Why it’ll boost your credibility.
Communications writing can get a bad rap.
It’s often accused of being overly fluffy, but also dense. Of saying little, but also being too long.
Whether or not these are true, we can debate all day. But there is one solution that can hit back and help the writing we do in both internal and external communications be clearer, tighter and more compelling:
Write like a journalist.
In a recent explainer on Ragan Training, Keisha-Gaye Anderson, the former VP of the Jed Foundation, shared just how a journalistic writing style can help communicators.
“Because the journalistic format, which has been around for hundreds of years, is in our collective consciousness, it’s something that we’re used to,” Anderson said. “Unlike academic writing, which is heavily analytical and dense, journalistic writing is more accessible. And it’s meant to reach a broad audience quickly and efficiently.”
The most important elements of journalistic writing to incorporate into your comms practice are:
Be factual: If your information isn’t correct, all the pretty writing in the world won’t save you. Clear, fact-checked, accurate information is the baseline requirement of anything. “Conjecture destroys credibility,” Anderson said. So, remember: if your mother says she loves you, better check it out.
Be precise: Similarly, typos, errors and bad grammar can also undermine an audience’s trust in you. Just as we’re more likely to trust a clean restaurant where the servers wear bright white aprons, a grasp of the fundamentals signals that you can be believed to provide a safe experience. Being precise also means being specific to ensure that meaning is accurately conveyed. “Precision helps people form strong mental images and lock in to what you’re talking about,” Anderson said.
Be concise: Everyone’s busy. Get to the point. Cut out adverbs and prepositional phrases where possible. Keep your sentences short and punchy, especially at the beginning of a piece. You can explain more as they get deeper into the story. “If readers know that your information is streamlined and easy to navigate, they’ll be more receptive to receiving your communications again,” explained Anderson.
Be objective: In communications, you’re rarely ever actually objective like a journalist would be. But no one likes to feel like they’re reading spin or being sold to. As Anderson suggested, “just assume your audience is intelligent enough to buy into what you’re presenting without you overselling it or adding your point of view unnecessarily.”
Use the inverted pyramid: The time-honored format of starting with the most important, most broadly applicable information before getting narrower and more specific as you move deeper into the story. This allows readers to get the big picture without necessarily having to read all the way to the bottom.
Journalism, despite its challenges, has endured for hundreds of years because the writing draws people in and tells them what they want to know. And that’s ultimately what communicators are going for, too.
Watch Anderson’s full explainer below.
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