WriteBetter

Next course: Email for details

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:08:03 +0000

Course venue: 131 Finsbury Pavement, London
EC2A 1NT

Price £225

Full details here.

Business Writing Courses

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:15:41 +0000

If you work in public relations, marketing or a job that requires you to write regularly, then writebetter.co.uk have devised a special one-day course for you.

Hacked Off! How to avoid annoying journalists

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:02:54 +0000

Find out the things that PR people regularly do that infuriate even the most mild-mannered reporter.

Some are guaranteed ‘door closers’ - incessant phone calls, sending the wrong information to the right person, the right information to the wrong person, and so on. Some are rather less obvious…

If it has four, legs, a tail, two ears and barks, it is almost certainly a 'dog'. No amount of PR spin can make it anything else.

Our workshop is designed to take you through this labyrinth and equip you with a bit of 'inside' information – direct from the journalists - so that you can work and write better. And increase your chances of securing that all-important client-pleasing coverage in the publication of choice.

The workshop is particularly geared towards PRs who regularly deal with national newspapers.

It will cover the recommendations of highly experienced journalists who are ready and able to tell you what they really want from a PR. In some areas, what they have to say might contradict conventional wisdom - but it is from the mouths of a lot of horses.

Journalists are becoming more like dairy farmers....bye, bye to 11am starts, hello to early starts.

Here are some of the topics:-

The Pitch: How, when and with what information.

The Follow-up: Is it really necessary? If so, how is the best way to go about it? (Not as obvious as you might think)

“Let's do lunch”: One thing journalists on the nationals aren't short of is lunch invitations. Nevertheless, there are good ways of tempting a waist-conscious hack out for a bite. And that invariably leads on to:

Knowing me, knowing you: Face-to-face contacts are invaluable in the industry, but many journalists are ambivalent about them. A few key tips here from those who have been wooed assiduously in the past.

Exclusives. A ‘scoop’ is something you've got that leaves the other papers fuming. Not to be confused with, "You’re the only one who has this."

Pictures: Yes, think pictures. If you want an idea of the power of pictures, particularly in getting the type of coverage that you might not otherwise have received, then look at the business pages of July 31 2006. (Don’t worry we have them) That's the template for this section.

Cliché-watch: Those phrases that pepper press releases and which journos loathe. A, because they are trite and meaningless; B, because, if they ever had some merit, they are certainly devalued now. We also have a list of the 10 most-hated phrases PRs use with journalists.*

Try it out for yourself:-

Price: £225

If you do not wish to pay online using PayPal, please write to us at the email address below. Thank you.

Venue: 38 Bow Street, London EC4M 9AY

Dates: Email for 2008 dates

E-mail: info@writebetter.co.uk

web: www.writebetter.co.uk

Tel: 0208 2759401

*Based on interviews and surveys

Hacked Off! How to avoid annoying journalists

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 13:22:02 +0000

Find out the things that PR people regularly do that infuriate even the most mild-mannered reporter.

Books on writing

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 12:53:29 +0000

Most writing tutors delve into various books to help inform their lessons. No one knows everything in this game and often it is a good idea to have a range of books. Here's a few new and old books you might have come across or might be tempted to buy.

Review: Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynn Truss

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 12:50:59 +0000

Aka, Writes, flogs and Laughs (all the way to the bank)

How good editing improves writing

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 12:49:07 +0000

Consider the following extract:

It was shortly after midday by the time we got to the airport the traffic having been terrible all the way. We went straight to the check-in desk after parking the car in the short-term car park even though we were going to be away for two weeks. But we were afraid that going to the long term car park would take too long because we had to take a bus to get there.

It turned out that the flight was delayed and that we could have parked in the long term car park after all. Simon even considered going back and moving the car but we didn't want to push our luck and decided to go ahead and check in instead.

We asked for and got two aisle seats next to each other as neither of us wanted to be either at the window or definitely not stuck in the middle.

Flying outside of Europe we were able to go to the Duty Free and stock up on some stuff for the long haul trip. We also got the dreaded Benson & Hedges for Rog even though he always says he is giving up.

As it turned out the flight was nearly half empty so there was a lot of seats free and we could of had as many seats as we liked.

Looking out of the window the Alps came into view but most people seemed disinterested in the view. It was only then the drinks trollie came round that they were awoken out of their slumber. Four hours later we landed and the holiday proper begun. Hopefully we will have a good time.

Clarity, Accuracy, Readability and Readership in your writing

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 12:39:36 +0000

Clarity: is it clear what you mean?

Keep it simple should be the mantra. Forget the over-elaborate words or phrases.

"As a result of ongoing market research with our extensive customer base which identified a gap in current provision, we have decided to address that with the introduction of…"

What's wrong with:

"We are introducing X after customer surveys showed there was demand."