Communicators share their best writing tips
Nearly 300 comms pros shared their best ideas. These are the best.
Recently, I took to LinkedIn to ask communicators to share their best writing tip.
I received nearly 300 fantastic, insightful comments on every part of the writing process, from planning and research all the way through to editing.
Here’s a sampling of those responses, edited for style and brevity.
Research and planning
Raven Carpenter is PR account director at Fox Agency.
One of the best writing tips I’ve ever heard: “Not all readers write, but all writers read.” Essentially, to be a strong writer means to read as much as you can by a variety of different voices and perspectives. We know what entices us when reading, so by reading a great deal we’re able to have a stronger understanding of what interests our readers.
Nicolette Addessa is national public relations lead at EY Canada.
Consume, consume, consume!
Gaining a deep knowledge of the field you’re addressing is crucial for crafting impactful messages and filling gaps rather than contributing to the cacophony.
Robin Campbell-Burt is CEO of Code Red.
When trying to figure out what to write — go hard on research and deep thinking on one day, then forget about it. When I sit down the next morning as I get to work, I always seem to have a clear idea and focus of exactly what to write.
Jennifer Harrison is director of startups & scaleups at Reputation Edge.
Begin with the end in mind! Know what you want your audience to do with the information. The best comms will inspire an action, thought or feeling.
Sarah Mawji is principal at Venture Strategies PR.
Plain and simple: understand what you are writing about.
To do this, you must do your research which involves looking at not only recent news/information about said topic but also past news so that you can understand its history, changes that have taken place etc. Gather information from your client(s) and also do your own external research. This aspect of the writing process is arguably more important than the writing itself.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll have the ability to offer a fresh lens on the topic, giving your audience something new.
Jacqueline Keidel Martinez is president & chief communications officer at Digital HQ.
Read. Read everything you can get your hands on. It doesn’t matter if it’s sci-fi or romance or memoirs or thrillers. Read what you love because you’ll read more of it. This is the single greatest tip for improving your writing.
Laura O’Neill is partner, New York health media lead at FINN Partners.
To step back and think of the goals. Whether it’s writing a press release, or pitching a story, what are the desired outcomes? For a pitch, getting a lead story in a national top-tier is likely a different goal than reaching a hyper-focused viable market of potential new clients. Every aspect of communications involves really thinking about what a successful end result will be, and then going back to the tools in our PR, comms and marketing toolkits to see what is the best vehicle to get us there.
Katherine Janson is director of communications at Social Capital Partners.
If you can’t say it simply, you don’t understand it.
Writing
Carol C. Reber is an independent board director and investor.
For the love of God, never start a release, email or any other written communication with “X is excited to announce …”
Loretta Prencipe is founder of the Generative AI-Communications Working Group.
Sure, use generative AI — but only for the ****y first draft. The end product needs to be something that has a voice, is interesting reading — and accurate. Remember with generative AI, the key word is “first.” Edit, edit and then edit again.
Jeremy Tunis is head of public affairs & communications at Lyssn and senior client counsel at ENTENTE Network.
Brevity wins every friggin time. Adverbs and passive voice are writing killers if you want people to actually absorb your content.
Nick Huber is a content and media consultant.
Think like a journalist, write like a journalist, edit like a journalist.
Bill Byrne is vice president/managing director – public relations & earned media, Remedy Public Relations.
Write for the audience, not the C-Suite.
David Lyndon is head of operations at Reputation Leaders Ltd.
Say it directly and with confidence.
Sydney Hawkins is director of public relations at Michigan State University.
The more you can make people outside of your organization the stars of your story, the stronger it will be.
Jessica Donahue is director and communications at Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine
Use human emotions to grab attention: Don’t shy away from writing that evokes strong feelings. The right tone, whether it’s humor, inspiration, or urgency, can make your message resonate deeper.
Lance Longwell is general manager and public relations lead, advanced markets at Biocon Biologics
Remember your audience. And have the conviction to advocate for that audience, even when leadership thinks they know better. All too often, good writing and quality communications are lost to the editing-by-committee mindset.
