Is Good Writing Officially DOA? Why Writing Remains More Important than Ever in Today’s “Twitter” Era
Evan Weisel
By Evan Weisel, Principal, Welz & Weisel Communications
If there was any doubt about the sad state of the written word today, look no further than the College Board, which is reporting the lowest reading scores for the SAT on record. Then there’s the state of Illinois, which is dramatically reducing its writing proficiency student testing, all in the interest of saving relative nickels and dimes on assessment costs.
Perhaps they’re not simply looking to save money here. Judging from an overall decline of respect for written-language fundamentals today, it could be that the educators who had to evaluate students’ work simply couldn’t take reading it anymore.
Unfortunately, this extends into today’s professional world.
Too many of us were encouraged (by our teachers no less) to abandon all traditional codes of discipline in our writing. “Don’t let the shackles of grammar, spelling and sound sentence structure stop you from putting down original thought on paper,” they’d tell us. On the positive side, this encouraged more young people to write. On the negative side, it encouraged more young people to write very badly.
And too many never grew out of these bad habits. It doesn’t help that the ubiquity of texting shortcuts glorifies the use of sloppy language. Which is why even intelligent, college-educated people stumble so badly when attempting to present ideas on-paper or via electronic forms.
Stunningly, this includes those who communicate for a living.
Is that too harsh? I don’t think so. Not when I see obvious lapses of syntax, word agreement and other mechanical “basics” in press releases, case studies, blogs and other PR-generated content. Not when I read trade pubs and blogs that seriously question whether being a good writer still matters in our industry these days – and whether it ever did.
Count me as a one communications practitioner who strongly believes it always did, and still does. Good writing is essential to nearly everything we do in PR – from media pitches to content generation to social-media outreach. Yes, a blog may read in a conversational, even casual manner. But the good ones require serious intellectual “sweat equity” into the often painful process of writing. In other words, it takes effort to make it for an effortless read.
So how does this debate even enter industry discussion? I have two thoughts ‑ although many in our business may not want to hear them:
Twitter Isn’t All That
We’ve convinced ourselves that campaigns now must be written exclusively for the Twitter age. Check out this statement written by a fellow PR practitioner: “And when was the last time you read a press release that was interesting? This is a real-time, 140-character society now. If you can’t fit your news into a tweet when it matters most, chances are it’s too much, too late.” OK, we get it. Social media is offering new ways of communicating, and many feel that press releases and other forms of communication are passé.
This, of course, is a crock. Don’t get us wrong. We love Twitter. We use it all the time because it’s a great message-building tool. But no one media outlet cancels out all others. Yes, Twitter is the rage now. But it doesn’t present an “either/or” case for itself. It’s simply one of a number of tools to use to get your message out.
That includes traditional media. Social media can drive sales, create awareness and build customer loyalty. But it’s only part of an effective campaign. With well-crafted releases, pitches, blogs, case studies, speeches and other forms of communications, the “whole” of a message campaign emerges as greater than the sum of its parts. Given the sheer number of these media formats and platforms today, I’d even argue that strong writing skills are more useful than ever. Each one involves different approaches with respect to substance and tone, and this means content in PR is more important than ever.
I also remain highly skeptical of any argument that contends that, because the Twitter age is all about communicating in short spurts, that you no longer have to write well. A Tweet – or at least a good one – actually demonstrates a darn good writing effort. “Short” writing doesn’t mean “easy,” as anyone who studied Hemingway in high school would know.
Laziness Lurks in PR
More and more PR people want to enjoy all the more glamorous aspects of our jobs without “earning it.” For them, it’s all about schmoozing at big events. Writing? That’s no fun, right? Get over it, because being a “people person” isn’t enough. You could charm the skin off a snake and look like George Clooney or Angelina Jolie. But you still have to write to add distinguished value to your skill set.
That goes for everyone in the food chain of PR: If you’re a junior-level agency professional who pitches 90 percent of the time, your command of the written word still matters. Media people are busier than ever, responsible for far more beat coverage than a decade ago. They have less and less time to evaluate pitches. So you need to “grab” them quickly. Which means you better be capable of writing a darn good subject header. When the reporter follows up with interest and inquiries, your responses must be sharp and on point to nail the media-placement opportunity. Writing disciplines you for all of this.
Then, if you’re a “big picture” exec at a large agency who can avoid press releases and pitches, you still can’t avoid facing a blank computer screen and producing written communications. In client relations, senior-level managers must articulate in-depth strategies that require more thought than a Facebook status update. You’re challenged to define tactics as well as the Return-on-Investment (ROI) that will be derived through your plan. That means it all has to – yes, I know this isn’t necessarily what you want to read – start with well-written words on a page.
But feel free to write them 140 characters at a time.
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Evan Weisel (who tweets, incidentally, @evanweisel) is co-founder and principal at Welz & Weisel Communications.
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As a writer, I value my PR connections to help me when I’m researching. But when they give me poorly-written press releases and other background materials filled with grammar, punctuation and syntax errors, I have to wonder if I can rely on the content.
Amen. I think, perhaps, that it’s worse than the situation you’ve described above. People who get lazy on paper (or on a keyboard,) are likely to get lazy with the words coming out of their mouths, as well. Writing involves, or should involve, forethought, some level of planning, and the intent to deliver a cohesive message. If people aren’t willing to do that with the written word, what’s coming out of their mouths? I think that learning to write well may help in learning to speak well.
MY TWEET:
AGREE WITH EVAN but PR sadly cares less about writing than in past, shuns mainstream media, uses social media mostly for marketing.
P.S.
