The Semester so Far

This semester has taught me a lot about the real world and all the little details that go into it. This statement is especially true in my public relations writing class. I have never been the best at writing but so far this class has been very beneficial to me.

It is essential to define the target audience. Each demographic has its own way of communicating. How I say something might not be how my mother says something. Words and word usage become key. What you are saying is just as important as how you say it and deliver it. Then once you have our target audience picked, it will be easier to help the public relations and advertising workers help decide the medium they want to communicate to the audience. College students tend to use Instagram, while older generations use Facebook more.

Now, when it comes to being ethical there are four major components. These are authenticity, awareness, gratitude, respect. They each play a key role in when determining what is and is not an ethical public relations campaign. For example, authenticity is probably the most important component that goes into being an ethical public relations campaign. If the audience can sense the fakeness in the campaign they will immediately think that the company is only making this campaign to make money and not try to build a relationship with their consumers. Building trust will keep your loyal customer or consumer base depending on who you are targetting.

There are two forms of media; controlled and uncontrolled. When it comes to being ethical in the world the media is the first to prove if your brand is ethical. Now with controlled media, it is easier to make sure that your brand is ethical because you have control. Uncontrolled media is harder due to your brand not having a say in what that media outlet says about your company. Now, if you get an uncontrolled media to say that your brand has authenticity, it will do wonders for your company because it is a third party with no connection to you and no vested interest. It can become more personal because it has no attachment to your brand.

There are many different writing systems in public relations such as press releases, blogs, social media, and feature stories. Each one is created for a different reason and is used for a certain purpose. For example, a press release’s main use is to talk about a new product or event coming up. While a feature story is used to do more of an in-depth story about the organization or someone. Even though they may be different there are still a few similarities between some of them. For instance, a social media post and blog should be short and to the point. There are many other similarities and differences between the writing styles, sometimes they stand alone but sometimes they go hand in hand.

When you have a well written public relations piece it can do a lot for the audience. The main thing that you want to do is build and keep a positive relationship between the organization and its audience. For example, if the piece is personal and meets all the criteria for being an ethical piece for writing, the audience will be more attentive to it and your brand. People want to find a brand they can trust.