Strategic Writing in Public Relations (pg. 41-84) – Flashcards
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Public Relations:
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the values-driven management that strives to create relationships with publics that are essential to an organization.
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public relation practitioners strive to..
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develop positive, productive relationships with publics that control essential resources
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Relationships are productive when...
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the organization receives the needed resources.
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one challenge public relations practitioners have..
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is to build the relationship with organizations that not only honor not only the those values, but also the values of the other group of the relationship. ex. the values of a journalist and the values of a stockholder.
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public relations is about building ________ __________ with _________ -__________.
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productive relationships with resource-holders
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what are the four stages of the public relations process?
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research,planning, communication, and marketing
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In general we conduct _________ and we _______ before we _____________.
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research, plan, communicate
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what are the four different models in Public Relations?
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1. the press agentry model 2. the public information model 3. the two-way asymmetrical model 4. the two-way symmetrical model
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the Press Agentry Model...
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focuses on gaining favorable publicity from the news media.
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the Public Information Model...
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focuses on distributing accurate information to those who request it, such as news media.
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the Two-way Asymmetrical Model...
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focuses on researching and communicating with target publics to get them to agree with an organization.
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the Two-symmetrical Model...
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focuses on researching and communicating with target publics to build productive relationships that benefit sides.
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Well- run, successful organizations tend to favor what model?
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Two-way Symmetrical Model
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Strategic Writing
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is a foundation for successful public relations.
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Name some of the ways to communicate...
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1. written speeches 2. news releases 3. news letters 4. stories 5. blogs 6. pod-casts
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News Release:
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is a document that conveys newsworthy information about your organization to the media.
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Journalists and bloggers main elements when writing...
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1. timeliness 2. impact 3. uniqueness 4. conflict 5. proximity 6. celebrity
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timeliness:
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the story contains new information
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impact:
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story affects media, readers, viewers, and listeners
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uniqueness:
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difference in similar stories
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conflict:
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the story involves a clash of people and or forces such as nature.
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proximity:
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stories that are described geographically close to the targeted readers, viewers, or listeners.
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celebrity:
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story involves a famous person, such as politicians, business leaders, or entertainers.
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journalists and bloggers often use news releases as ________ ______ and they ________ your _______. sometimes with ____________ information.
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story tips, re-write, work, traditional.
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news releases are often called __________; which is ____________ and ____________.
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press releases. outdated and inappropriate.
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three styles of traditional news releases...
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1. announcement 2. feature story 3. hybrid story
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announcement:
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the straight news story
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feature story:
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a combination of information and entertainment
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Hybrid:
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combination of the feature and the announcement
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what are the three other documents that are similar to traditional news releases...
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1. social media news releases 2. media advisories 3. pitches
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social media news releases:
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web-based multimedia documents
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media advisories;
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quick facts of breaking news
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pitches:
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explosive offers of stories to particular journalists
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to be a successful news release writer, you must...
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focus intensely on what journalists like and stay away from what they dislike.
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what do journalists like? dislike?
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1. conciseness- not wordiness 2. specifics- not generalizations 3. reputable sources- not unattributed opinions 4. objective facts- not promotional writing 5. honesty and cantor- not dishonesty and evasion
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survey says journalists prefer ________ _________. some are still _______- _________ and sent through the mail.
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e-mail delivery, hand-written
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news releases should only contain ________ __________.
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newsworthy information
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survey says that journalists dislike ________. they prefer e-mails in which the news release is the ________ ________.
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attachments, onscreen message.
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Journalists also appreciate ___________ ___________ that appears in the text of news releases.
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instructive images
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In e-mails type the key fact of your news release in the _________ ______.
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subject line
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Before the news line type " _____ _____________ _________."
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for immediate release
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unlike paper news releases, e-mail news releases includes the "____ ______ ___________" data below the story
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for more information
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for paper, if the stationary doesn't state that it is a press release....
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write it in bold block letters at the top of the paper usually in 24 point font
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single-space the text of _______ ______ ________. do not ________ ____________.
