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The Public Relations Writer provides quick tips on writing techniques for communications professionals. It's delivered to you so you don't have to take the time to visit this site -- unless you want to, of course. Read past issues and see if you'd like to subscribe. It's easy. Just type your email address in the box below and hit "subscribe."
Portfolio Articles are never longer than 450 words, so you can read them quickly. Each issue will also contain resource links to public relations, marketing and writing sites around the Web.
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Sample Issue

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May 26 Issue

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Editor's Note: This is a relatively short issue because
I'm actually on vacation. So here are a few notes:

In the last issue, "Ten Cool Web sites for PR Writers ,"
I neglected to mention that # 2, the ProfNet site,
is subscription-based. My apologies for any
inconvenience this may have caused.

I did not get my day on radio. I sent them my telephone
number on May 5, way ahead of time. Apparently,
they did not get it and sent me an email asking for the
number on May 18, the morning of the show. But I'd
checked email before their message came through
and then spent my time on assignments and doing
last-minute preparations for the interview. So, we
never connected.

Lesson learned: always double-check that people have
your information.

Enjoy the issue.
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Are You Using Your Style Manual?

Once you have been writing for a while, you may be
tempted to consider style manuals as time-consuming
crutches for newbies. However, PR professionals
should use these guides constantly. In fact, whenever
I purchase a new edition of a style manual, I try to
skim through all of it in order to get an idea of what
has changed and to highlight the rules I'm most likely
to forget.

The English language changes constantly, and you
can't expect to know or remember every grammar
and stylistic rule, no matter how experienced you are.
Style manuals help you keep your punctuation,
spelling, capitalization, representation of numerals,
etc., accurate and consistent.

The most commonly used manual among American
PR practitioners and reporters is the Associated
Press Stylebook and Libel Manual also known as
"the journalist's bible."

The newest AP stylebook has more than 5,000
entries, so I may seem unreasonable to suggest
reading all of it. But it makes sense to at least scan
the pages. How else are you going to know what will
affect your writing? Even something as simple as a
street address has specific AP requirements.

For example, did you know that you should not use
the abbreviation "No." when writing street addresses
(with the exception of the British prime minister's
residence, No. 10 Downing St.)?

Also, in the previous example, I used an abbreviation
for the word "street." That's fine as long as I'm writing
a numbered address; then I can use all the
abbreviations that I wish, for example "44 E. Main St."
However, if you are not including a street number, do
not use abbreviations. Instead write "East Main
Street."

You might use other stylebooks such as the Chicago
Manual of Style (CMS), Words Into Type or the
American Psychology Association (APA) Publication
Manual, to name a few. The very hefty CMS is even
more daunting to read than the AP stylebook, but still
try to skim through topics that will be relevant to your
work.

Plus, revisiting your manuals will help you remember
the differences between manuals. For example, when
using commas in a series I'd write the following when
using AP style:

Tom, Dick and Harry went fishing.

For CMS style, I'd write the sentence with a comma
before the conjunction:

Tom, Dick, and Harry went fishing.

Also, sometimes, you may only need to know a
particular section of a particular manual. For example,
I write articles for publication in education journals,
and the guidelines often request that I use the APA
reference style. So, I'm very familiar with APA citation
style, but not the formatting or other elements covered
in the manual.

Anyway, keep using your style manual until it's dog-eared
and tatty. You'll be a better writer.
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Ask the Writer

Ask the Writer will return in two weeks
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Links of Interest

2005 AP Stylebook
http://www.apstylebook.com
Acquire a print or Web-based edition at this site.

Chicago Manual of Style - Q&A
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/cmosfaq.html
Even at nearly 1,000 pages, the CMS can't cover every detail, so
this forum answers readers' questions.
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Home About Kelle Services		The Public Relations Writer provides quick tips on writing techniques for communications professionals. It's delivered to you so you don't have to take the time to visit this site -- unless you want to, of course. Read past issues and see if you'd like to subscribe. It's easy. Just type your email address in the box below and hit "subscribe."
Portfolio		Articles are never longer than 450 words, so you can read them quickly. Each issue will also contain resource links to public relations, marketing and writing sites around the Web.
Reading Room		Current subscribers love the newsletter, so give it a try! Sign up and start receiving free writing tips from The Public Relations Writer.
Resources		Email Address: The Public Relations Writer will never, ever give your email address to a third party.