Chapter 14 Notes

Chapter 14 Reading Notes
Here are some guidelines for writing smart, simple, and short:
1. Completeness
2. Conciseness
3. Correctness
4. Courtesy
5. Responsibility

Proposals:
-Show a need
-Satisfy the need
-Show benefits
-Call for action
***When writing a proposal, keep in mind proposals follow a specific format. They are a tool to convince higher management to make a decision about contracts or about approving money and resources for a project.

Source: Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Chapter 12 Notes

Chapter 12 Reading Notes
Here are five things that new media is characterized by-
1. Widespread broadband
2. Cheap/free, easy-to-use online publishing tools
3. New distribution channels
4. Mobile devices, such as cameras phones
5. New advertising paradigms
Here are some writing tips from Shel Holtz-
1. Write the way you talk
2. Limit each page to a single concept
3. Use a lot of bullet-point lists
4. Make sure each page provides the context readers need
5. Limit the use of italics and boldface
6. Do not overuse hyperlinks within narrative text
7. Make sure your hyperlinks are relevant
8. Provide feedback options for readers

**Public Relations is a field where texting, twitter, and wiki are used a lot within works that are done.

Source: Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Chapter 11 Notes

Chapter 11 Notes

Areas of Friction Between Public Relations and the Media-
*Advertising influence
* Name-calling
* Sloppy/biased reporting
*Hype and News Release Spam
* Tabloid journalism
Here are some guidelines for PR Newswire-
* When “no comment” appears it can create hostility
* Be respectful and try to help
* Know the deadlines that are set for print and media
* Network with the journalist around you and be familiar with who they are so you know who to contact

Source: Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Chapter 10 Notes

Chapter 10

In PR writing you can use tip sheets. These are a good for finding media people who might have an interest in your work.

Here are Distribution Channels for Publicity Materials:
1). E-mail: This can be used for pitching story suggestions to journalists and editors. You can have questions answered and you can also send any of your materials through this medium.
2). Online newsrooms: This can be used to discuss news releases, media kits, features, corporate background information, and high-resolution photos and graphics.
3). Electronic newswires: This can be used for distributing financial news to larger newspapers and broadcasting outlets. This can be national or international.
4). There are mat distribution companies that can also be used.
5). Photo placement firms: This is good and can be used for distributing high-resolution photos used to make publicity on an international basis

Source: Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Chapter 9 Notes

Chapter 9

Audio News Release is often called an ANR. These can take 2 forms:
ANR-Audio News Releases can be in two different forms. They are either actuality, which is someone who has a great voice for the radio and reads all of the announcements yet their name is not said. And the other is soundbite, which is a more complex one yet easy. This is where an announcer can be used or a soundbite (a clip from a customer, famous person, or company spokesperson).

–Public Service Announcements can only be used by non-profit organizations and is properly defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as an unpaid announcement that promotes the programs of government or nonprofit agencies.

These are a list of eight titles that are on radio and television stations:
1.General Manager
2.Program director
3.Directors and producers
4.New Director
5.Assignment editor
6.Reporters
7.Public affairs or public service director
8.Promotion director

Source: Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Chapter 8 Reading Notes

Chapter 8-

Photos and graphics are very important to a news release and feature story. They help describe the story without fully reading it and they are an aspect that grabs the readers attention in the beginning.
Works of an effective and good photo have technical quality, subject matter, composition, action, scale, camera angle, lighting and timing, and color.
Cropping Editing the photo is when you cut off parts of the picture that you don’t want to get a better more focused idea of what you want the picture to portray. All the photos that you have will need a caption that is a slight description of the picture and may include a quotation.

Source: Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Chpater 7 Notes

Chapter 7 Notes

• When writing a feature story is it used to help in these five areas. Make sure that these intertwined within your feature:

1)       Give information to the consumer

2)       Give background about organizations

3)       Give a behind-the-scenes perspective

4)       Add a human dimension to events

5)       Generate publicity

• For writing a feature you need to keep in mind these three things to help with ideas:

1)       Conceptualize how something lends itself to future treatment

2)       Determine if the information would be interesting and useful for your audience

3)       Be sure that the feature helps achieve organizational objectives

• A proposal is used as an outline of the entire article and tells in detail why a magazine should publish it. In a proposal it should include:

1)       Tentative title of the article

2)       Subject and theme

3)       Significance

4)       Major points

5)       Descriptions of available photos and graphics

• These are the most common types of feature stories that are used within PR writing:

1)       Case studies

2)       Application stories- similar to case study but focuses on how consumers can use a product or service in innovative ways

3)       Research studies

4)       Backgrounders- there are several kinds. They can focus on a problem and its solution from the product or it can explain how the product has evolved.

