Public Relations Writers have to Adapt to the Digital Age

Public relations professionals are known as being pretty good
writers. Both written and spoken communications are two of their
most important attributes. One thing that I have noticed
recently is their struggle to adapt to the needs of the digital
media environment.

Take for example the written content of their websites. Look at
the content on some PR sites. You will notice a lot of the
content is written in a journalistic style as opposed to being
written for a website visitor. Some of the things you may
notice. The content gets to the important points at the end of
the story. There are long paragraphs and no sub headings.
Subtle, intriguing titles take precedence over keyword phrases
that would actually tell the reader at a glance what the story
is about. 

Have you noticed how online newspapers are starting to including
an introductory summary of their news article? This summary
usually includes a keyword rich overview of what the story is
about. This makes it user friendly for the site visitor and for
the search engine spider. 

The moral of this is that there are big differences between
writing directed at news editors and writing directed at website
visitors. Newspaper editors are beginning to adapting their
online version of their stories towards the needs of website
readers. PR writers should do the same. Here are some tips for
public relations writers.

*	Get educated on the specifics of website content writing.

*	Understand your target market - those who will buy your
service 

*	Know the meaning of keywords and their role in content
development

*	Discover the importance of how your writing relates to search
engine visibility

*	Find out how your site content directly impacts usability and
conversions

Public relations practitioners will benefit by embracing the
digital age and the possibilities that it offers them. This does
not indicate the need for metamorphosis into a tech geek. Rather
it's simply a matter of a change in outlook and of writing
style. Some of these changes are subtle; some require more
research and analytics. However there is no going back. The
digital age is here to stay. Embrace it!