Sunday December 7 2014 PUR3000 Public Relations Writing Inverted pyramid writing style Summary leads strictly for news begins with the summary lead adds facts in descending order of importance the rst part is the most important this is done so the story may be edited to t available space by cutting off the end of the story so nothing of signi cance is lost aims to answer all 6 questions in the rst sentence so if the reader doesn t read the whole thing they know all of the facts the way a reporter writes a story objective and unbiased the way PR writes a story subjective and include their point of view no spin features different from the news not straight to the point in their stories news release goal is to get the story covered lead most critical element the rst tier usually the rst one or two paragraphs which include the most important facts answers questions concerning who what where when why how 1 Sunday December 7 2014 hard lead print soft lead electronic simple sentences active voice and 22 25 words max simple sentences active voice 18 20 words max rst 2 3 words are throw away Media Kits answer any questions the press may have serves as a calling card to introduce the organization to the media consists of a biography backgrounder and fact sheets Q As photos biography facts about the individual 2 types straight forward bio lists factual info in descending order of importance with facts preceding personal details narrative bio gives spark and vitality to make the individual come alive the backgrounder additional info that complements the news release writers can use any style as long as it catches the readers eye pieces that talk about what goes on behind the scenes fact sheets Q As photos fact sheets the most relevant fact discussed in a quick and easily accesible fashion Q As answers the most probable questions about the subject matter photos illustrate the subject can also include additional photos advertising schedules CDs DVDs speeches the pitch letter used to interest an editor or reporter in a possible story interview or event direct and to the point while being catchy and evocative sales letter written to an editor or reporter creative pitch lets the facts do the talking gusty and enthusiastic straight pitch just the facts 2 Sunday December 7 2014 provocative question pitch questions must be pertinent pointed and provocative ex why is dealing with employees and entrepreneurs greatest nightmare ho hum question pitch doesn t pose interesting questions ex would you be interested in how a professional services rm reinvented itself to great success and controversy who cares pitch the pitch presents nothing that concerns the potential client who cares no one whats new pitch does not provide any new info whats new nothing elements of a pitch letter reading 1 open with a grabber an interesting statement to keep the reader 2 explain why the story is relevant to the editors readership listenership or viewership must allude to the scope and importance of the story 3 should be personally written to speci c people rather than addressed to the editor roundup article summarize or round up the experiences of several companies within an industry trend articles can help smaller companies by including their name with top competitors wall street journal business week about a class of companies ex automative industry position paper taking a point of view explains why the organization is participating in the activity standby statement concise statements prepared to clarify an organizations position if called upon ex defensive statements we know we are going to have trouble and this is what we are going to do about it case history writing vehicle to attract publicity 3 tells of a customers favorable of a companies product or service here is where we started and here is where we are now the journey case history ve part formula Sunday December 7 2014 1 present a problem experienced by one company but 2 applicable to many other rms indicate how the dimensions of the problem were de ned by the company using the product indicate the solution adopted 3 4 explain the advantages of the adopted solution 5 detail the company s experience after adopting the solution feature related to the topic subject at hand by liner a story signed and authored by an of cer of a particular rm allows corporate spokespersons to express their views without being subject to major reinterpretation by the publication advantage positions executives as experts organizations usually use byliner reprints as direct mail pieces to enhance their image memorandum note or record made for future use very rare news conferences held where it best suits the media unless the location itself is what is newsworthy held for major events only if you can get the information to the media in a quicker simpler way like a news release do it news release format spacing typed double spaced standard page paper 8 5x11 white professional and calm and clean identi cation identify the organization on contact employee 4 Sunday December 7 2014 release date AKA embargo date date after which the story can be published margins 1 5 inches left 1 inch right length t onto ONE page paragraphs 1 2 sentences long slug line more suggested headlines gives reporter more of an idea of the story grabs their attention to keep reading timing know the deadlines for each section in the newspaper send in release a little ahead of the deadline so the editors can ask questions and edit don t send in too early because editors may forget about the story exclusives don t use exclusives exception news of limited interest might get coverage if given as an exclusive don t play favorites rotate the exclusives with the media talking off the record don t do it if you must establish the rules and offer the reporter something in return 5 Sunday December 7 2014 Crisis Management crisis any situation that can affect the well being of an organization no individual or organization is immune from crisis ex the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises a masked intruder with armed weapons opened re in the movie theatre and killed 12 people and wounded 58 others the movies stars were own to Colorado to comfort and support the victims and there premiere was deferred in major premieres in paris mexico city and tokyo Warner Brothers quick crisis management drew positive reviews emergency something that happens and you deal with it but it doesn t affect the well being of an organization time
View Full Document
Unlocking...