.

19. Write with your voice. Your whole life you’ve been molding your voice and learning the best way to communicate with it. Don’t reinvent the wheel when you write. Write with the same voice you talk aloud in.

20. Humor the devil’s advocate: Don’t just state your opinion in a paper - defend it. Bring up arguments against it and disprove them.

Here are few writing exercises:

Lucky Number 7

Grab a book and open it up to page 7. Find the seventh sentence on the page and write a 7-line poem beginning with that sentence.

The 5-Min Record

Record five minutes of a talk show (radio/television). Replay the recording and write down the dialogue. Describe the speakers and their actions as if you were writing a story. Use the speaker’s grammar and speaking style in their dialogue.

“What ya gonna do later, bro?”

Dear Diary

That’s right, start a diary. A diary is a great way to organize your thoughts, but it’s also the basis of a blog! For ten minutes a day, five when you wake up and five when you go to bed, just write. Write about anything you like. Set the timer on your fancy phone for 5:00 and write until you hear the alarm. Make sure to take it off silent.

These are the top 20 tips to improve your writing. Use them. Practice them. It might feel like a lot of extra work at first, but in time it will make your work easier. Writing will become more efficient for you as you develop your style. I have no doubt that if you use these 20 tips, your writing will improve significantly.

Do you have some awesome tips for improving your writing? Share your tips, blog post, tutorial, or article in the comments section and share this article if you found it helpful!

Eduardo Lopez is a Public Relations professional, writer, author, and public speaker with more than 5 years of digital communications experience. He is the digital communications manager at LS Media Group, LLC and founder of ViralTalk PR. Add him on LinkedIn or follow him on twitter.