First things first: Does your company really need a style guide? Yes. The bottom line is that style guides help put everyone in marketing and — here’s the thing — in other departments on the same page. Consistency makes for more polished communications pieces.
I know it might sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. A style guide doesn’t have to be a 200-page book. It might be no more than a few pages. Here are a few simple steps to get you started:
1. Choose a baseline. There’s no reason to start from scratch when there are good, industry-standard guides available. Most companies opt for AP style as the baseline.
2. Highlight any dislikes. Whether you’re looking at AP, Chicago Manual, the New York Times or another style guide, it’s not going to be perfect. Your guide should call attention to any deviations from the baseline. Maybe you’re tired of “Web site” or really like a serial comma. Make these notes the first entries in your guide.
3. Add industry-specific terms. Depending on your industry, you may have jargon, technical terms and organizations that won’t appear in any generic style guide. Review industry journals or your latest communiques to help remind you. For example, if you work in tech security, you might use words like cybercrime, cybercriminal and cyberthreat — should these be one word or two?
4. Add company-specific terms. Now, it’s time to turn your attention inward. How should departments and divisions be referenced? Can your company name be shortened on second reference? Does your CEO use his or her middle initial in text?
5. Make it an evolving document. Don’t waste time printing and binding beautiful copies for your staff — unless you have extra budget burning a hole in your pocket. This document will likely change constantly. You’ll realize new entries you want to add with each piece you produce. You’ll see a change coming that AP moves more slowly on. Never consider this document final.
Congratulations! You just created a company style guide. Now, don’t forget to share it beyond the marketing staff, and make sure it’s being used — because without enforcement, you might as well not even have one.
Lately, a number of writers I know are finding reason to either bash PR pros — or call out a positive experience with one as a rarity. This is highly disappointing, especially given the number of former reporters who venture into PR. I value my relationships with PR practitioners for a number of reasons. When I’m on deadline, I can count on them to call me back and help me out, and when I’m fishing around for sources, I rely on PR pros to introduce me to businesses, individuals and trends that I may not be aware of.
Still, despite all the good PR folks out there, there remains a negative image. Perhaps, the economy is to blame — clients are demanding more results, more coverage, more return for their investment in PR, and reps are doing whatever they can to deliver. Regardless of what’s at the heart, here are a few simple things PR pros can do to help better manage relationships with the writers they work with.
1. Answer questions. Your client hired you to develop messaging and pitch a story. When a reporter asks a question that doesn’t appear on the fact sheet or release you prepared, that doesn’t mean you should ignore the question. Finding the answer is a good way to keep the writer happy.
2. Be prepared to work. If you pitched the interview or story idea, know that a reporter may be intrigued — but not willing to commit immediately. If a writer asks for more information, be ready to give it. Giving another sales pitch isn’t the answer. Your pitch worked — the writer just wants to explore a little deeper, which is his job.
3. Be gracious. If the writer says no, don’t launch into all the reasons why she’s making a terrible mistake. Acknowledge that it’s her call and offer to be a resource for future stories.
4. Offer your assistance. I recently reached out to a PR rep for a particular story. In our conversation, I mentioned that this subject was proving difficult to find examples for. Within minutes, she offered up two other sources and provided backgrounders “just in case” I needed help. And I did. She then offered to arrange the phone interviews for me. She made my job easier, and as a result, got more than her original client covered.
5. Ask questions. It’s easy to get in the habit of just trying to find someone who likes your pitch. I get that. But expert PR pros also know that asking questions might help yield a higher-quality media list. I am happy to answer questions like, “Is this a topic you cover all the time? Would it be helpful to receive updates about XYZ company?” It might be easy to identify a newspaper reporter’s beat, but asking questions of freelancers can help you develop a great — and mutually beneficial — relationship.
There are a lot of folks out there who aren’t sure if hiring a consultant is the best fit for their company. I get that. And truly, it might not be. But if you’re on the fence, I offer these five reasons to consider a contract writer.
1. It can be cheaper than hiring new staff. Some of the companies I work with have enough work that keeping it all in-house would burn out their current staff. But it’s still not enough to justify a full-time — or even a part-time — staff member. That’s where a contractor can help fill the gap. And in a lot of cases, you don’t have to guarantee the number of hours, so if it ebbs and flows, your contractor will ebb and flow right along with you.
