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?