How PR Pros Can Write (and Think) Like Journalists

PR pros have always battled to catch reporters’ attention and secure media coverage. As newsrooms keep on shrinking, the fight gets even tougher. In their press releases and email pitches, PR people must appeal to publications’ readers if they want their stories to grab headlines. Colleen Newvine, product manager of The AP Stylebook, has been a newspaper reporter and editor on the receiving end of innumerable press releases. She now drafts press releases about the Stylebook that she hopes and prays do not have AP style errors.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Avoid common AP style errors
  • Cut out jargon, extraneous capitalization and exclamation points and get to the heart of your news
  • Write tight, compelling copy reporters can grab and go—with little rewriting or editing
  • Think like a journalist to find out if your story is newsworthy
  • Tell a story that’s either unique enough to stand out or part of a larger trend
  • Colleen Newvine
    Product manager, AP Stylebook
    The Associated Press