South Africa, Feb. 25 -- Missing the beat

Crafting content for the media differs from writing for your own channels such as your website blog, social media pages, brochures or press office. A recent experience highlighted this perfectly. Despite being an excellent writer, my client's self-written press materials weren't gaining traction with journalists and they didn't understand why. While their content was generally well-crafted it missed the journalistic style that media outlets expect. It reminded me why understanding the following nuances is crucial for effective media relations.

When writing for media, your content must serve the publication's audience first. Journalists seek stories that inform, educate, or entertain their reader...