Communications writing vs Creative writing – why I offer two disciplines for audiences
(and why I keep having to explain that there’s no money in creative writing)
When I tell people that KiwiWords director Michael Botur is an expert in day writing and night writing, what I mean is I deliver professional communications writing by day and unpaid creative writing at night.
The two disciplines both necessitate a mastery of English, but they have some radical distinctions.
Day time communications writing aka Public relations / Corporate writing
This is a type of writing that’s often about taking on the voice of a body corporate – a business, a trust, a company, a public service… a group, in other words.
Night time creative writing aka Fiction writing / poetry / prose
Recently, I’ve had some comments indicating confusion about how I make a living. There is little to no money in creative writing, aside from the occasional prize, or payment for creative seminars which I deliver.
If I was given a month to live, though, to be honest, I wouldn’t use it on PR/Communications. PR and comms have given me a living, and that’s wonderful – I love my business clients and I work hard for them – but if I was given the opportunity to write fiction for a year, I would hit the Pause button on professional PR/communications writing.
So is marketing a type of creative writing?
Nah, it’s more like coding – ie Laying out key messages with the intention of making the material easy to consume. You structure your writing to deliver a message in a way which navigates the consumer’s resistance, builds trust and delivers a strong argument for the sale.
The close sibling of marketing is communications, where the end result isn’t necessarily conversion of a sale – it’s the conversion of an uninformed consumer to the consumer agreeing that he/she has received the intended information.
I run a business and I think I may need a writer. What can you do for me, Mister KiwiWords?
- Help you structure your sales pitch
- Compose responses to frequently asked questions
- Enhance your reputation by using the most effective English in your written communications
- Create a content calendar so your audience is continuously talked to
Mike B, KiwiWords