5)       Personality profiles

6)       Historical pieces

• There are 5 different parts of a feature story and they are:

1)       The headline

2)       The lead

3)       The body

4)       The summary

5)       Photos and graphics

Source: Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Chapter 6 Notes

Chapter 6 Notes

When working with Fact Sheets: one-page background sheets about an even, a product, or even the organization

1. These may be distributed with a news release or even be part of a media kit

~ A Media kit is also called a press kit. It holds many materials, like a news releases, fact sheets and photos

~ A Media advisory is also called a media alert. It is used to let assignment editors know about a newsworthy event or an interview of opportunity that could lend itself to photo or video coverage.

~ A Pitch are effective memos and emails that will persuade reporters and editors to cover your product, service, or event

There are 7 things to follow when you are making and putting together a fact sheet. They are:

1)       The dates of the exhibit

2)       the number of maps on display

3)       a short description of some rare maps on exhibit

4)       hours of the exhibit

5)       Admission fees

6)       the museum’s address and the telephone numbers

7)       the corporate sponsors

~ A Corporate profile is a second kind of fact sheet that is a one-page sheet giving key facts about an organization

~ A Media advertisories are also called media alerts because they tell assignment editors about upcoming events that they might be interested in covering from a story, photo, and video perspective

~An EPK’s- or e-kits are known as Electronic Press Kits. They are more unique than regular print media kits, because they have the ability to include multiple pieces of information in a variety of formats such as : text, video, photo, audio, animation.

Source: Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

• Almost every publicity plan uses a press release as it’s “backbone”
• 55-97%  press releases are never used that are sent out.
• News releases help achieve organizational objectives within a company

There is a certain way to form press releases so make sure to do it correctly:

1)      10-12 standard point type

2)      Do not split sentences or paragraphs between pages

3)      Do not hyphenate words at the end of a line.

4)      Number pages

Types of news releases

1)       Announcements- personal appointments, promotions and changes, new products and services, etc.

2)       Spot Announcements- when things due to some outside action or influence happen to an organization, a spot news release may be in order

3)       reaction releases- used when an even has an impact on the specific organization

4)       bad news- confront issues, even if it may reflect badly on an organization

Important parts of traditional news releases:

1. letterhead 2. contacts 3. headline 4. dateline 5. lead paragraph 6. body of text

Here are some things by Craig McGuire that deal with a Smart Media Release:

Things to do:

• Include links to pages where multiple instances of your key words/phrases reinforce your message
• Place terms in key positions like headlines and first paragraphs
• Distribute a release through a service that carries hyperlinks to downstream sites such as Yahoo! Finance, AOL News, and Netscape

Things to not do:

• Using lots of links. Too many will confuse journalists and draw focus away from key messaging
• Use low-resolution images. Opt for high-resolution multimedia that can be easily used by layout pros
• Use all tools, all the time. Focus first on the message. Use bells and whistles to complement the campaign.

Source: Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Chapter 4 Notes-Finding and Making News

The Challenge of Making News-

There are four obstacles the publicists generally have to face when making a news story and they are:

• Media gatekeepers
• Shrinking news hole
• Reality that the traditional mass media is now fragmented, and it is no longer possible to reach the larger public through a single medium
• Information overload

 

What Makes News

• Timeliness
• Prominence
• Proximity
• Significance
• Unusualness
• Human Interest
• Conflict
• Newness

All of these have specific characteristics that set them apart as good subjects of news. They hold interest to readers in all categories and uphold the standard of news for journalist.

ONe of my favorite parts from the chapter was a list of 32 ways to create news for an organization your may be affiliated with. Here is it:

32 Ways to Create News for Your Organization

• Tie in with news events of the day
• Cooperate with another organization on a joint project
• Tie in with a newspaper or braodcast station on a mutual project
• Conduct a poll or survey
• Issue a report
• Arranger and interview with a celebrity
• Take part in a contreversy
• Arrange for a testimonial
• Arrange for a speech
• Make an analysis or prediction
• Form and announce names for committees
• Hold an election
• Announce an appointment
• Celebrate an anniversary
• Issue a summary of facts
• Tie in with a holiday
• Make a trip
• Make an award
• Hold a contect
• Pass a resolution
• Appear before a public body
• Stage a special event
• Write a letter
• Release a letter you recieved (with permission)
• Adapt national reports and surveys for local use
• Stage a debate
• Tie in to a well-known week or day
• Honor an institution
• Organize a tour
• Inspect a project
• Issue a commendation
• Issue a protest

These were some of the main things that stuck out in the fourth chapter of the text book. These are inportant tips to hold on to for future reference in journalism.

Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques By:Dennis L. Wilcox

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