Business Journalism

Posted by Terence P Ward Jun 6, 2008

Writing ad copy is a very important skill that must be mastered or outsourced. News stories reach a different audience, and they require a different tone.

I advocate finding the proper "voice" for any writing, business or otherwise. Let's face it, loud and abrasive advertising is everywhere we look because it works. The same kind of writing that will work for an automobile clearance sale, however, isn't usually as effective on someone looking for a funeral home. In fact, the subdued and comforting feeling that exudes from those sorts of ads strikes me as a bit insincere - perhaps when I am significantly older, and in the target market for those ads, I will find them more appealing.

The Third Person Solution

Not every press release is going to result in a story, but news articles about your business will reach an audience that may never turn to the ads in the same newspaper. Marketing by press release is not a science by any means; you have to develop a rapport with the editor of the website or newspaper in order to get your piece published or covered.

Success results in a story written by a third person, which increases credibility. Readers are shrewd enough to recognize that a reported or editor vetted your information and found it newsworthy. That's the kind of free publicity whose worth can be immeasurable.

Business newsletters play an important role between straight ad copy and getting a news story published. Writing a newsletter has several benefits for a business:

• Practice writing in a news style
• Improve brand recognition
• Focusing your business message

Whether you write a newsletter for yourself or outsource the articles, they will help you reach people beyond your current customer base as they are forwarded and shared among friends.