The Press Release
The In-House Publication
We're going to do something different this year. In recent years, we've used the section on Public Relations Writing to create a PR piece for the Admissions office. This year, I have a different goal: I'm going to divide you into teams and have you compete to put together PR packages.
My plan is to divide you into four teams. Two teams will compete for the right to do PR for The Underground Railroad Research Institute.
Informational Brochure
Press Release
Fact Sheet
Press Kit
Display Board
What is PR?
Public Relations Is More Than Getting Ink
By David P. Kowal
Public relations practitioners have done a much better job for their clients
than they have for themselves.
Most people, including those in the real estate industry, know that public
relations firms write press releases and try to get their clients
"ink" in the local paper. Some even know that public relations firms
hold lots of parties that they like to call "special events." But
there is a general lack of understanding about what public relations is and how
it can help a firm, and promote a product or even an industry.
According to Public Relations News, "Public relations is the management
function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and
procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest, and
plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and
acceptance."
One reason the definition is ambiguous is that the field itself is broad. It
includes public affairs, community relations, investor relations, internal
communications and crisis communications, to name a few areas of specialization.
If a builders association wants to affect public opinion about septic system
regulations, it needs a firm with public affairs experience. A large firm might
hire a community relations manager to coordinate its corporate giving program. A
publicly held company's investor relations director communicates with analysts
and shareholders. Internal communications specialists coordinate programs to
keep employees informed and to ensure that they are working to achieve corporate
goals. Crisis communications, which will be discussed in my next column,
includes planning for a crisis as well as executing the plan. As these areas of
specialization show, the "public" in public relations can be the
entire country or it can be a narrowly defined market segment.
Regardless of the area of specialization, public relations includes four
functions, which are outlined in the definition -- research, planning,
implementation and evaluation. Research provides a framework for developing a
strategic plan with carefully defined goals. Once the plan is developed, it is
implemented and then the results are evaluated. Public relations practitioners
like acronyms and call this process RACE, for research, action, communication
and evaluation. It should really be research, planning, communication and
evaluation, but RACE is a pretty boring acronym.
Most of a public relations practitioner's time is usually focused on
implementing public relations tactics, but if the plan is not sound, the
company's or client's goals are unlikely to be achieved, no matter how well the
plan is executed.
Media relations is the public relations function most people think of when they
hear the term "public relations." Among other things, media relations
practitioners develop media lists, write press releases, submit them for
publication and follow up with editors. Press releases should be used only when
a firm has something newsworthy to report. Many firms think their local
newspaper will profile them because they're celebrating their fifth anniversary
in business (yawn!) or because they're an advertiser. In most cases, telling the
editor you want coverage because you're an advertiser is the quickest way to
guarantee that you will not be covered.
Media relations also includes media training -- consulting with clients and
teaching them how to respond to media inquiries and interviews. The most
important advice a media trainer can provide is to tell a client to be honest
and to be prepared. Write down a few talking points and try to focus the
interview on those points.
Public relations firms also work with clients to develop by-lined articles, like
this one. By-lined articles can be especially effective for professional service
firms, such as architects, engineering firms and property management companies,
because they provide tangible evidence of a firm's expertise in a given area.
Once published, by-lined articles can be reprinted and used effectively as
marketing collateral.
These are a few ways that a public relations firm can get "ink" for
your firm. But if you're using your public relations firm only for publicity,
you're not using the firm to your best advantage.
Press Releases
Press releases are designed to gain public exposure and recognition for your
organization. The key: recognize that a newspaper is most likely to pick
up your story if it adheres to journalistic principles. The best way to
write a good press release is to write a good story. Items to remember
(adapted from Writing the Bulletproof Press Release
By Yvonne Buchanan):
Avoid hype.
Words like “revolutionary,” “best” and “leading-edge” should be
avoided, or at minimum backed up by facts and figures or used in quotes from
non-biased reviewers. Chances are, they’d be edited out anyway. No
self-respecting reporter would include them in copy to an editor.
Avoid college jargon.
Make sure that there's nothing in the article that presupposes a knowledge of
the college by the reader. Write for an audience that knows nothing about the
college.
Use standard journalistic style.
Generally, use the inverted pyramid style. This is the practice journalists have
of putting the most important information first, followed by information of
decreasing importance (but still germane to the release). The lead should
contain as many of the 5 Ws and H (Who, What, Why, Where, When, How) as possible
without creating one big run-on sentence.
Step 7: Be brief.
There’s no such thing as “too short” in a press release. If you’ve said
what needs to be said, stop writing.