I just thought I would call attention to my post on the Fusion Forum blog today which asks and answers the question: Does tech jargon have its place in PR writing?
It cites a study referenced on Cincom Expert Access about the frequency of tired tech terms that add no meaning to press releases. Some of the winners, or rather losers, were:
"next generation," with 9,895 uses. There were over 5,000 uses of "flexible,"
"robust,” "world class," "scalable," and "easy to use." Other notably
overused phrases with between 2,000 and 5,000 uses included "cutting
edge," "mission critical," "market leading," "industry standard,"
"turnkey," and "groundbreaking." Oh and don't forget "interoperable,"
"best of breed," and "user friendly," each with over 1,000 uses in news
releases.
I expand on his analysis and offer tips on how to write about technology, and the proper use and place for jargon. You can read more about this here.
You might be interested in knowing that I’m offering a free email tutorial called "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases."
I explain why we should no longer be writing press releases only for the press, but for consumers who can find the releases online, click through to our websites and enter our sales cycle, even if journalists don’t think our release is worthy of attention.
The course includes several terrific press release samples as well as "before" and "after" makeovers.
You can sign up for the free press release writing tutorial at http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips/art.htm
It's a very long tutorial but please stick with it. By the time you're done, it will be like earning a master's degree in writing and distributing press releases. And you'll know more about this topic than many PR people.
Posted by: Joan Stewart | July 20, 2007 at 06:24 PM