Reasons Why Writing Still Matters

public relations letter template for press releases

It goes without saying that good writing skills will always play a critical role in any society, although lately there has been a drastic decline in this field. Students who are graduating as Valedictorian of their class today do not possess the same keen grammar skills as in the past. Today, one can even pick up the local newspaper and find numerous grammatical errors. Details matter, that's why a public relations firm can handle these fine details. Once upon a time, the newspaper was like a dictionary - with seemingly zero errors and the picture of proper use of grammar. Today’s magazines are no better either, spelling and grammar issues frequently slip through the cracks and make it to print. As an added blow to the age-old arte of writing, it was recently announced the cursive, will no longer be taught because it lacks useful purpose in society. But also, students of today's generation can't read it. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but electronics, such as Kindle devices, have take the place of curling up in your favorite easy chair with an old fashioned classic mystery novel. This just continues the trend into instant-access and wireless communication, read: away from handwriting and editing. We are big fans of the old fashion lines of communication here at 5w public relations. Good writing skills will always matter for many reasons, mainly that they speaks volumes about who you are. In advertising, a simple misspelled word can mean the difference in location, a person's name, product or service – not to mention that mistakes send a poor message or, worse, no message at all. Needless to say, proper punctuation is just as important as proper spelling. When to use a colon or semi-colon the entire meaning of a phrase. Quotation marks in the right place, along with commas and apostrophes, can make the all difference in the readers’ perception. Other serious problems in writing today are the continuous misuse of adjectives, nouns and verbs. Slangs and shorter forms of spelling such “tho” instead of “though” have become accepted in today's written society. All that being said, in business, and in PR, nothing can substitute the personal touch of a handwritten card or note. While we may have all the latest technologies quite literally at our fingertips, letters remain important in business and relationships. This is not to say that we should dump email, texting and autocorrect – but rather a reminder that, sometimes, you need to go that extra mile – and handwritten notes are a good way to get your message heard. Of course, no matter whether you are handwriting, texting, emailing, writing a press release, proper grammar and spelling remain a vital part of getting your message heard and resonating with your readers. Even in today’s fast-paced world, a moment of proof reading remains best practice.

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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