Public relations professionals are known as being pretty good writers. Both written and spoken communications are two of their most important attributes. One thing that I have noticed recently is their struggle to adapt to the needs of the digital media environment.

Take for example the written content of their websites. Look at the content on some PR sites. You will notice a lot of the content is written in a journalistic style as opposed to being written for a website visitor. Some of the things you may notice. The content gets to the important points at the end of the story. There are long paragraphs and no sub headings. Subtle, intriguing titles take precedence over keyword phrases that would actually tell the reader at a glance what the story is about.

Have you noticed how online newspapers are starting to including an introductory summary of their news article? This summary usually includes a keyword rich overview of what the story is about. This makes it user friendly for the site visitor and for the search engine spider.

The moral of this is that there are big differences between writing directed at news editors and writing directed at website visitors. Newspaper editors are beginning to adapting their online version of their stories towards the needs of website reader

s. PR writers should do the same. Here are some tips for public relations writers.

* Get educated on the specifics of website content writing. * Understand your target market - those who will buy your service * Know the meaning of keywords and their role in content development * Discover the importance of how your writing relates to search engine visibility * Find out how your site content directly impacts usability and conversions

Public relations practitioners will benefit by embracing the digital age and the possibilities that it offers them. This does not indicate the need for metamorphosis into a tech geek. Rather it's simply a matter of a change in outlook and of writing style. Some of these changes are subtle; some require more research and analytics. However there is no going back. The digital age is here to stay. Embrace it!

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