National Capital Chapter

25 Criteria to Review Before Writing for PR Purposes

By Don Bates, APR, Fellow PRSA, PRSA-NCC Writing Workshop Instructor
(Next Washington, D.C., workshop, April 30, 8:30-4:30, at The George Washington University.)

Before you write anything for professional public relations purposes, you need to review these 25 accepted criteria to ensure that your assignment is well-written, its structure is correct and its content is sensitive to the needs and interests of the target audience.

These criteria apply to all PR writing. They are based on what PR managers, writers, researchers, journalists, editors, teachers and consultants consider as essential based on their professional knowledge, experience and expertise.

Print the list, which is alphabetical, on a large note card or half sheet of paper you can attach to your computer, printer, bookcase or somewhere else close at hand where you can easily read it.

  1. Accurate
  2. Actionable
  3. AP styled
  4. Attributed
  5. Audience-centric
  6. Benefits focused
  7. Clear
  8. Concise
  9. Credible
  10. Direct
  11. Engaging
  12. Evaluated
  13. Factual
  14. Incisive
  15. Informative
  16. Insightful
  17. Logical
  18. Measured in tone
  19. Persuasive
  20. Positive
  21. Readable
  22. Researched
  23. Simply stated
  24. Strategic
  25. Substantiated

Please share the list with colleagues, students, clients and employers. You have my permission.

About the Author
Don Bates, APR, Fellow PRSA, is a well-known PR/PA executive, writer, teacher and consultant. He has worked for national and international corporations, nonprofit causes, professional associations and agencies. He conducts writing workshops worldwide. He has taught in China, Japan, Singapore, Italy, Switzerland, Peru, Spain and other countries. Don also teaches graduate public relations courses at New York University and is a senior advisor on PR agency M&A with Gould Partners. He owned and operated The Bates Company, NY/DC-based PR and marketing firm, which he sold after 12 years in business. He is a member of the PRSA-NCC and PRSA-NY chapters, and an honorary trustee of the Institute for Public Relations, which he helped to establish.