Clear, concise, well-written information about something even faintly newsworthy, is manna from heaven to today's press.
“Editors at all levels are troubled people,” explains Juliet Colly who runs Write Ahead, training journalists, communications specialists and business people throughout South Africa to write well.
She spent 25 years as a journalist herself, the last seven as chief sub-editor of the Sunday Tribune in Durban. She still has close links to the press.
“This year print media budgets have been cut to the bone. Senior staff are beside themselves with overwork,” she says.
“PR executives should be leaping into this gap,” Colly says, “give editors free, quality material and they'll fall upon it.”
However they are not about to wade through ill-conceived ramblings in poor English.
“This is the time for a new generation of press release. Now, more than ever, the press wants the news and only the news, presented simply, briefly and logically,” Colly says.
“The new press release is one page with a great introduction, then plain but well-written 5Ws and the H and that's it. The whole message readable in 20 to 30 seconds.”
She accepts writing this way is not as easy as it sounds: “It requires discipline and skill. It requires techniques to get detail in when necessary.”
To help media writers Colly has created a one-day course called “Press Releases: The New Generation”.
“It is a course that will stand you in good stead for the rest of your career – in everything you write,” she says.
Courses are running in November in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Prices vary from R1500 to R1650 and there are discounts for early registration and group bookings.
Write Ahead also offers “Polished English” aimed at improving your English skills, and “Write Anything Well”, a guide to clear, readable and attention-holding business correspondence.
For an enrollment form write to writeaheadads@
For more details go to www.writeahead.co.za.
