The importance of using the right tone

So far, in my whole academic life, I have been writing reports that require a formal tone to be used. However, during the course of my internship, I had to kick the habit of writing almost everything formally, and instead, adopt a tone that is more personal and emotive. These include the creation of e-newsletters, as well as social media updates which I am in charge of.

The big question I always ask myself is: How do I convince people to click and read my blog article/newsletter?

In order to do that, I have to put across a message that is persuasive, but not desperate. As a public relations personnel, I'm not someone who sells the product, but someone who informs our stakeholders about the product, and of course make it look appealing at the same time. However, as I am not a fashion-forward person, let alone a mother, I find it a little difficult to convince myself that these items are worth buying. At this point, another question comes to my mind: How do I convince others when I can’t even convince myself?

I find it amazing how people can just conjure up posts after posts, thereafter gaining likes after likes on their page with just simple words and pictures. I want to be able to engage in effective communication with our stakeholders too, but how?

This is a snippet of a newsletter I did for the company to promote one of the brands featured on the website. It’s very different from my usual style of writing, and I’m quite satisfied with the way it turned out, be it the visual appearance, or the way the newsletter was written. Even though the paragraph was short, I felt that it had a more personal touch than the usual report-style writing I’m used to.

Another challenge I face while creating newsletters and updating the company’s social network accounts is the word limit. Yes, the dreadful word limit. There are only a certain number of characters before a post goes to a “see more” in Facebook, and I thus I have to create the most impactful message without going crossing over the word limit.

It’s the same for newsletters, as most people focus on its visual appearance. It wouldn’t make sense to send a newsletter full of words, as most people wouldn’t take time just to finish reading the whole newsletter. Therefore, I have to put the main point across in just a few words, or a really short paragraph, and also grab the attention of our stakeholders with a strong title.

Some of you may not find it that difficult, but it’s a huge challenge for me, and I am still trying to overcome it at the moment. The semester is coming to an end, but my internship will still go on for another month. Cheers to another month of hands-on learning in the public relations industry! 

Tay Si Min Priscilla
15909891
Curtin University (Singapore Campus)