2. A fresh perspective is often welcome. Maybe you’ve been doing things the same way for years. “That’s just how we do it,” you’ll say. And it’s not out of laziness or a fear of change. It’s just that it’s worked, and you have plenty of other things on your plate. But what if a consultant could come in and work on your project with you for a few hours and help you see fresh, easy ways of updating language, tweaking design or waking up your creative approach. People in the trenches are sometimes too busy to search for a new angle, but a contractor can come in with a fresh perspective.
3. It’s a stopgap. When a staff member goes on maternity leave, has to take a leave of absence or even just goes on vacation, the absence can cause some unrest — even panic. If you operate at full capacity all the time, there’s not much room for weeklong vacations or disability leave. The right contractor, though, can be a temporary fix. I’ve gone into client sites for short-term assignments, and enjoyed the opportunity to change the way I work with clients — even if just for a week. And don’t think you have to pay a full 40 hours a week. You can probably identify the three of four most important projects that must be kept afloat. And a contractor can do that. So, your staff doesn’t get overloaded, and your employee doesn’t come back from vacation to a huge pile of overdue work.
4. It’s not your area of expertise. Just because you work in communications, PR or marketing doesn’t mean you have aced every facet of the field. Master creative strategists who lead teams might not be the best copywriters. And the best media relations pros might need an editor from time to time. It’s OK. We all have our strengths. That’s why I hire designers and Web programmers and accountants. I know my strengths and my weaknesses. So, if you don’t know social media, hire a social media consultant to get you started. If your copy is fraught with typos, hire an editor a few hours a month.
5. It frees you up to think about other things. A small businessowner trying to keep up the company Twitter account, get the latest enewsletter out and write press releases is spending time on marketing functions when he could be focusing on the business. I’m a small business owner, too, so I get it. You want to be in your business. You’re the face, the voice, the everything. But at some point, you can’t do the work, do the marketing, secure the new business, attend the functions, do the accounting, etc., etc. You can’t be everywhere. And if you’re trying to truly strategize how to build business and grow, you can’t be in the weeds. That might mean hiring a bookkeeper, while you focus on the big financial numbers and what they mean. Maybe you give direction on marketing strategy, but hire a writer to draft enewsletter content. As you grow, outsourcing smaller, detail-oriented tasks pulls you above the fray so you can see the big picture and work like a CEO should.
Whether a contract relationship is something you’re comfortable with is something you have to explore for yourself. Not everyone is. But if you find the right one, you just might be able to find peace of mind for you and your staff.
If you’re planning to hire a writer or are managing one now, here are four things to keep in mind that might help make the project go more smoothly.
1. Be specific about your needs. If you’re asking an editorial contractor to provide a quote, make sure you’re specific about what it entails — and that terms like “editing” mean the same thing to both of you. Will the writer be interviewing sources and doing research, or will you provide all the content he needs to write the piece? Do you want a heavy edit or a light copy edit? These types of specifics will help the writer provide an accurate quote — and will help ensure that you get what you’re asking for.
2. Have a style guide. Most writers will ask if your company has a style guide. A lot of marketers say no and suggest that AP is their preferred style. But it’s very common for companies to stray from some of AP’s outdated (or unattractive) modes. Even if you don’t have a style guide, start a quick reference sheet of exceptions to the rules. Not only will it help contractors better serve you, but you can also use it to train new staff and to keep your current team on the same page.
3. Provide samples of past work. If a writer requests samples, take a few minutes to dig them up. Seeing previous pieces and getting a feel for an organization’s tone is an important early step for a lot of writers.
4. Offer specific feedback. There are some circumstances where you may be working through various drafts of a piece with the writer. Even good, experienced writers don’t always nail your vision on the first try. And sure, we don’t like to hear that we aren’t perfect, but we know it’s part of the deal.So, if the first draft isn’t quite on-target, tell the writer why. And be specific. Things like “I don’t like this paragraph” or “The tone is all wrong” aren’t likely to get you the kind of second draft you want. Instead, explain what isn’t working — “We prefer a more conversational tone in our whitepapers” or “We need to include more statistics and fact-based research in this section.”
Hiring a contract writer or editor can be a great way to preserve your staff’s sanity, have more hands to get big projects done under tight deadlines and introduce a fresh voice to your collateral. Keeping these few things in mind can help make it go even more smoothly for you both.