Foster J. Effective Writing Skills for Public Relations
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Effective
writing skills for
Public Relations
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PR IN PRACTICE SERIES
London and Philadelphia
Effective
writing skills for
Public Relations
John Foster
Fourth Edition
Publisher’s note
Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this
book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publisher and author cannot
accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility
for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a
result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or
the author.
First published in 1998
Second edition published in 2001
Third edition published in 2005
Fourth edition published in 2008
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or
review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publica-
tion may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with
the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic repro-
duction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries
concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the
undermentioned addresses:
Kogan Page Limited Kogan Page US
120 Pentonville Road 525 South 4th Street, #241
London N1 9JN Philadelphia, PA 19147
United Kingdom USA
www.koganpage.com
© John Foster 1998, 2001, 2005, 2008
The right of John Foster to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by
him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN 978 0 7494 5109 7
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Foster, John, 1926–
Effective writing skills for public relations / John Foster. -- 4th ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-7494-5109-7
1. Business writing--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Public relations--Handbooks,
manuals, etc. I. Title.
HF5718.3.F67 2008
808’.066659--dc22
2008006860
Typeset by Jean Cussons Typesetting, Diss, Norfolk
Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt Ltd
About the author xi
Foreword xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Introduction 1
1. The importance of style: an overview 5
Style on the move 6
Appreciating style 6
Your organisation’s style 7
Keep it consistent 8
Points to watch 9
Good style is good manners 10
2. Trouble with plurals and possessives 12
Plural matters 12
Apostrophe problems 15
3. Making your mark 20
Basic punctuation 21
When you are quoting… 25
v
Contents
4. Down with capitalism! 28
Consistency is the essence 28
Why lower case, upper case? 29
When to use capitals 29
Where difficulties occur 30
The trend is to knock it down 33
5. Clichés, jargon and other worn words 34
Recognising clichés 35
Jargon: help or hindrance? 36
Catchphrases quickly become stale… 39
… so can metaphors and similes 39
Make room for the idiom 40
Beware of slang 40
6. Is it easy to read? 42
Edit with the reader in mind 43
Aim for short sentences 43
Guidelines on paragraphing 43
Line width and type size 50
Crossheads and subheads 51
Line and letter spacing 51
Where to break 52
Choice of typeface 54
Printing considerations 54
Justified or ragged right? 55
Putting on the stress 55
Choosing and using your designer 58
Now it’s proof marking time… 59
7. Headlines: making them work 66
Use present tense, active verbs 67
Questions and humour 68
Avoid ‘label’ headings 69
Headings in sales leaflets and brochures 69
Style and presentation 70
Subheadings 71
Slogans for brand recall 73
Elements of corporate identity 74
Headlines for websites 75
8. Dealing with figures and abbreviations 77
Figuring out the numbers 77
Abbreviations: the long and the short of it 79
Contents
vi
9. Keep it short, simple – and plain 83
Aim for brevity 84
Plain words 84
Local government communication 86
Watch out for tautology 91
Look for active verbs; avoid contractions 92
Avoid foreign words or phrases – and Latin 92
Loan words needing care 94
Double negatives 94
Beware ‘myths’ 94
Tips for writing tight 96
There is still much to do… 96
10. Writing for the press 99
News releases: basic requirements 99
Commissioned articles 122
11. Captions: how to handle them 124
Photo captions with releases 124
Captions in publications 126
12. What editing is all about 129
News stories 130
Feature articles 133
Radio and TV broadcasts 133
On-screen editing 134
Technical editing 135
Edit yourself 135
13. Skills and styles for the office 137
Suggested style for correspondence 137
Style for emails 140
Have clear, clean layout 140
Writing a précis 141
Writing reports and minutes 141
Forms of address 143
Invitations to functions 145
Replies to invitations 145
Acknowledging correspondence 145
Setting out documents 146
Writing a CV 146
Language for the telephone 148
Contents
vii
14. Traps, snares and pitfalls 150