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e-mail news releases. indent paragraphs
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e-mail news releases should be long enough to ______ _____ ________ - and no longer
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tell the story
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with paper news releases, __________-___________ the story.This allows journalists to ________ the release. the text should be long enough to tell the story _________ - and no longer and rarely should exceed __ pages
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double-space. edit. concisely. 2
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many news releases are....
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one page
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what do you use to indicate the end of a news release?
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### or -30-
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if the news release is more than one page what symbols do you use?
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-more- or -over-
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most newspaper headlines are written in...
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present tense
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local interest is....
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an important quality to journalists
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what kind of information is considered newsworthy?
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1. timely information that affects members if the news medium's audience. such information is said to have "local interest" which is an important quality to journalists. 2. timely information is unusual or exceptional 3. timely information about a well-known individual or organization
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with or without a dateline, the ______ _________ of a traditional news release should establish _______ ________ and move right into the news.
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first sentence. local interest.
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A traditional news release...
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is structured as an inverted pyramid.
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In a news release, what does inverted period mean?
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it means that the most important information is at the top of the story. As the story continues the pyramid becomes narrower, which means the information becomes less and less important.
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good quotations provide ______, __________ or ________.
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color, emotion or opinion.
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Avoid using ________ _________ _________ in your news release.
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yesterday, today and tomorrow.
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use ______ - ______ ______ to attribute quotes.
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past-tense verbs
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Be ________ not _______.
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precise not concise
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Avoid ___________ ___________. you as the writer, should be _______.
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promotional writing. objective
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avoid so-called ________.
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embargoes
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embargoes:
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news releases that aren't for immediate publication.
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embargoes generally work only when.....
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journalists and strategic writers agree in advance that a situation merits special treatment.
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some news releases conclude with a "__________" paragraph or passage.
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boilerplate.
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boilerplate:
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a standard brief biography of the organization.
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the _______ is by far the most common type of news release.
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announcement
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use announcement news releases for.....
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standard "hard-news" stories
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the announcement news releases....
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1. are straightforward, objective news story. 2. begins with traditional news headline 3. the lead covers the most important aspects; who, what ,when, where, why and how? 4. follows the inverted pyramid structure 5. usually written in past- tense 6. often includes relevant, newsworthy quotations from appropriate sources, such as members of your organization's management team.
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Feature news releases....
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1. focuses on the "softer" less important and less immediate news. 2. are often human-interest stories that highlight some aspect of your organization 3. not as common as announcement news releases 4. don't have traditional news leads. instead the lead attempts to spark the interest with a question, an anecdote,an image or a similar device 5. most dramatic part is usually the last paragraph often use present tense unlike announcement news releases which use past tense.
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Avoid the temptation to include ___________ ________ in feature news releases.
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unattributed opinions
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Hybrid news releases...
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1. are short 2. combines the styles of the announcement and feature news releases. 3.feature-like lead designed to grab the readers attention. then moves into the announcement style 4. unlike the feature news releases, hybrids become progressively less important. 5. can be ideal for hard-news stories that have a whimsical or human-interest angle
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social media news releases...
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convey newsworthy information about your organization to the news media
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social media differs from traditional news releases...
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1. social media releases exist only online, generally in digital newsroom on your organization's website. 2. social media releases are not inverted pyramid news stories. Instead they resemble fact sheets; they are not ready for publication in their current format. 3. social media releases are generally multimedia, often including links to still images, videos, sound clips, other documents, and other websites. 4. do not directly target journalists at traditional news media (television, radio, newspaper and magazines.) instead they target bloggers and online journalists.
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bloggers are...
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the primary target audience for social media news releases.
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bloggers resemble...
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online essayists more than they do traditional journalists.
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bloggers don't want ______ - _____ -_______ news stories.
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ready-to publish
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bloggers want...
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1. facts to mention 2. quotations to include and multimedia items, such as stories and online documents to which they can link.
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social media news releases deliver ________ _________.
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objective facts
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opinions only appear in ________ ________
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attributed quotations.
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social media news releases do not close with...
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### or -30- generally conclude with a "For more information" section.
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social media news releases lack _____ ________, they often include _________ that add _______ __________ to the headline.
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lead paragraphs. subheadlines. key information
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RSS feeds....
