work smarter: a few quick tips for creating content

I was recently connected with one of my favorite authors — who quickly became a friend (hi Devon!), and while we were chatting, she reminded me of one of the holy grails of PR: when you write, or even when you put out content…

If you aren’t your own audience, put yourself in their shoes.

One of the things we experience in the communications field is the feeling that everything you post is posting to post something for the heck of posting.

I was a fashion and lifestyle blogger, blogger, and senior editor on the board of my college’s HerCampus chapter and worked for a food magazine.

Let me give you a glimpse of what happened when I first entered the political arena.

Imagine writing your first-ever press release for a political organization after years of editorial work. It was thrown at me, no joke.

And on top of this, for the first time in my life, I was told that I “wasn’t a good writer.” It felt like a major slap in the face.

But here’s the thing.

Finding your client’s or boss’s voice should be written with the reader in mind.

Here’s some food for thought, and feel free to reflect.

Say you’re writing a press release for a book you’re working on (me recently) — are you sure you’re simplifying the content?

For the most part, we all have (or maybe I do) a very short attention span regarding what content we take in. Instagram, Reels, TikTok, X (or Twitter, you choose) have limited characters or timing for you to tell your story or put your message out there. You can go a little wild and crazy when it comes to emails because, you know, unlimited characters allow for lots of information.

When you click send on the email blast to your press lists or post for the social feeds, are you making sure it’s engaging?

You have control of the narrative here.

Journalists, editors, readers, and followers all want to know the gist of your content within a 3-second skim.

You’re the one posting the content (even if for a client), so you’re the expert for the post or press release.

So, dear reader, take control.

Who are you posting for?

When it comes to politics, here’s a baseline:

Who is the audience, and what do you want them to do with your content?

Pitching is obvious:dia attention. Bookers and journalists receive thousands of emails daily, and how you write them takes that into account.

Sorry, but a thousand-word pitch won’t be as fruitful as you want. Copy a press release, put it under your signature, and write something like, “Hey Blake, my boss is working on/did this. More info below.” Or, copy the link to the press release on the website and hyperlink it in a quick email about what’s going on.

Twitter is for journalists or influencers to boost your post or get information, whether a statement, a quick comment, or sharing something you put into the ether under your boss’s name.

The Twitter action item: boosting your post with media contacts, getting your statement mentioned in the news, or getting maximum views on a video.

Think of it as a thesis or your boss or client standing on a stage in front of an auditorium. You put the content out front.

Facebook is more for your constituents, grassroots organizations, or those who are more politically active locally. Look at the sheer number of followers on your Member of Congress’s Facebook page compared to the Twitter page.

There’s a reason why posting content from a district event on your Facebook gets more interaction than it does on Twitter, maybe even Instagram.

The Facebook action item community — think of it as a town hall. You’ll most likely get more constituent interaction on Facebook than you will in your Twitter mentions.

When it came to writing press content for the book, I followed this model:

HEADER: What’s the crux? What makes you want to skim?

“Hice to Release Bombshell Book on American Elections”

SUB HEADER: A little more info on what you’re selling.

FIRST PARAGRAPH: Okay, dig a little deeper. You can agree or disagree with how I do this, but, I like to break this next part down into two different paragraphs.

“WASHINGTON, DC — Former Congressman Jody Hice will release SACRED TRUST: Election Integrity & The Will of the People on April 2, 2024.”

SECOND PARAGRAPH: Can answer the who, what, when, where, why.

In this case, I chose to go with the who (a former Member of Congress) to set the scene as to why he was qualified to write a book about the what (election integrity).

“Hice, a former pastor who served Georgia’s 10th congressional district for eight years, was a leading player on Capitol Hill in the fight to protect our constitutionally awarded freedoms. In 2020, he was one of the first Members of Congress to call for a full investigation into the systemic issues plaguing our country’s electoral process and quickly became a nationally recognized voice of the election integrity movement.”

THIRD PARAGRAPH: The crux of the book — is it a biography? A tell-all? I answered that here.

“In SACRED TRUST, Hice takes the reader on his political awakening and spiritual journey, where he shares his belief in the fundamental importance of election integrity for American freedom, including…”

* and then I broke it down into some bullet points about the book’s central themes.

AFTER THAT: Tie it all together. I added more “why” to how he wrote it with those themes.

“The United States of America is the greatest country in the world and worth fighting for; it is our responsibility to take a stand right now, or else so much will be lost…”

“…to do so, Hice preaches that citizens must get into the arena and be present. And, yes, even one person can make a difference. Our great nation’s history is full of examples of single individuals who made a huge impact. Now is the time. “We The People” must be heard before it is too late.”

This press release hits the nail on the head for modern-day communications tactics.

The audience? The media might know who Jody Hice is, but if they don’t, it gives a quick glimpse.

It provides an accessible background for journalists to whip up in a story or for producers or hosts to read on-air.

In this day and age, we love pithy.

Here’s what you, a communications professional, should take away from this longer-than-I-meant-it-to-be-read:

• YOU are the expert. YOU are selling the product.

• ANSWER questions (who, what… you get it) so they don’t have to right away.

• What’s the audience’s ACTION ITEM? Include it in a story? Book a media hit? Interact with the post? Share? Click the link? Repost?

• BE SMART with how you put out content. A quick email with a hyperlink can do you wonders.