Spelling points 150
Be careful with foreign words 152
Use your dictionary 152
-ise or -ize verb endings? 153
One word or two? 154
Puzzles and posers 154
Lookalikes need care 155
Chestnut time 156
They’re not right, they’re not wrong 157
Vogue words and phrases 157
Getting in the mood 158
Genteelisms 159
Keep clear of slang 159
Keep mission statements short and simple 160
Top 10 tips for writers 161
15. Americanisms – the differences 162
Essential differences 163
Understanding the media differences 166
16. The spoken word: pronunciation pointers 168
Received Pronunciation 169
Get the words right too 170
17. Principles of presentation 172
First steps for speakers 173
Getting ready for the speech 175
When you’re on stage 179
Points for organisers 181
18. Writing for the web 184
Effective PR needs internet presence 184
Website content and design – the essentials 185
What makes a good website 188
Getting the most out of emails 197
Ezines for easy newsletters 200
19. Tone – the linchpin of reputation 205
Basic principles of tone in writing 206
Towards a better tone 207
viii
Contents
20. Finance matters 212
Time to report 212
Essential aspects 213
What makes a good annual report? 214
The annual report – vital communications link 216
Investor relations in a digital age 227
21. Is it legal? 231
What is libel? 232
Copyright and moral rights 232
Applying for an injunction 234
Getting permission 234
Data protection 235
Dealing with trade marks 236
Competitions and promotions 237
Self-regulatory codes of practice 237
Don’t forget the imprint 238
Further information 238
Appendix 1: English grammar – some definitions 240
Appendix 2: Confusing pairs of words 246
Appendix 3: Glossary and jargon buster 250
Appendix 4: When you’re lost for words 257
Further reading 259
Index 261
ix
Contents
PR in Practice Series
Published in association with the Chartered Institute
of Public Relations
Series Editor: Anne Gregory
Kogan Page has joined forces with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations to
publish this unique series, which is designed specifically to meet the needs of the
increasing numbers of people seeking to enter the public relations profession and the
large band of existing PR professionals. Taking a practical, action-oriented approach,
the books in the series concentrate on the day-to-day issues of public relations practice
and management rather than academic history. They provide ideal primers for all
those on CIPR, CAM and CIM courses or those taking NVQs in PR. For PR practi-
tioners, they provide useful refreshers and ensure that their knowledge and skills are
kept up to date.
Professor Anne Gregory is one of the UK’s leading public relations academics. She is
Pro Vice Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University and Director of the Centre for
Public Relations Studies in the Business School. She is the UK’s only full time professor
of public relations. Before becoming an academic, Anne spent 12 years in public rela-
tions practice and has experience at a senior level both in-house and in consultancy.
She remains involved in consultancy work having clients in both the public and
private sectors and is a non-executive director of South West Yorkshire Mental Health
NHS Trust with special responsibility for financial and communication issues. Anne is
Consultant Editor of the PR in Practice series and edited the book of the same name
and wrote Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns, also in this series. She was
President of the CIPR in 2004.
Other titles in the series:
Creativity in Public Relations by Andy Green
Effective Internal Communication by Lyn Smith and Pamela Mounter
Effective Media Relations by Michael Bland, Alison Theaker and David Wragg
Effective Personal Communication Skills for Public Relations by Andy Green
Evaluating Public Relations by Tom Watson and Paul Noble
Managing Activism by Denise Deegan
Online Public Relations by David Phillips
Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns by Anne Gregory
Public Affairs in Practice by Stuart Thompson and Steve John
Public Relations: A practical guide to the basics by Philip Henslowe
Public Relations in Practice edited by Anne Gregory
Public Relations Strategy by Sandra Oliver
Risk Issues and Crisis Management in Public Relations by Michael Regester
and Judy Larkin
Running a Public Relations Department by Mike Beard
The above titles are available from all good bookshops. To obtain further information,
please go to the CIPR website (www.cipr.co.uk/books) or contact the publishers at the
address below:
Kogan Page Ltd
120 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JN
Tel: 020 7278 0433 Fax: 020 7837 6348
www.koganpage.com
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