But don’t stop preaching to the choir. Once in a while, someone who wants to sing is in the audience. They’re want to make music with words and are willing to listen and learn.
Ugh. Let’s try again:
MY TWEET:
AGREE WITH EVAN but PR sadly cares less about writing than in past, shuns mainstream media, uses social media mostly for marketing.
P.S.
But don’t stop preaching to the choir. Once in a while, someone who wants to sing is in the audience. THEY want to make music with words and are willing to listen and learn.
Thank you, Evan. You just became my new hero. The art of writing is not dead and it is as important today, if not more so, than ever before. My ‘mantra’ to my staff is “Words mean something. Choose them carefully.” I learned early on in my public relations career that one little word can completely alter what you are trying to say to your audience. Keep preaching, Evan. (No exclamation mark. They are over-used in our social media world today.)
Thanks for the commments. I appreciate the support and glad to know that I am not alone.
Oh honey, you’re singing my song! When I was on the agency side of the business — with a big-name company, mind you — I was so disgusted by the lack of writing skills that I organized brown bag lunches to teach people how to write a sentence. I was dismayed that people who had been in the business for years could not create a compelling news release or even a decent headline. “It’s only 26 letters,” I’d say to them. “If you put them in the right order, they can work magic.”
Yet I still see Twitter shorthand (u, @, ru) in my emails, where there are no character restrictions. Sloppy! Lazy! Maybe it was the nuns who affected me. They were well-known for instilling excellent grammar and composition skills in their students, or at least in those who valued proper communication.
Truly, you are what you speak.
Those who live in glass houses…
(No, I wasn’t scrutinizing; I was skimming. These jumped out at me.)
You have sharp proofreading eyes-something I have always admired. But pointing out the writer’s errors does not detract from the main point that good writing is still important.
You got me! I am not a perfect writer and still have room for improvement like most people.
As somebody who makes her living as a professional communicator who still cares about the art (yes, art)of writing – thank you! I could not agree more with all of your sentiments.
Thank you Evan – there is an even bigger demand for good writing today and those who can communicate clearly, effectively, and well will stand out above the rest. As the rest of America continues to dumb down, communication skills must be ramped up!
You are absolutely right about what teachers or more accurately school boards, so-called experts and “well meaning” parents have done.
I am 60–I do not have a Twitter account. I am certainly not the best writer in the world and my spelling skills are bad. However, I do write in complete sentences. I do try to keep my thoughts coherent and I tried to follow the basic rules of grammar (I have been known to split an infinitive every now and then and to misuse a simile, but we all have our faults.”
My wife is a teacher and graduated as a teacher with a specialty in language arts. The old methods that we use, reading a story over and over to learn how to recognize the words, writing spelling words five times each, diagramming sentences (it really does have a purpose) and other skills like that are not being taught. Instead the answer is to give every child a computer and let them work at their own pace.
Computers are great. I have my desktop, my laptop, my Blackberry and an old spare computer I can put into service. I also use dual monitors. But I learned how to write by first learning the rules and then learning how to think for myself.
In college, I think in the four years I was there I did 11 term papers. Most people hated to do them. I really enjoyed it. That practice taught me how to develop the subject I wanted to explore, how to use reference tools (this is before PCs and Google) and how to come up with my own conclusions, using the research of others to back up my ideas. Today, schools are spending way too much time concentrating on hardware and not enough time teaching the basics.
Sloppy writing usually means sloppy thinking. Thanks for reminding us.
Good writing was and remains critical despite the widespread use of slang and abbreviations on twitter, etc. The written word is powerful and conveys something important about the author’s capabilities and professionalism. As someone responsible for building corporate communications and investor relations departments, I immediately reject candidates submitting a poorly written cover letter or resume. If for no other reason than to further one’s own career objectives, the need to write well will endure.
Evan,
I can’t speak for the PR community, but I will say that there is a fair amount of sloppiness and Twitteritis (if I may put words into Donna’s hands) out there. Not just the shorthand, but also disdain for rules of capitalization and grammar.
It reminds me of the instant messaging section that AOL had many years ago. Sadly, the same rules are being broken today, not by young people (as I suspected back then) but by mature adults today. Society must demand better of its business professionals. People like you, Evan, can help lead the way.
The worst problem seems to be with homonyms. I can’t tell you how often I see “your” and “you’re” used incorrectly. Or “there, their and they’re.” I was at a sales conference and noticed one of our brand directors – someone that leads a well-known brand with an MBA from a top school – used “overseas” to talk about management, instead of “oversees.” Oh help us!!!!
So very true – and perhaps why I am quite busy as a copywriter (and PR writer) — clients are looking for quality copy that promotes effectively across all media! Thanks for the sage words, Evan. Spot on.
If you meant to say “writing well”, I agree.
Evan, thanks for this excellent piece. My thoughts exactly. My agency experience has been that good writing is still valued both by the client and the agency. However, with all the daily demands on most PR professionals, the challenge is to find or make the uninterrupted time to produce clear, informative and persuasive copy. Technology continues to evolve: it facilitates and enhances communication but does not change the basics.
Thank you very much for writing this article. I agree that many of my counterparts don’t edit or take a second glance when writing traditional pieces. It’s heartbreaking! And it makes my work less credible as an aspiring PR professional.
Excellent points. I almost didn’t read them, however, because your header gave me pause. Writing can BE more important than ever, or remain AS important as ever, but it cannot “remain more important than ever,” because “remains” means “continuing in the same state.” Writing’s state has changed if it’s more important than ever. I know this error is popping up all over the place, but that doesn’t make it any less an error.