When it comes to your releases, don't bargain with jargon.
Learn the top press release writing mistake and ways to avoid it.
Copyright 2005 Cherry Communications/Be Heard SolutionsWhat is one of the biggest pet peeves of journalist everywhere? It’s jargon. And it comes in many forms.
Are you making any of these mistakes?
1) Not using plain language. You may be familiar with the technical language of a process, but don’t assume the media outlet or reporter your targeting does. If you can’t explain technical aspects, then don’t.
2) things short is acceptable, but you need to spell it out the first time. The common trick is to explain each term fully the first time it is used, followed by its acronym.. For example: Public Relations (PR); New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NYSCASA); initial public offering (IPO).
3) Using terms and phrases that really mean nothing. Some of the more common ones are: solution(s), value-added, seamless, mission-critical, scalable, turnkey, leading, best, state-of-the-art. Can the B.S. and begin giving information.
4) Writing to show off your college education (and that you know how to use a thesaurus). Numerous press releases
today sound more like a university thesis than something you would have in the news. The fact is most newspapers write for a 6th grade education. In radio & TV, it is even lower. No journalist has ever thrown out a release because it was too understandable. If your message isn’t getting through to the media, it may be because of one or more of the mistakes above. Reporters don’t have time or patience to sort through empty words and hard-to-read releases in search of news. Just remember, in the case of news release, the best thing to do is K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, sweetie).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shannon Cherry, APR, MA helps businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations to be heard. She’s a marketing communications and public relations expert with more than 15 years experience and the owner of Cherry Communications. Subscribe today for Be Heard! a FREE biweekly ezine and get the FREE special report: "Be the Big Fish: Three No-Cost Publicity Tactics to Help You Be Heard." Go to: http://www.cherrycommunications.com/FreeReport.htm
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