PR Writing

1
PR Writing

• Prof. Robinson
• Sections 3958/3725, Spring 2005
• February 14

2
Homework Assignment

• Focus in the lead on the company rather than the
  individual
• Vague time reference for the date
• First quote is without significance
• Second quote is self-serving and of no interest
  to the public
• Some irrelevant and awkward information with the
  education background
• Vague information about previous work history
• Missing information about the significance of the
  position
• Missing information about the company

3

• Wesley L. Marlborough has been appointed
  superintendent of the plastics division at
  Starter Electronic, according to Anastasia
  Quigley, Starters vice president for production.
  The appointment will become effective November
  30.
• Marlborough will direct 30 employees in the
  division, overseeing production of Starters line
  of fiber optics. Starter is a major supplier of
  fiber-optical materials for the Vegas Cable
  Television System in Albuquerque.
• A native of East Downhome, Marlborough holds a
  bachelors degree in engineering technology from
  Upper Pecos College at Fort Sumner. He was an
  electronics technician with the U.S. Navy before
  joining Starter in 1989.

4
Media Relations

• Chapters 9 10

5
How to find news

• Internal news sources
• Familiarize yourself with the organization you
  represent!
• Play the role of roving reporter
• External news sources
• Respond to, or build upon, external news stories
  or ideas

6
How to generate news

• Be creative and think synergistically
• Brainstorming
• Special events
• Contests
• Polls and surveys
• NO Pseudo-events!!

• Top 10 Lists
• Stunts
• Product Demonstrations
• Rallies and Protests
• Personal Appearances

7
Introduction to Broadcast

• Writing
• Understandable first time through
• Tell what youre going to say give them the
  context summarize what the message was
• Conversational style
• Soft lead throwaway
• Short sentence verbs and subject close together

8

• What not to do
• Journalese
• Attribution after statement attribution comes
  first
• Why? Tend not to pay close attention to first
  part of a sentence
• Avoid identification of subjects by age, job
  title and such (see p. 225)

9
Radio format

• Triple-spaced writing for reading ease
• indicates pauses
• 60-space line about 10 words per line
• About 15 lines per minute 30-second story 7 to
  8 lines
• Use hyphens when you want letters or numbers said
  separately
• e.g. Y-M-C-A

10
layout

• Go over format on p. 230
• Slug
• Name
• Date
• Tape timing
• Audio cues and copy columns

11
Exercise QA and Release

• Situation The decision has been made to fire the
  UF football coach because of a poor winning
  record (sound familiar )
• Our task is to prepare the QA sheet and media
  release sheet to be sent out with the first press
  conference.

12
Homework

• Client research, goals and objectives are due at
  the beginning of class next lesson