writingfor media - pr class
Post on 27-May-2015
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Writing for the Mass Media“Public Relations”
UCSD ExtensionMike Lawson
760/845-8146
dmlcomm@gmail.com
PR Folks Wear Many Hats
• Handle Communication with the External Publics of an Organization
• Counsel Management and Other Org Employees on How Best to Deal with Important Audiences
• Handle Communication with the Internal Publics of an Org
• Work with News Media to Get Info about the Org
Wearing Many Hats cont.
• Help to Produce Public Functions and Events• Research• Planning• Communication• Evaluation
Charactics of a PR Person
• PR writers have a dual role
• Ability to write and use language effectively
• Ability to work effectively with many people in various situations
Eric the Red
• Who was he?
• Should we trust him?
• What’s a flack?
News Releases
• Most common form/tool of PR• Write like a story• Think about audience• Be concise!• Answer 5 Ws and H• Apply News Values (Chap. 4)• Fewer than 10% of PRs are placed• Include 3rd parties in releases for objective
content
News release - 3 things
1. Headline
2. Contact info
3. “For Immediate Release”
More news release…
• Written in inverted pyramid
• Lead paragraph muy importante
• Sentences short
• Paragraphs be brief
• Avoid wordiness
• Proper ID of sources mentioned
Letters
• Good way to get direct message to straight to audience
• Tell story quickly or will be ineffective
• Must be personal and professional
Letters Guidelines
• Don’t be obsequious• Don’t be overly complimentary• Don’t try to be too funny• Avoid referring to personal characteristics• Use personal pronouns• Avoid impersonal constructions• Avoid passive voice• Avoid using technical language• Avoid wordiness
Company Publications
• Newsletters
• Pamphlets and brochures
• Annual reports
• Websites
• Blogs
• Twitter feeds
Oral Presentatons
• Speeches– Informative– Persuasive– Entertaining
• Statements– Short oral presentation
• Slide presentations– PowerPoint presentations (Microsoft)– KeyNote (Apple)
Speeches
• Keep them around 30 minutes• Intro speaker and establish relationship with
audience• Warm audience with a humorous story• Establish subject• Expand on points in middle• Use striking quotes, ancient quotes, obscure
fact to gain attention• Provide summary in end
Conclusion
• PR requires a lot of writing
• PR requires a lot of research
• PR requires precise execution
• PR requires constant follow up
• PR requires tracking and reporting
Finally…
Questions?
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