October is upon us which, as a lover of words, can only mean one thing… National Poetry Day!

Around this time each year, a celebration of poetry takes place UK-wide with a different theme being explored across a variety of activities, offering people in schools, libraries, bookshops and hospitals the chance to enjoy, discover and share poetry in its various forms.

This year’s theme for National Poetry Day on 3rd October is ‘Truth’, which strikes a chord with those of us in the public relations industry as we identify predominantly as storytellers. However, spinning a good tale shouldn’t cast doubt over our ability to be honest… we just have a talent for arranging words in a way that (hopefully) connects with our clients’ customers and takes them on a journey - like poetry.

Having worked in PR for over a decade, I have developed many ways to convey clients’ key messages through a variety of writing mediums so it’s safe to say I have a strong bond with the written word. Whether it’s reading, drafting a blog, synopsis, article or press release - or simply jotting down campaign ideas – the focus is always on the narrative. This naturally presents the opportunity to get creative.

With that and this year’s National Poetry Day theme in mind, I thought I’d turn my hand at composing a poem of my own about the truth about PR…

What is PR? It seems nobody knows,
Though there’s an old saying which sums up, it goes:
“Advertising is what you pay for;
Publicity is what you pray for.”

But for any business to survive and succeed,
A good reputation is their greatest need,
May take a while but it’s really a must,
People buy from companies they trust.

Unsure of the message? We’ll take the brief,
After all, what we offer is Pain Relief,
We’ll form news into a press release,
Convey opinions in a blog, or some such piece.

Take it to the media and communicate,
The stories they want others to relate,
Readers should feel that they have learned,
Whilst in turn, credibility can be earned.

Of course there’s much more to PR than can be summarised in a few verses but for us at Work PR, it all begins with words – finding the right ones and putting them in the right order.

If you’d like help to find the right way to communicate your message to your audience, get in touch and let us know your truth.