In Class Notes The Inverted Pyramid o Begins with the summary lead o In descending order adds facts in order of most importance o Do it to imitate a journalist story may be edited to fit available space by cutting off the end of the story nothing of significance lost In the news hole do this so the editor can easily fit the news hole The Summary Lead first sentence in an article telling o Who o What o When o Where o Why o How Print vs Electronic Media Leads o Hard Lead print Simple sentences 22 25 words max o Soft Lead electronic Simple sentences Active voice 18 20 words max First 2 3 words thrown away Some aren t always relevant sometimes why and how are left out o Pick most important and work your way down Active voice takes fewer words and paints a picture in the mind of the reader more vivid Many people miss the first few words on TV Radio etc You write them based on who your audience is Format for News Release o Spacing typed double spaced standard page o Paper company letter head or just white professional o Identification something to identify yourself o Release Date don t run it before a specific date relevance o Margins 1 left 1 right o Length try to get it in on 1 pages if not use code format so it s easier for the reporter Slug lines more more than 1 page 30 end of article o Paragraph 2 3 sentences o Suggested headlines written by editor Clever but not cute o Timing example from class about convention couldn t get printed o Using the internet most reporters use internet know who s covering you by name o Proofreading send something accurate and correct No spelling or grammar errors Media Kits what they need for a particular story o Bio straight and narrative o Backgrounder background info o Feature products organization etc o Case history how you got from point A o By liner written by one person signed by another o Memorandum o Pitch Letter sales letter convince the reporter o Round up article article not about a company but an industry o Fact sheet bullet points o Position paper taking a side o Stand by statement if there is a problem have something prepared to fix News conference press conference o Held where it best suits the media unless location itself is what is news worthy room in capital Lexington House Pool inconvenience o Be mindful of media deadlines schedule around their deadlines unless it s very important needs to happen right now then they ll come o Hold for major events only something big is going on and the media should be there o If you can get the info to the media in quicker simper way Ex a news release do it Exclusives giving your story to one reporter o In general don t do this o If you do Rotate the exclusives with the media don t play favorites o An exception news of limited interest might get coverage if given as an exclusive Talking off the record o In general don t do it o Reporters want to be able to use quotes from an exact name o If you must Establish the rules reporters can be sneaky Offer the reporter something in return give me 48hrs o Off the record can either mean you can t say from who you got the info or you may not be able to say anything you heard o There s no law that says a reporter has to keep what you agreed was off the record they can still publish it o Really no such things as off the record because you can t be sure they won t print it Managing Crisis the do s and don ts of a PR crisis o Definition any situation that can affect the well being of an org o Crisis vs Emergency Ex of crisis Syracuse s basketball coach being accused of scandal Ex Of emergency lights go out during final exam Timeframe of a crisis o Shock I can t believe this just happened o Anger you become angry o Siege mentality people get scared people don t want to leave their homes shut world out o Adjustment you start to get past it o Adaptation adapt to it Types of crisis o Fire explosions product tampering Tylenol poisoning law suits cigarette brands environmental damage BP oil Exxon oil product defects glass in gerber baby food terrorism 9 11 terrorism is different than the others because when the terroritst do something they often try to do it again Ramifications of a Crisis o Stock devaluation o Decrease in consumer confidence o Loss of the public trust Types of a crisis o Immediate its here o Emerging not here yet but it s going to happen Ex suit against beer wine whiskey o Sustained here and not going away Ex BP Challenger Generally because they didn t handle the crisis directly Communicating During a Crisis o Do not speculate on the cause of the crisis o Make your point and repeat it often o Establish yourself as the most authoritative source o Stay on the record if you just tell it all there s nothing left to tell if you stretch it out you ll keep bringing it up keep ending up on the front page if you don t know find out the answer and get back to them Characteristics of Today s Reporters o Young o Inexperienced o Not well trained in journalism o Don t understand organizations and government and how they work o Skeptical of any PR effort Pricing o Price includes Monetary Non monetary Risk inconvenience hassle PR Book Notes Chapter 16 Writing for the Eye and Ear Writing for the Eye The Media Kit In print most commonly online calling card to introduce the organization to the media o Biography summary recounts important info about a individual 2 ways to write Straight Bio lists factual info in descending order of importance straightforward Narrative Bio more informational more lively becomes more of a speech o The Backgrounder background piece provides other info to complement the news release must catch readers attention o Fact Sheet Q A s Photos Etc any info that helps journalists tell a story Fact sheet compile the most relevant info concerning the product organization or candidate Quick easy and accessible Q A s present the most probable questions posed about the subject matter and then answers those questions Photos illustrate the subject color photos are a MUST for a media kit o Etc etc etc any other material that should be included in a media kit less is more The Pitch Letter used to interest an editor or reporter story interview or event o The Creative Pitch something gutsy enthusiastic without being boastful All the facts do the talking o The Straight Pitch Just the facts o The Provocative Question Pitch pertinent pointed and provocative questions o The Ho Hum Question Pitch Need to answer the question why o The Who …
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