I loved writing copy for ads. Naturally, jumping into PR
Writing I was very excited. How different could they be? After all, my family
and friends still think I’m taking advertising when I tell them I’m in public
relations. With great enthusiasm I opened up my first assignment, “Write a
media release,” I read the first line, “Don’t make it too flowery,” not too bad
I thought. The next line I read said, “don’t make it sound like an ad,” great.
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| Yay |
The biggest difference in writing for public relations, were
the media releases. Media releases were a whole new beast, something my feeble
years in advertising could never have prepared me for. Ok, that’s not entirely
true. There are a lot of differences but there are also a few similarities, so
here they are!
The Audience
In advertising we were always targeting someone;
demographics, psychographics, how many times they drank milk in a day. It was
crazy how specific we would get. The same holds true in public relations but
now we had an entirely new audience to take into consideration, the media.
The media was now the main audience. Consistently pandering
to their needs, I learned that my average Joe writing wasn't enough for them. I
was introduced to the CP Stylebook, the bane of my public relations existence.
So many rules!
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I will get to know you very well my slave driving, paper back, friend.
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For example, did you know that you aren't required to
capitalize corn flakes, as you can’t trademark a name if all it does is simply
describe what the product is? Neither did I.
Many of the other things still held true in the writing,
such as getting the attention from the reader and building interest. This time
however, the reader was most likely an editor and what I was selling wasn't a
product or service but my story and message.
The Control
At least when writing ads I knew that they were untouchable.
I had my beautiful, well written, witty ads. No matter what, my ads maintained
their message and personality. They would get the glorious full page spread
that they deserved. After all, I did work hard on them.
Now my releases on the other hand, they had to be chosen by
the all-powerful media gods. After that, there were a whole slew of things they
could change or leave out entirely.
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| Wait, what?! |
You mean to tell me that after crafting my wonderful, CP Style praising media release they might not even pick it up. Worse yet, they could make a mistake and change my message entirely. All this, everything I've done, it can’t be for nothing.
The Reward
Success! I've been chosen, the media has given me coverage. So
exactly what were the benefits of this process? First off, that coverage they
gave me was free from a monetary stand point - my soul devouring hard work
doesn't count.
The next gift we've been granted is credibility. When people
see an ad, it doesn't matter how amazing it is, they still know they are being
sold something. Now that I've got a third party vouching for me, they will
trust it and they will love us like girls swooning into my arms on a Friday
night, maybe.
Finally, media coverage tackles one of advertising’s biggest
problems, clutter. We see a million ads, brands, and messages a day and
remember almost none of them. I forget what I am doing on the trip from the
living room to the kitchen. There is no way I am going to remember a million
messages along the way. Media coverage is unique as it cuts through the clutter
of ads. A story about how great our restaurant is, will stand out way more than
a millions ads telling you how great it is.
Overall, writing a media release wasn't that bad. I was
still able to add my own hooks and maintain a bit of personality. Once you
realize who you are writing for and adjust it accordingly, the media quickly becomes
one of your best friends. Like most of my best friends the benefits outweigh
the negatives, mostly.
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