What To Know If You Want To Become A Freelance PR Writer

Becoming a freelance PR writer takes a special type of writing skills that not every writer can perfect. Not only do you need to write logically, you also have to write convincingly. Here is what you need to know to pursue a career in this challenging writing specialty:

Understanding the target audience

The majority of projects in public relations demand that your concentration is centered on specific, different audiences. These audiences are broken down into three groups:

• Core customers of your client: These are people who already know and are familiar with what your client offers.
• Prospective customers: This group may have heard of your client, but they are not intimately familiar with the products or services they offer.
• The media: Completely self-explanatory.

Assimilating the information

When your client outsources a choice PR assignment to you for completion, the first thing you need to do is to absorb all the information and facts connected to the event, service, or product that your client is interested in publicizing. Maybe they are extending a new line of products, or perhaps they want the community to know about a new type of outreach program, or let car buyers know about changes in ownership at several of their locations.

Your task is to draw out information on the main key points, identify how the information is going to influence individuals and the industry, and succinctly convey this information in a straightforward style. Your client should give you all the needed information to create an efficient PR plan, and contact information for individuals you need to interview. Decide how to tie this in with the service or product your client is providing in a way that meets the ambitions and demands of their target market.

Your style of writing

Since most PR is persuasive, ad-like content, you will have more freedom in writing creatively, than you would if you were writing research-driven content but you will need to adapt your writing to meet the desires and needs of the target audience.

Stay away from using any type of hyperbole, such as declaring how this new product or service will "completely reinvent this sector in the industry," or from making any claims that can't be confirmed. Keep the facts as accurate as possible. Remember to write all press materials which target the primary audience of the client, and this includes knowing the education and reading level of the audience.