Imitation Is Everything in the World of PR Writing
By Damon Carson
Do you have a phobia of writing?
Maybe it doesn’t rank up there with the fear of public speaking, but most of all us probably wished we could write a little better. How many times in business would you benefit from being a better writer of newsletters, letters to shareholders, ad copy, press releases, emails, sales letters, business plans, Web content, memos and more?
Of course, since this is a column focused on publicity, good writing sure comes in handy when writing a pitch or press release about your invention, too.
Here is a fun little technique I’ve dubbed “leximimicry” to improve your promotional writing.
Find a magazine or two that have products or services either similar to yours or that target the same audience. Read through Inventors Digest. Pay close attention to the words used in the different articles written by the editors and reporters to describe different things. Also, you can very often find a completely different product than yours described in a way that you could borrow to describe your own.
Look at the paid advertisements in particular. These advertisers are often large companies spending huge sums of money for the best ad designers in the world. Part of any great print ad is the copy. Very high priced copy writers choose just the right words and phrases to position a product or service in just the right way so you will want to buy.
You don’t have to be a wordsmith to be a leximimric. Read and learn. This is Bootstrapping 101, baby. You can get all the pizazz of high priced words and writing styles for nary a cent.
If you think leximimicry is plagiarism, know that this little technique is used in writing all the time. The Wall Street Journal described John McCain’s speechwriter’s preparation for writing his presidential nomination acceptance speech as, “Mr. Salter read past convention speeches for ‘length and form.’” If professional writers use other writings for inspiration and instruction, why shouldn’t you?
Not long ago I was working on a press release for a high-end design client. I picked up a copy of an affluent design magazine and began reading very closely. I typed into my computer any words or phrases that I thought were particularly good and/or descriptive. Here are some I found:
“The use of vivid, expressive color enlivens any home.”
“The lamp redefined.”
“Inspired by…”
“Intoxicating”
“Following in the footsteps”
“Unbridled talent”
“Reminiscent of”
“Discriminating clients”
“Capture the imagination”
“Motifs”
“Kaleidoscope of color”
“Blurring the line between form and function”
“Reveals”
“Metal like you’ve never seen it before”
I then integrated some of these words and phrases into a press release. This is “leximimicry.” I was using the language of the design world to pitch a design story. If I were writing something promotional about a new fishing lure, I would study the language of fishing using this very same method.
Using the proper language greatly enhances in any promotional writing. And practicing leximimicry makes great writing fast, easy, and very effective.
This article appears in the March 2010 print edition. For more helpful PR tips, visit Damon Carson’s Web site, www.publicityassociates.com
