Due to the inherently bespoke nature of PR, and corporate communications more broadly, there is almost never a single, prescriptive way of launching and running a communications campaign. A good PR practitioner should be able to understand their client and their messaging and bring unique value to every campaign. In this blog, we explore best practice principles necessary to nail any campaign or initiative.

Keep Press Releases Clear and Concise
At Pearscroft Communications, our favourite ethos is to keep things “clear and concise” and nowhere does this ring truer than when drafting a press release. Headlines should be short, snappy, not overly verbose and should grab the reader’s attention. It’s equally important to keep copy only as long as it needs to be, and most importantly, it must address the “why”. Why is this important? Why would anyone be interested in reading about this – in other words, is this newsworthy?
How you phrase newsworthy content is also crucially important. Relate announcements back to industry wide movements to give better context and allow you to connect better with your target audience. This also helps the media and other decision makers understand the significance of the message you’re projecting into the public domain. An excellent way of doing this is to piggyback of a recent news item, a phrase we refer to as “newsjacking.”

Timing is Everything
The topic of newsjacking brings us to another vital element of the success of any type of PR effort: timing. Timing can influence the media’s appetite for a particular piece of content or story, the audience your message reaches or even whether a company’s image and reputation is subsequently benefited or damaged. When a story has been pitched, hounding the media with incessant follow-ups can hinder the chances of having your news publicised, but conversely, leave it too long and the story can grow cold. A good PR practitioner can advise you on how to strike when the iron’s hot and get the maximum impact from a news story.

Put Yourself in the Media’s Shoes
Providing background and context around a client or spokesperson is required and important, as is a good boilerplate to underpin a press release. However, don’t mistake this for an opportunity to oversell a organisation or individual’s value, achievements or attributes. When considering a potential news story from the media’s perspective, giving enough background to lend credibility to an announcement should suffice. Relying too heavily on things like industry awards, company specific achievements or covert boasting about previous engagements is unlikely to impress or otherwise increase the likelihood of achieving coverage.

Keep Spokesperson Quotes Short and Realistic
One of the most important components of a press release is the spokesperson quote. Spokespeople should be, if not C-suite, then a position of similar clout, such as country manager, and the quote attributed to them should accurately reflect both the company messaging and the individual personality of the spokesperson. One of the best ways of dampening both credibility and media interest is the inclusion of a quote that lacks verbal fluency. Quotes should be written in plain English and in a conversational manner, and be realistic as something that would pass a spokesperson’s lips. When drafting a quote, consider saying the quote out loud and asking yourself if it sounds like something someone would actually say when presenting or giving a speech. In short, keep quotes to the point, easy to understand, realistic and without mountains of corporate and industry jargon.