A successful fisherman chooses bait based on what fish he’s planning to catch, and goes home with a nice bounteous load. A foolish fisherman chooses bait based on what he likes, and most likely goes home with nothing.

Did you know the press release format dates back to the 1880s? Isn’t it surprising that this major business communication format hasn’t changed despite all the digital communication changes…i.e. Twitter, Facebook, blog?

PR professionals need to take a sales pitch lesson from fishermen and choose the bait and hook that our readers want.

Let’s face it. Readers are selfish – perhaps this is because they’re bombarded by 5,000+ media messages a day. They have the mindset of WIIFM - “What’s in it for me?” If it doesn’t interest them or help them, they don’t read it.

It’s a foolish writer and the height of arrogance to think that a reader is going to read every single word you write.

I had the privilege of attending a writing seminar given by Ann Wylie. It was a great workshop and completely changed my approach to writing. She gave a few helpful tips I want to share:

Think like a reader when you write. What does the reader want to read about? Your client? Not really.

They want to understand how what your client does will impact their life. And they want what they’re reading to be interesting. So, if you’re news release is boring you, it most certainly will bore your reader.

Build a Solid Structure. Forget the news pyramid, and begin with what readers want to hear. Here’s a formula Ann gave us -

• X {users} who have struggled with Y {problem} will now be able to Z {benefit}, thanks to A {product or service}

Cut Through Clutter. Readers will skip over long paragraphs and words. Keep it simple.

Also remember that the average person reads 200 words/min. In today’s fast paced digital world you only have about 2 minutes at most to tell your story. That means you have 400 words. Good luck.

In closing, two final thoughts regarding reviewing:

1. Read everything you write out loud!
2. Think to yourself, does my story pass the skim test? Could a reader get the gist of my story without reading a single full paragraph?

And no worries. I know you skimmed this. Hopefully it sold you into this new way of thinking about writing, and maybe, just maybe entertained you.