Chapter 15 PR Writing PR Exam 3 2010 Plain Writing Act a law mandating government bureaus to cut the bureaucratese in dealing with the public Writing for a reader differs dramatically than writing for a listener Writing for a reader vs a listener o A reader can Scan material Study printed words Dart ahead Review passages for better understanding Check up on a writer if the facts are wrong Gets one opportunity to hear the message Must grab the listener quickly o A listener Writing fundamentals do not change significantly from one form to another Primary skill as a PR professional is writing Fundamentals of writing o The idea must precede the expression Think before writing Each new writing situation doesn t require a new idea Borrow old ideas in order to come up with clever ideas o Don t be afraid of the draft Prepare a rough draft Organize ideas Plot their development Few PR writers go through the drafting process o Simplify clarify The simpler the better Shop talk jargon and in words should be avoided Standard English is all that s required to get an idea across o Writing must be aimed at a particular audience Have the target group in mind and tailor the message to reach that audience Sir Winston Churchill was the greatest PR writer of all time o Got straight to the point He delivered bad news in particular in a very straightforward way o Wrote the truth o Painted pictures figuratively o Used simple words o Used verbs Flesch readability formula anyone can become a writer people who write the way they talk will be able to write better o Use simple words the audience will receive the message more clearly o 7 suggestions to make writing more readable Leave out the word that whenever possible Use contractions it s and doesn t Use pronouns I we they you When referring back to a noun repeat the noun or use a pronoun Use brief clear sentences Cover only one item per paragraph Use language the reader understands Newspaper story form is the opposite from a novel The climax of a novel comes at the end The climax of a newspaper story comes at the beginning Inverted pyramid o First tier or lead first one or two paragraphs including the most important facts o After paragraphs are written in descending order of importance with progressively less important facts presented as the article continues o Lead is the most critical element who what why when where how First recorded news release Ivy Lee s Statement from the Road o October 1906 o Offered an explanation from client Pennsylvania Railroad about that month s crash that killed 50 people o Published in The New York Times News release the granddaddy of PR writing vehicles most important PR vehicle o May be written as the document of record to state an organization s official position Ex on a court case o Purpose to influence a publication to write favorably about the material discussed o Most news releases are not used verbatim 5 newsworthy topics for news releases Professor Linda Morton of the Univ of Oklahoma s Herbert School of Journalism o Impact major announcement that affects an organization its community society o Oddity unusual occurrence or milestone 1 millionth customer signing o Conflict significant dispute or controversy labor disagreement or rejection of proposal o Known principal the greater the title of the individual making the announcement the greater the change of the release being used Pres v Vice Pres o Proximity how localized the release is or how timely it is relative to the news of the day Human interest stories touch on an emotional experience o Also considered newsworthy Most news releases never see the light of print Less than 10 of all news releases are published News releases need to include o Well defined reason for sending the release o Focus on one central subject in each release o Make certain the subject is newsworthy in the context of the organization industry or community o Include facts about the product service or issue being discussed o Provide the facts factually no fluff or hyperbole o Rid the release of unnecessary jargon o Include appropriate quotes from principals but avoid inflated superlatives that do little more than boost management egos o Include product specifications shipping dates availability price and all pertinent info o Include a brief description of the company aka a boilerplate at the end of the release o Write clearly and concisely News release content o Written clearly and concisely o Newspaper style o Answer 6 key questions who what where when why how o Inverted pyramid structure To be newsworthy news releases must be objective News release essentials o Rationale Well defined reason for sending the release o Focus Speak about one central subject Two critical questions whats new And so what o No puffery or hyperbole o Nourishing quotes Quotes such as this product will add 20 to our annual revenue growth Important projections o Company description Boilerplate succinct organizational description Market position scope of business activity geographic coverage aspiration size company personality o Spelling grammar punctuation o Clarity conciseness News release style typical style rules o Capitalization o Abbreviation o Numbers Spell out numbers zero through nine use figures for 10 and up o Spelling Writing releases for the internet o One reporter per to line when emailing a press release don t make it look like a mass email o Limit subject line headers 4 6 words o Hammer home the headline o Limit length email news releases should be shorter than print versions about 500 words o Observe 5w format who what when where why o No attachments o Remember readability Chapter 17 Crisis Management No sector of society is immune from crisis In the second decade of the 21st century society is flooded with front burner issues that affect individuals and organizations Issues management has become increasingly important for PR professionals Issues management coined in 1976 by the PR counselor W Howard Chase o The capacity to understand mobilize coordinate and direct all strategic and policy planning functions and all public affairs public relations skills toward achievement of one objective meaningful participation in creation of public policy that affects personal and institutional destiny Issues management covers the following elements o Anticipate emerging issues Precrisis planning Deals with issues that will hit the organization a year later o Identify issues selectively Select 5 to 10 specific
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