The
Bradford Group in Nashville Tennessee is one of the top 10 marketing agencies
that specialize in media relations and publicity for entrepreneurs and middle
market companies. This agency creates contagious conversations that build
brands, as well as intergrading inbound and outbound marketing, social media
and public relations. To better understand the idea of this agency it is vital
to grasp what skills are needed in maintaining your writing identity. The way
in which a person writes in Public relations, in a professional environment,
requires the brevity, clarity and persuasiveness of one’s writing to match the
form and tone of the targeted audience. Brooke Berger, Account Executive at The
Bradford Group, uses credibility when writing for her specific clients by
researching facts about the issue, becoming an expert on the subject, and
making sure the style and tone of her writing is clear.
Creating trustworthiness as a writer
requires one to research concrete facts that clarify the message to the
readers. Brooke explains that when the facts are in line and the article is
complete you have a “golden nugget.” This “golden nugget” refers to the
finished piece of writing, which maintains credibility based on the research
and precision of facts. In her variety of published work at U.S. News &
World Reports she interviewed a variety of clients, ranging from a professor at
Dartmouth College, a Washington D.C. Journalist and a U.S. Secretary of
Education. She set up her interview questions with Professor Charles Wheelean,,
the author of “ The Centrist Manifested”, by researching his background and
formulating questions that pertain to his published work. Her tag line,
“Professor Charles Wheelean explains how two-party politics is failing the
United States, but centrists could change the Senate landscape,” incorporates
the facts stated in the interview, said by the author. Formulating these
interview questions creates a framework for how the article is articulated and
how Brooke managed to concisely maintain credibility throughout the segment. The
second article Brooke wrote titled “Don’t Teach to the Test” was created by her
interview with Journalist Ron Berler who has written for The New York Times and
Chicago Tribune. The excerpt from her article that states “Berler recently
spoke to U.S. News about what he sees as problems with standardized testing,
the lack of school readiness in the youngest students and the role he says
parents should play in their children’s academic success.” Brooke had to
formulate questions, conduct an interview, and have concrete facts based on the
journalists answers, to maintain credibility in that sentence. For her article
that interviewed Former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennet, she states
that he explains why a college degree may not be worth the cost. How did she
maintain credibility when stating that sentence? William Bennet explains in the
interview when asked of Americans should keep sending their kids to college by
stating “Sometimes. But they shouldn’t automatically or reflexively send their
kids to college. They should pause and think. It’s not like deciding to have
breakfast or go to bed, it’s more like, say, to get married. It’s a big decision.
[There are] a lot of consequences, a lot of costs, a lot of ups and downs.
Investigate with your eyes open.” Brooke formulated her tag line based on these
concrete facts from the U.S. Secretary of Education, William Bennett.
Maintaining concise information
throughout an article with concrete facts gives you, as a writer, credibility.
Another vital aspect when writing is to become an expert on the subject you are
reporting, writing or researching. Brooke explained that depending on her
variety of clients the way she writes appeals to not only the audience she is
writing for, but knowing exactly what words to avoid, key words to hit on and
how much the reader actually pulls from the research and structure of the
articles. She explained that if she is tailoring her piece to an investment
banker, not only will her research will be different, but what she says and how
she says it will be too. Her current position at the Bradford Group focuses on
marketing, social media and public relations, which gives her as an Account
Executive guidelines to specific clients. On the company website there are a
variety of cases that the firm works on, and part of their “three-part brand
promise” is to generate measurable results for their clients. For example, one of
their accounts is an Antique and Garden business that is branded through the
firm, and their motto is to promote and make the brand knowledgeable to the world
but to also fit the criteria for what the client wants. Another case is a laser
hair removal business, in which the firm is responsible for strengthening
customer relationships through social media. They have a variety of accounts,
and each of these subjects has a specific tagline, meaning and purpose in the
promotion process. Brooke is responsible for managing these accounts and
finding out how to brand, market and use media so their name is out in the
industry. She needs to be an expert on each of these cases to keep her clients
and perform successfully. At her previous work at Key Bridge Communications she
would do opinion media, public affairs and PR. At this firm she was responsible
for media placement and designs and directed client relationships for
pharmaceutical and healthcare clients. In her resume it states that she “excel
at building and nurturing strong relationships, ensuring client’s interests are
continually addressed. Appreciate for instilling confidence, communicating
knowledgeably and delivering on expectations.” Her success was translated into
creating 430,000 of revenue for the firm by directing project workflow, from
inception to placement. Being an expert on her clients led to not only
benefiting her successes in her firms, but that strong and dignified
relationship with her clients. Her success as a writer has allowed her to market
herself well with clients and have professional success throughout her career.
Creating that relationship with PR
clients is an important aspect of how you write, and whom it is you are writing
to. The style and tone of a person’s writing is key to making their point
clear. Brooke explained in the interview that she can’t entirely detach her
style of writing completely, but the importance of finding your voice while
still finishing a type of writing is crucial. Tone is known in many different
ways, but in writing it is known as “the general character or attitude of a
place, piece of writing or situation.” Brooke has written a variety of
published worked and according to her resume she has written 5-10 op-ed pieces
for newspapers nationwide. The way she sets the tone for each of these papers
is tailored to the subject, the audience, the newspaper and expectations of the
reader. The tone, in each of her published work at U.S. News & World
Reports is entirely different than op-ed pieces in the “Southern Manners Matter”
which was published in the Atlanta
Journal Constitution and later viewed thousands of times on LinkedIn. She
mentions that her targeted audience is well known and observed before the
completion of her published work. The style of writing is another crucial aspect
in the success of her work. Style, in writing is “the literary element that
describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's word choice,
sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work
together to establish mood, images, and meaning
in the text.” In each of her published work, the way she writes, what she says
and the points she amplifies on are drastically different with each article.
The accounts she manages at The Bradford Group are entirely different writing
styles than her work in Washington D.C. or her reporting as a journalist in a
traditional newsroom. Persuasiveness, facts to support the article and the
targeted audience are vital components to the pieces she writes and the style
she uses.
Conclusion….
Wrap up each main parapgrah, restate
thesis and