Sydney Holmes is founder of No Ifs PR.
Consistently ask yourself, “so what?” until you get to the crux of what you’re trying to say! If you can’t answer “so what?” then you’re on the wrong track. Keep drilling down until you find something that feels truthful and relevant.
Tara Zwicker Baumgarten is head of public relations and strategic communications at //NKST.
There is no such thing as a perfect first draft. Start with a brain dump, let it flow and get messy, then to start to organize the main themes and subcontent from there. It’ll come together. It always does.
Akeem Anderson is senior vice president at H/Advisors Abernathy.
Harkening back to my newsroom days — write it tight. Communicators tend to favor flowery language which softens their work’s impact. We owe it to the reader to deliver a clear, concise, insightful message.
Casey Prentice is account director at The Hodges Partnership
Your first line should really hit the reader and motivate them to continue reading. If you’re not breaking the news, building emotion or creating a moment for them to think and crave more, you’re not doing it right.
Jen Nycz-Conner is senior director, global enterprise communications at Hilton.
Short sentences and paragraphs with multiple points of entry (paragraphs, indenting, bullet points, bolding, etc.). In our digital world, we’ve shifted from being readers to scanners (at least at first glance). If you want your message to come through, make it as easy as possible for someone to scan and digest quickly.
Abby Papenfus is director, growth + strategy for Belle Communication.
Solve, don’t sell, in your writing. Put yourself/your company in the background; and instead, focus on your audience’s interests, needs, and experiences.
Sonu Wasu is public information officer for the Chandler Police Department.
Talk to the people who are the most passionate about the subject you’re writing about to capture “heart” into your story.
Brendan Middleton is senior vice president at MikeWorldWide.
Don’t utilize “utilize” when you can just use “use.” In the same vein, identify other words (such as “commence,” “terminate,” and “disseminate”) that can often be swapped with simpler ones.
Ashley Sawatsky is senior development relations manager at Rootly.
Don’t bury the lede. Get your most important information out as quickly as possible, then include supporting information and context.
Editing
Alex Dudley is principal of Cloudbreak Communications.
Cut what you’ve written in half and then halve it again.
Andrew Wargofchik is senior manager of strategic communications at Epirus.
Broadly speaking — write as you would want it to be read. I ALWAYS read content out loud as part of my approval loops to ensure it reads correctly. Especially quotes —would your CEO REALLY say that?
Sara Aiello is VP of corporate marketing at Trellix.
Use the subtraction technique when editing. Try removing words/sentences/paragraphs and if it doesn’t lose the overall meaning … keep it out.
Whitney Keeble is head of HR and technology communications at AT&T.
My favorite GenAI prompt when I’m writing or editing? “Proofread for AP style and an 8th-grade reading level.”
Mandy Menaker is founder of Mandy Menaker Communications.
Take a break before you submit. Go for a walk, get a snack, or take an entire day if you have the time. And then reread your work. Beyond grammatical errors, there may be better ways to get the meaning across, and a fresh read will help you check that.
Josh Baldwin is managing director, communications at RTW Investments.
Get something on paper fast and then spend your time on editing. Add, delete, reorder. So much easier to make it good once you have a draft to work from.
Cindy Morgan-Olson is head of global public relations & analyst relations at NICE Actimize.
Be sure to have a trusted colleague review what you have written — particularly a colleague with no attachment to the content. Aside from catching any errors, you’ll learn quickly if it’s clear and understood.
Anya Nelson is SVP, public relations practice lead at Scratch Marketing + Media.
We’re all too close to what we’re pitching … so I always pick a person from my circle (usually my husband), who has nothing to do with my clients/industry or PR, and send them the pitch to make sure it’s a) interesting, b) it’s clear and accessible, and c) it’s actionable. So, if I had to sum it up — I’d say write like a human for humans.
Carole Barrow is vice president at Bospar.
Find an editor you can count on — whether it’s a peer or your boss, sometimes we need the cold hard edge of an editorial X-Acto knife to make our prose sharp!
