'Quote, unquote'

The use of real-life quotes is a great way to add energy and realism to an article, news item or press release. Simply stating the facts from your point of view, often in the third person, will often leave a reader underwhelmed or unsatisfied. After all, unless you're well known and therefore quotable yourself, what do you know?

While simply putting your views into (eloquent) writing adds weight to your opinions, it will often not be enough to carry an entire piece.

Since everything you write will presumably have some human angle or some human involvement, some human quotes will almost always be a useful addition.

For example:
There is much concern over the environmental effects of the proposed new road carries far less weight than:
'We're terribly concerned for the futures of several rare species' said Miss Smith, protesting at the site.

Often, you will be able to contact the person concerned and ask them for a brief quote. Sometimes you will have to rely on someone else's quote on the subject, and sometimes you may have to quote from a classic source, like Shakespeare, but the more immediate (and relevant) the better.

For a press release, the person whose company or services you are helping to promote should be more than happy to give you a few words. You can always adapt their quote a little, with their permission, to make a bigger impact, although the change of voice will introduce a useful variety.

With a news item, the subject may be less willing to say anything more than 'no comment', but you should try to get as close to the source of the story as possible for a quote you can use. A bystander caught up in the drama will probably have something relevant to say.

With more general articles, where there may be no current source other than your own research, quotes from previous writers (taking care over copyright), previous press releases or comments in the public domain (i.e., the media) may be useable.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the aforementioned Wm Shakespeare may still be your best option.

Never mind, at least he was never known to say, 'No comment.'

Roy