Public Relations Exam 3 Class Notes PR and Writing The Inverted Pyramid Begins with the summary lead Adds facts in a descending order of importance Done so that the story may be edited to fit available space by cutting off the end of the story nothing of significance lost Example of pyramid from a newspaper straight news sum m ary lead m ost im portant part of sum m ary lead 2nd m ost im portant 3rd m ost im portant 4th m ost im portant 5t h m ost im po rta nt Pyramid continues until all the news has been covered Works well because people do not read the entire article So the most important info is at the start You also know where to cut from if you need to the end The Summary Lead Who What usually the most important part Why When How Where Example Who Alpha Gamma Delta When Sunday April 19 2015 12 4pm Where Heritage Why Raise money for philanthropy How Competition in water games Print vs Electronic Media Leads Hard lead print o Simple sentences fewer words o Active voice o 22 25 words max summary leadmost important part of summary lead2nd most important3rd most important4th most important5th most important Soft lead electronic o Simple sentences o Active voice o 18 20 words max o First 2 3 words are throwaway meaning people usually miss or do not pay attention to them Format for the News Release Spacing typed double spaced standard page 8 5 by 11 Paper white or company parchment Release date sometimes called embargo date when the info can be Identification organization contact info released to public Margins standard Length should be on one page Paragraphs short Slug line more 30 To transfer to the 2nd page or to end article Suggested headlines attracts reporter s attention not usually used Timing must know when things are due to the newspaper Using the Internet popular now key is finding out how specific reporter wants it to be presented Proof reading Media Kits Bio straight forward narrative form of key people involved Backgrounder may help person understand better Feature Case History all facts from start to release By liner signed by one written by another Memorandum memos to help better understand Pitch letter sales letter Round up article about industry not specifics Fact sheet bullet points of info easy to find out stuff Position paper takes particular point of view Standby statement when you know your getting in trouble with the media it is written and ready to present when the time comes Held where it best suits the medias unless location itself is what is Speech News Conferences newsworthy Be mindful of media deadlines Hold for major events only If you can get the info to the media in a quicker simpler way for example if you can do a news release do it In general do not use these An exception news of limited interest might get coverage if given as an Exclusives exclusive If you do rotate exclusives with the media do not play favorites Talking off the Record In general do not do it If you must establish the rules and offer the reporter something in return Managing Crises The two types of organizations Those who have had a crisis Those who will Good PR can t prevent a crisis but it can help you when it does Crisis vs Emergency Crisis any situation that can affect the well being of an organization Emergency a problem that does not affect the well being of an organization it can usually be fixed quickly Timeframe of a Crisis Shock Anger Siege Mentality shut out world so you don t have to deal with the issue Adjustment Adaptation because you have to Types of Crises Fire Explosions Product tampering ex Tylenol Killer Law suits Environment damage ex BP oil spill Product defects Terrorism Ramifications of a Crisis Stock devaluation Decrease in consumer confidence Loss of public trust Three Specific Crisis Types Immediate happening right now Emerging has not happened yet but is going to very soon Sustained it won t go away Characteristics of Today s Reporters Inexperienced Young Not well trained in journalism Don t understand organizations government and how they work Skeptical of any PR effort Communicating During a Crisis Do not speculate on cause of crisis Make your point and repeat it often Establish yourself as the most authoritative source Stay on the record Worst thing to do is say No comment Most of the time CEO s aren t good at speaking to the media and public directly Talking to the Media Speak first and often Don t speculate Stay on the record Stay with the facts Be open and concerned not defensive Make your point and repeat it often Don t wage war with the media Establish yourself as the authority Stay calm and be truthful Never lie Book Notes Public Relations Writing Chapter 15 Writing is the KEY to PR o PR professionals should write and speak better than their colleagues Writing for readers and writing for listeners differs o Reader can scan materials review them skip parts and most importantly can check up on facts that the writer provides o Listeners listener gets only one chance to hear and understand the message You must grab the listener quickly or there usually is no second chance Four point formula for writers o Idea must precede the expression borrowing old ideas is a good way to come up with a new one o Don t be afraid of the draft first prepare a rough draft to review and change most PR people don t do this giving reason to why most PR people are bad writers o Simply clarify the simpler the better the more people who understand you re writing the more people will be motivated to action o Writing must be aimed at a particular audience specific audience to tailor the message to reach the group Flesch Readability Formula o Flesch said that anyone could be a writer o Said people who write the way they talk will be the best writers o He emphasizes using simple words o For example Shakespeare said To be or not to be rather than a long verse o Ex in the Bible simple but effective statement In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth o Flesch s 7 suggestions for making writing more readable 1 Use contractions like it s and doesn t 2 Leave out the word that 3 Use pronouns like I we they and you 4 When referring back to a noun use that noun not a substitution 5 Use brief clear sentences 6 Cover only one item per paragraph 7 Use language the reader understands The Inverted Pyramid o Flesch s writing style is a journalistic approach meaning if readers lose interest early they probably won t be around at the end of the story o The first two paragraphs
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