Customer Reviews

The Public Relations Writer's Handbook

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This book should be a desktop essential for every public relations writer. It is a manual for all aspects of writing in this field, from news releases to brochures to speech writing to obituaries. This all-encompassing handbook provides step-by-step instructions for the different types of public relations writing and applies them to real-life examples and hypothetical situations. As an aspiring public relations writer, I found this book to be quite effective. It breaks down each type of document and walks the reader through the process. It gives the reader a sense of priority-importance, chronology within the text, what to always include and things to avoid. The writers' explanations are understandable, and the concepts are easy to grasp. There is no question that the most vital factor in a news release is newsworthiness: "If your release is to be read and considered for coverage, it must offer a newsworthy story, stated clearly and simply, long on information and short on adjectives." The authors state their point clearly and simply, just as we should when we write our news releases. Although the descriptions and directions are thoroughly helpful, the examples are somewhat stale. Aronson and Spetner say that the purpose of the lead in a news release is to "grab the reader's attention and compel him to continue reading." The example they give, however, is anything but compelling. "Welch Foods has announced it will market a new selection of all-natural frozen juice concentrates that will be available to consumers in supermarkets this November. The new Welch's Orchard 100 percent Natural Frozen Concentrate products include three tangy flavors-Grape, Apple-Grape and Harvest Juice Blend." (Yawn) It is the pitch letter that often determines whether a reporter pursues a story. So, not only must the news release be newsworthy and informational, the pitch letter must be catchy in order to spark the reporter's curiosity. Aronson and Spetner suggest an initial phone call to the editor before pitching the letter in order to determine the correct angle to take in the letter. Speech writing can be one of the most difficult tasks in public relations. It is so important to understand the speaker's style, speaking rhythm, and voice pattern. It requires a good deal of research and many rough drafts. Aronson and Spetner have made speech writing easier by breaking down the process into ten steps. Having a guide facilitates the writing of a good speech. While it is always important to personalize each speech, following the guidelines can guarantee a well-rounded speech. This book, published in 1993, is already outdated when it comes to electronic media. The internet plays a large role in public relations today, and this book is missing the entire genre. Electronic mail is mentioned once, but discounts it as an effective way to send messages because of "the limited number of terminals with modems that are accessible in newsrooms and the inability to transmit photographs." It is amazing how far we've come in seven short years. As strictly a writing guide, this book is extremely useful. I checked it out from the library in order to write this review, and I am going to buy a copy to use as a guide in the future. The guidelines are clear and precise, and I learned a lot about correct format and presentation. Aronson and Spetner lacked originality and spunk in their examples, but personal writing style is something that will come with time and experience. I recommend this book to other aspiring public relations writers because, as Aronson and Spetner said, "good writing is always at the core of effective public relations."

A quick overview of most tasks and common documents a P/R person would have to get involved with. A beginning desk reference, simply written, gives guidelines and some examples. A great book for those new to the field.

Clearly written by two seasoned professionals, The Public Relations Writer's Handbook is an invaluable tool for entry-level PR people. The book covers virtually all areas of the business and walks the reader through the various writing land mines that await all public relations practitioners. You can trip and fall on your own or you can read the book and skip right through beginner's clutter. And the best part is that it's very affordable.

This tremendous book provides great tools you can use whether you're a newcomer or seasoned professional. Specific "how-to" ideas and instructions include excellent examples of executive bios, news releases, photo alerts, and many others. This book gives the public relations, public affairs, or public information professional a great place to start their own work. It even shows you how to pitch your idea to the media to generate coverage! A must have tool for your writing toolbox!

This book is a solid reference for writing a wide range of traditional PR materials, including documents that are not covered in other PR writing books. The guidelines, checklists, and examples will be especially useful for someone who is writing a particular document for the first time.

However, the sections about online PR are very brief, high level, and seem like they were written just to get something about the Internet, blogs, etc. into the book. For these topics, readers will want to look at other books that cover digital PR.

This book explains public relations from the ground floor. It is informative, accurate, and inspirational. I learned so much about positioning my business in the market - among many other things I did not consider necessary before I read this book. I am obsessed with public relations these days, and I cannot get enough to read! I also liked Michael Levine's Guerrilla PR Wired because of the Internet content - absolutely crucial to understand in today's business world.

I don't consider myself a particularly good writer, and I know for a fact that I couldn't market ice water in a desert, so I would never presume to know more about PR than someone who does it professionally. Nevertheless, everything in this book falls under what I would tend to refer to as "common sense" and/or "not worth paying for." If you graduated from an American high school and do not know the difference between "there," "they're" and "their," then you need a lot more help than any single book can give. Nevertheless, that's the sort of remedial composition this title is dedicated to. I suppose the example press releases are useful, but you can find thousands of those free of charge on the internet.

This is one of the best step by step writing manual I have ever found. I highly recommend it.

If you're sent to a desert island and can only bring one book on public relations--this is the book. The original The Public Relations Writer's Handbook has long been the best how-to on PR written deliverables. The 2007 Second Edition brings the book into the Digital Age, per the amended title. Press releases, pitch letters, backgrounders, investor relations, Web content, event planning, PR plans--they're all here.

Even experienced pilots use a checklist before takeoff. This book serves the same critical function for both PR pros and novices. Keep it on your shelf along with the rest of your reference canon, which should include The Elements of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook as this book recommends.

This isent a book you should read and throw in the book shelf; It should be used as a desk tool on a daily basis because it gives excellent pointers on how a PR PRO should write.
The examples given by Meery Aronson and Don Spetner are very close to the real thing.
This book will give you the know-how on writing in the PR Business.