How often have you read a press release and thought: what a load of [expletive]!
Think of the health authority reassuring us of their commitment to reducing A&E waiting times, or the transport minister justifying yet another rise in train fares (despite continual delays and overcrowding), or the water company trying to convince us that they are actually performing really rather well…
Away from the national press, every sector publication features a regular tranche of press releases – congratulating, announcing, stroking, reassuring, and occasionally apologising.
Some hit the mark. They feel sincere: the empathy real; the reassurances believable; the tone genuine; the quotes genuinely personal. They connect with you.
But most do not. They ooze insincerity, or feel superficial and formulaic: clunky phrasing; trite platitudes; evasive or meaningless waffle; a slop of corporate gobbledygook. No soul. Artificial.
Of course, that’s not all down to AI. These days, an awful lot of PR and marketing copy is produced not by professional copywriters but by a new breed of hybrids, with limited skills and no craft. Some are simply unaware of how to write in a way that will connect with their audience, and others compensate with an overreliance on AI but lack the skills to edit and hone its output.
Yet, as far as press releases are concerned, it’s not actually difficult (with some effective prompting) to extract a half-decent one from AI.
As a benchmark, let’s start by replicating a typical ‘corporate waffle’ press release. You will undoubtedly recognise the result because it will be very similar to many of the press releases you’ve read during the last few years…
- Open any AI text generator.
- Copy and paste the following prompt into its ‘create’ field, and behold!
Write a 400-word press release from Londonshire Health Authority, filled with typical corporate-style words and phrases, to provide assurances that the current high A&E waiting times will be reduced.
As I’m sure you will agree, the result is utterly cringeworthy. True, we forced AI to create this guff for the experiment, but it is undeniably similar to what many organisations seem to think will connect with their audience. And you can see just how universal this generic type of PR is by adjusting the prompt for your own sector, and regenerating.
In fact, try having some fun with it to brighten your day! Get creative – a favourite of mine is: Write a harsh and combative 400-word press release from Darth Vadar, filled with typical corporate-style words and phrases, to provide assurances that the current rebellion will be crushed.
Some AI text generators will even let you include rude words, which produces an interesting twist to the result!
Anyway, let’s get serious again. Now that you’ve got your benchmark, let’s improve on it.
- Repeat, this time adding a tone and specific details to the prompt.
- Write a brief list of favourable words to include.
- Add a negative prompt (what you don’t want AI to include).
- Specify the requirement for a quotation.
For example:
Write a sincere and empathetic 400-word press release in plain English from Londonshire Health Authority, to provide assurances that the current high A&E waiting times will be reduced, emphasising that A&E staffing resources have been increased by 16% during the first quarter of this year and that positive results are being seen from proactive triaging by nursing staff, to include some of the following words and phrases: at the heart of, benefit, caring, challenges, experience, genuine, helpful, important, major, one team, people of Londonshire, we will not rest until. Also include a positive quotation from Anne Smeeton, Regional Health Director. Negative (do not use): corporate-style words and phrases.
[A pause while you generate it.]
So, what do you think of the result? It would certainly benefit from some tweaking to help it really connect with people on a personal level – and that’s why good writing skills are still an important asset in the workplace – but I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a pretty good starting point.
People deserve honest, clear, and concise messaging; written in plain English and free of confusing abstractions and ambiguities. Organisations that peddle nonsensical gobbledygook in their PR and other media really need to embrace this, because writing clear, direct, easy-to-understand communications is the path to connecting with their audience, and earning their respect and trust.
For a comprehensive guide to producing better business communications, check out The Rude Guide To Being A Better Writer. With clear explanations and relatable examples throughout, the book shows you how to use plain English to write effective business communications that are clear, concise, easy to understand, and error free. Written for a modern audience, the book uses storytelling and adult humour to deliver a learning experience that is as entertaining as it is rewarding.
