Tag Archives: pr professional

How to keep your press releases in good grammar

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Sometimes we write like we talk. This is becoming a problem with press releases, articles and how we write emails. Even savvy publicity writers who write for pr clients, or publicity professionals will usually fail once in awhile with grammar in their releases.writing press releases

You may not think it is important, but editors, reporters write and read for a living and they do not tolerate poor grammar, or the use of conjunctions to make long sentences. I read an article in Press-Release-Writing titled “Get a Grip on Grammar“. It has a lot of the tips I give my pr clients. Let me share with you a few of these from the article.

Q: I’ve heard the terms biweekly and semiweekly used interchangeably. Are they really synonyms?
A: A bimonthly appointment occurs once every two months. A semimonthly appointment occurs twice a month. If you’re a gardener, it will be easier to remember the difference between “bi” and “semi” – just think of the term “biennial” and it’ll be a cinch to remember.

Q: When is a comma used before the conjunction “and”?
A: A comma should be used before coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or) to join closely related sentences. A comma is optional, but recommended, with and before the last item in a series of three or more items. In most of their other roles as joiners (aside from joining independent clauses), coordinating conjunctions can join two sentence elements without the help of a comma…

Q: When are “state” and “federal” capitalized?
A: State and Federal are capitalized when they exist as part of a proper name such as “Federal Reserve Bank”; however, “state law” is not a proper name, so it is not capitalized.

These are just a few common problems that any pr professional, pr client, or novice writer should keep in mind when writing any releases, or articles. If you need further help with your current publicity campaign, give Carson Marketing, Inc a call at 949-477-9400. Ask for George Carson.

Effective eMail Tips

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Learn how to create an effective email campaign.

Advertising agencies and publicity firms do not understand fully how to help pr clientsemail marketing with their email marketing. That’s because they have not taken the time to learn the new rules of cyber marketing. Anyone can send an email. And yes, I am sure you get a lot of junk mail. It is estimated that business people receive over 300 emails per week (a low average I would guess), and of that, 62% is junk email.

PR Clients should understand that potential customers could open their messages as well as existing customers when the proper use of email marketing is performed. Several topics exist on this subject. And if you Google the term “email marketing”, you will get 415 million results to search through. Instead of struggling through all this, you can start with a company called Elite Marketing. I don’t know this company personally, but know of them. The company’s site offers a lot of great information to point your email campaign in the right direction.

Publicity is everywhere, that’s what I profess all the time. Email is part of publicity. If you are a pr client, or a publicity company creating pr campaigns, be sure to use the proper ways to implement an effective email program.

A few tips for a successful eMail Campaign. These and more tips can be found in the Elite Email site.

1- The Subject Line. This is most poorly worded section. Yet, it is the most important because the “subject’ is how people decide if the email has any value to them.

2-Keep it short. Long explanations in the subject are not good. Keep the description short. And to the point.

3- Overly Exaggerated Subjects Doesn’t Fool Anyone. For example, don’t make claims that people know are false, such as “we can make your dreams come true”. Be honest and direct. Your email will have a better chance of being read.

4- Have a call to action. Be sure to give a reason for the reader to contact your company. Sometimes it can be through a “coupon” campaign, or a special offer at the end of the message.

There are dozens of tips you can find on the site mentioned and as well as other sites. So take the time to make sure your subject and the message are well written. Have a pr professional or copywriter help construct the message. Email is part of a pr marketing strategy. Use it wisely and your pr clients will results.

If you need additional help with your pr marketing, we offer FREE advice. Contact George Carson, or visit our web site, Carson Marketing Inc.

Presenations Are Part Of Publicity Skills

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One in a series for publicity

Not everyone can be a great presenter, or speaker. But anyone can learn the skills required to improve your presentation to the media.

When you are arranging for an interview for your pr client, you need know how to present and pitch the story to a specific media. This is one of the many skills that takes time to develop. Unfortuantely, time isn’t going to help you when that story needs to be in the news immediately. So what is the answer?

Try to learn from others who are more experienced. Take notes when you see a presenter or a seasoned pr professional make the pitch. There are a lot of things you can learn. If you have the opportunity to meet with the press use some of these suggestions.

Some helpful tips:

  • Keep your hands out of your pockets
  • Always look at the person you are speaking to
  • Know your subject (topic you are pitching) well in advance
  • Allow the reporter the opportunity to ask questions
  • It is ok to be selective on which questions to answer, that will help your pitch go smoother
  • Be sure to leave all your contact information
  • Speak clearly and not fast. Don’t be a slow talker, but keep the pace moving
  • Don’t digress and begin a new topic thinking it will help get the story published

I can go on, but as you can see, these are easy skills to improve. It doesn’t take a lot of time to learn, and no books are required.

If you want to learn more there are a lot of resources. For those wanting to improve personal presentation skills, the SkillsStudio in the UK offers training courses. If you need to speak better, there are also many resources like Impression Management. Just Google the term "pesentation skills" as a start.

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