Writing for Public Relations 97202

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Writing for Public Relations97202

• Unit Leader / Lecturer - Elizabeth Dougall
• August 4, 2000
• Writing for the Media (Part 2)

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Learning Objectives - after completing the
workload for this week you will be able to

• describe the pre-requisites for media release
  writing
• describe the functions of a media release

• describe the principles of writing a media
  release
• describe how to present a media release in a
  format acceptable to the media

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Resources

• Note for assignment 1
• Links to PR Resources
• http//www.usq.edu.au/faculty/arts/MASSCOMM/PRHOTL
  1.HTM
• Media Release Examples
• http//www.telstra.com.au/newsroom/

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Media Releases - some essentials

• The Inverted Pyramid
• Remember the structure - most important to least
  important

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Media Releases - some essentials

• Why and when should you produce a media release?
• To explain an organisations position on an
  issue.
• To announce an event or initiative.
• To announce a new appointment to the organisation.

• To meet an obligation (legal and/or moral) to
  keep the public informed.
• To assist the media / develop good media
  relationships.
• To keep the record straight.
• When you have news!!!!!

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Media Releases - some essentials

• Writing the Release
• One of the best ways of learning to write a media
  release is to read or listen to the medium for
  which it is intended. Observe and apply the same
  principles to your own copy.

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Media Releases - some categories

• Announcement Releases
• Created News Releases
• Spot News Releases
• Response Releases
• Feature Releases
• Bad News Releases
• Guest Columns, Letters and Photos

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Media releases must include

• A Headline
• a brief and punchy attention grabber
• A Lead Paragraph
• one sentence of no more than 23 to 25 words in
  length
• the most important section of the media release
• captures the most newsworthy elements of the who,
  what, why, when, where and how.

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Media releases must include

• The subject of the release is stated in the
  opening. The subject not usually the
  organisations name but what it is doing. For
  example,
• QANTAS CEO Mr X today announced that new flight
  times to South East Asia have been introduced in
  response to growing demand.
• Compared with
• Fifty new daily flights to South East Asia have
  been scheduled to meet the growing demands of
  Australian business, QANTAS CEO Mr X announced
  today

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Media releases must include

• The Amplifying Paragraph
• The second paragraph amplifies or expands the
  key points

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Media releases must include

• Direct and Indirect Quotes
• Make generous uses of direct quotes.
• e.g. This is a great opportunity for people who
  are looking for a long-term investment
  opportunity, Ms Smith said.
• An indirect quote would be written as
• The public listing of the telecommunications
  giant, was a great long-term investment
  opportunity according to Telstras spokesperson,
  Ms Carolyn Smith.

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Media releases must include

• Absence of Opinion Except in Quotes
• opinion MUST be attributed to a source other than
  the writer.
• do not editorialise your media release by
  describing something as fabulous or
  controversial.
• You may directly or indirectly quote an
  appropriate source as having said that something
  was a great opportunity take care not to state
  opinion as fact.

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Media releases must include

• Use Client Organisations Letterhead
• The media release should be professionally
  presented on appropriately designed letterhead
  featuring the client organisations corporate
  identity or logo.

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Media releases must include

• Contact Information
• the inclusion of a contact name or names and
  contact telephone numbers is essential.
• Contact information may appear at the top or the
  bottom of the page.
• If the release is more than one page in length,
  contact information should be provided on both
  pages.

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Media releases must include

• Number of Pages
• The media release must be no more than two (2) A4
  pages).
• Line Spacing
• Use one and a half or double line spacing (not
  single line spacing).
• Date
• The media release must be clearly dated.

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Media releases must include

• Release Information
• If the information in the media release is able
  to be published immediately, then the words For
  Immediate Release should appear above the
  headline to the right of the page.
• If dissemination is to be delayed, the words
  Embargoed to X date X time should appear above
  the headline to the right of the page.

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Media releases must include

• Termination of Copy
• The content of the media release should be marked
  with the word Ends. This should mark clearly
  the termination of copy
• The next share offer will be made in February
  1999.
• Ends
• For Further Information Contact
• Robert Brown
• Tel [phone]
• Mobile (XXXX)
• AH (XXXX)

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Media releases must include

• Page Numbers
• Ensure that the number of pages is clearly
  identified eg. Page 1 of 2 and Page 2 of 2.

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Other media release essentials

• Appropriate targeting i.e. get the right person
  in the right place (which means doing your
  research)
• Follow-up the best laid plans fall apart if the
  right person doesnt receive your info

• Persistence if the story is newsworthy, keep
  working on it, but dont become an irritant.
• Practice the more you write and talk to the
  media, the better you will become.

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Other media release essentials

• If its not newsworthy, it should not have been
  sent in the first place.
• You can make the medias job easier if you
  understand what they need.
• Always ask the media what they want and what they
  think - but dont waste their time.

• write in short simple sentences
• use one word instead of two time is of the
  essence
• use active words where possible, e.g. the General
  Manager rejected the idea, rather than the
  passive, the idea was rejected by the General
  Manager

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Other media release essentials

• use contractions, e.g. theyll hes theyre
• avoid unfamiliar words and give phonetic
  pronunciation for difficult words, e.g. Mr
  Takeshita (ter kesh ter)
• avoid tautology, the profit is an all time
  record
• avoid overuse of sibilants (s sounds hiss) and
  fricatives (f sounds.)

• present neat copy with correct spelling -
  incorrect spelling confuses and reduces
  credibility
• read stories aloud when writing for the ear it
  is the sound that matters.
• Did people listen and did they grasp the meaning?
  If the answer is yes, then the writer is doing
  his/her job

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Media Release Checklist (modified from text)

• Is the lead direct and to the point?
• Does it contain the most important and
  interesting aspects of the story?
• Has the right angle been emphasised for the
  media / audience targeted?

• Have the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How been
  covered in the first two paragraphs?
• Are sentences short, concise? Paragraphs short?
  Words common and concrete?
• Is comment / opinion been in quotation marks and
  attributed to the appropriate source?

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Media Release Checklist (modified from text)

• Are quotations natural? Does it sound as though
  someone might have actually that?
• Are spelling and punctuation correct?
• Have all statements of fact been double- checked?

• Has the release been properly prepared - format,
  spacing etc?
• Is the release dated? Is release time
  indicated?
• Are names and phone numbers for further
  information included?
• Is the release written in news style?

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Photo Caption Checklist

• The Photo Caption explains the picture.
• Is it complete?
• Does it identify the subject fully and clearly?
• Does it tell when?
• Does it tell where?
• Does it tell whats in the picture?
• Is it specific?

• Are the names spelled correctly, with the right
  name on the right person?
• Is it easy to read?
• Have excess adjectives been removed?
• NEVER write a caption without first seeing the
  photo!!!

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Next Week

• Public relations the media and the Internet (part
  1)
• Writing for other public relations tools (part 1)

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Readings for this week

• Text - N C, chs 9, 10, 11
• Selected Readings 5.15.5

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Preparation for tutorials

• Your task -
• Locate and bring to class six (6) media releases
  - at least three (3) of these must be examples
  that you believe are very effective.

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Contact Details

• Lecturer Elizabeth Dougall
• Tutors Elizabeth Dougall Alison Feldman
• Location Q211
• Phone [phone]
• Consutation Times
• Monday 12 - 2 pm Friday 12 - 1 pm.
• Ancillary materials are located at
• http//www.usq.edu.au/ancil/foa/97202/
• or via P drive accessed on-campus (Computer
  Lab)
• Links to PR Resources
• http//www.usq.edu.au/faculty/arts/MASSCOMM/PRHOTL
  1.HTM