The PR Maven®, CEO & Founder, Marshall Communications, creating & implementing marketing/PR/personal branding strategies.
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I recently finished binge-watching Netflix’s The Crown, along with more than 70 million other households. If you, like me, are fascinated with British history and the Royal family, it’s worth a watch.
As someone who had the same hairstyle as Lady Di in the 1980s (she was a year younger than me), I’ve been interested (OK, at times obsessed) in the inner workings of British royalty throughout my life. But you don’t have to be obsessed with Diana, princess of Wales, to appreciate The Crown. Although the show is technically fictional, it does contain plenty of truth, including the royals’ habit of old-fashioned writing.
In every single episode, viewers are shown images of various members of the royal family sitting down at their desks. What are they doing? Picking up a fountain pen or tapping away at a manual typewriter to send their inner feelings, opinions and thoughts to loved ones or government officials. Whatever the occasion, you can see a hand engaged in the act of writing or fingers on a keyboard furiously typing away. Simultaneously, you can hear the voices in their head, thinking through the precise language to be used in the missive.
There is beauty in writing. Whether you work in PR or not, writing is an art form — and one that we must all continue to cherish. As Maya Angelou once wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
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But not all writing is created equal. There is a difference between the old-fashioned writing in shows like The Crown and the act of emailing or texting. There is something magical and wondrous about the former, whereas the latter is cruder and less involved.
The fact that you must take time to physically put pen to paper and share your thoughts implies more care and personal attention than simply whipping off a message electronically. Because it takes more time and care, it is also more meaningful. While technology has blessed us with convenience and expedience, it often removes the meticulousness that conveys deeper meaning. There is truth in the saying, “What comes easy won’t last long, and what lasts long won’t come easy.”
There is also something more personal about addressing an envelope and putting a stamp on it. The recipient can hold that handwritten message in their hands and keep it for future use. It is tactile, and often beautifully so. There is a reason most millennials (87%) value handwritten notes more than alternative means of communication. And there is a reason nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults surveyed said they are more likely to read a handwritten note from a company.
Part of the reason is novelty. According to the same survey, it’s been over a year since one-third of Americans received a handwritten note. For 15% of respondents, it’s been longer than five years. Because traditional handwriting is so rare nowadays, it takes on outsized importance. It has become even more special.
For personal and professional reasons, Americans can and should incorporate more old-fashioned writing into their daily routine. Whether you’re reaching out to parents or clients, recipients will take notice. It will differentiate you from others. It shows that you’ve not only embraced traditional handwriting as part of your education but that you are caring and thoughtful to boot. That goes a long way with people.
Think about it: Do you want to be more memorable? Do you want people to recognize you? Do you want to stand out from the crowd?
Old-fashioned writing can help you get there. You don’t need to be one of the sheep when it’s proven that people genuinely appreciate the added effort associated with traditional writing. Just because it is “old-fashioned” doesn’t mean that it is outdated. Handwritten messages still serve a purpose in 2021 and beyond.
I still have handwritten notecards that my boss sent to me in one of my first jobs in communications when I was in my 20s. I even have a note that the governor of Maine wrote to me in the 1990s to thank me for helping publicize tourism in the state of Maine. I framed that one, and it still hangs on my office wall. Because I remember what an impression those notes had on me personally, I currently write notes and send them in the mail to my own employees and hope that it strengthens our relationship and their loyalty to my company. I also write thank-you notes to clients when they sign a new contract or when they achieve something, such as receiving an award or publishing an opinion piece in the newspaper.
If Princess Diana — perhaps the most accessible royal and a champion of the people — could do it, then so can the rest of us.
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Author: Nancy Marshall, Forbes Councils Member