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can automatically send news releases and other online information to individuals who request such a service
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As RSS becomes more common...
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the challenge of publicizing and distributing social media news releases will decrease.
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you can help publicize your social media news releases by...
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using search engine optimization techniques; making news releases easier to find through online searches. and by sending concise e-mails, containing a link to specific social media news releases, to individual bloggers and online journalists who you know would be interested in their content.
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don't e-mail social media news releases to _________ ________ unless they request the format.
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traditional journalists
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make a habit of....
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reading social media news releases to stay up-to-date with developments in this evolving form of media relations
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media advisories should outline very _____ _______.
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timely news.
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journalists should be able to write...
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a short, with complete news story from the media advisory alone--or the media advisory should persuade the journalist to attend a newsworthy event.
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pitch:
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strategic message that attempts to persuade an individual journalist or blogger to write a story described in the pitch. "promotes the story"
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written pitches generally...
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take less time to read than feature news releases. is generally an exclusive offer sent to one particular journalist or blogger.
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the ________ _______ and _____ _________of an e-mail pitch must hook the journalist or blogger.
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subject line and first sentence
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hook the journalist or blogger with the _______ ________.
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first paragraph
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four stages of content and organization:
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1. start a fascinating story 2. state the purpose of the pitch 3. state the terms of your offer 4. describe what you hope will happen next
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follow-up phone calls...(voice mail)
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1. state your name and the reason for you calling 2. concisely remind reporter of the top benefits/most compelling facts 3. remind the reporter that this is an exclusive offer--but that your need a response by the deadline 4. repeat your name- clearly and you phone number you are best reached at 5. close with a thank you and hope that you will hear back from them soon
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follow-up phone calls... (journalist or blogger answers)
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1. state your name and why you are calling 2. ask if the journalist or blogger has a minute to talk 3. if reporter resists remind them that this is an exclusive offer 4. if they still resist, then thank them and politely end the call
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telephone pitches...
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1. thoroughly understand the needs of the recipient and his or her particular medium (ex. radio show). be familiar with the medium's target audience and it's recent content. 2. know the daily deadline times of the journalist or blogger you plan to phone--and don't call at those times. 3. get right to the point. tell the journalist or blogger that this is an exclusive story. concisely explain why the story will interest the recipient's audience. 4. be well-informed and be ready to answer any questions about the story. 5. accept "no" for an answer. don't damage your relationship with the journalist or blogger by insisting or by asking why they are not interested.
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the 5 parts of journalist-targeted VNR's...
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1. opening billboard 2. video news release 3. video news release without announcer voice over 4.soundbites 5. b-roll
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before investing the time and expense of producing and distributing a VNR...
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make certain that this tactic fits with your organization's overall strategy. Always ask if a VNR is the best way to achieve the desired goal.
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check your ____ at the door.
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ego
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focus on the _______.
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features
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what should you do with picture and words?
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make sure pictures and words work together. if the words and pictures have no connection, the readers will become confused
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a successful media kit...
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generally focuses on one core news story, which is reported in the news release. All other elements of the media kit,backgrounders, fact sheets and anything else, support the core news story.
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when appropriate, send a sample size of a product. Avoid...
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buying expensive gifts because they would come off as bribes.
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backgrounders are not _________. they do not have _____ _________ or _____ __________. They supply interesting, relevant background information.
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news releases. news leads or news headlines.
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unlike news releases, backgrounders...
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are not important news stories
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like news releases, backgrounders....
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appear in a ready-to-publish format. and should not include unattributed opinions.
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backgrounders should not...
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have a who, what, where, when, why, how lead.
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backgrounders aren't ____________.
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newsworthy
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how often are backgrounders published?
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rarely
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a fact sheet must be so complete that a journalist...
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write a news story--often called a news brief--using only the fact sheet.
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after the headline, fact sheets start off with...
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the most important information and then moves to the second most important piece of information.
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everything in a fact sheet should be in a _____ ________.
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news release
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when there is an event...be sure to...
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photograph and film the event yourself.be ready to supply information and images to journalists who could not attend
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photo opportunity advisories are distributed ______ and event.
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before
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with the visuals, include...
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a copyright release statement that grants permission to republish
