6.1 News Writing vs. Public Relations Writing

Effective public relations writing draws from news writing principles, because the news media is one of the preferred channels for promoting products, services and issues. However, news writing and public relations writing differ in terms of audience, tone, and media channels. News writing should be objective in tone, with the purpose of presenting information to educate an audience about newsworthy events. On the other hand, public relations writing advocates for the client. It is informative, but also persuasive, and it should influence key publics’ perception of the organization. Some would also argue that public relations writing is even more concise than news writing.

Reporters usually write for one audience: readers or listeners of the respective media outlet. Public relations professionals may have to write for a variety of audiences, including internal audiences (such as employees, shareholders, and distributors) and external audiences (such as the media, customers, volunteers, and influencers). News writing uses one primary communication channel, the news outlet. Public relations professionals use a variety of channels to distribute their messages, including news media, social media, advertisements, blogs, media kits, and many more.