Public relations PUBLICITY Define publicity Explain the purposes of publicity Explain purpose of press release Examine elements of press release Write a press release

Publicity Defined “Free advertising” Getting information about your team/event placed in the media

Publicity Purposes Create a positive image Help the organization/team maintain their existing image Viewed differently than advertising—the message is not controlled by the advertiser. Most consumers view it as TRUTH

Disadvantages of Publicity Give up control of your message Media decides what they believe to be important—may be different from what you thought Negative publicity is always a possibility Challenge . . . To get as much good as possible

Press Release Major source of publicity The most popular method of communicating with the media Media will decide if it is newsworthy

Press Releases Before the event During After Or all of the above Help with attendance or participation During Photos of the event, reports or results, coverage of special entertainers, etc. After Discussions on the results/impact Or all of the above

Key points to remember The media wants NEWSWORTHY information . What makes the information something the public would want to hear about? Make sure it is NEWS not ADVERTISING

What the media needs from you Timely information Professionalism in meeting deadlines and sending in the format they need Ie: fax, email, electronic photos, etc. Phone calls make it more personable. Call when a press release is coming. Give the details they would need in case they want to send someone

Writing a Press Release Read pp. 130-133 and answer questions. Check out the press release sample on pp. 133 Create a post-event press release tomorrow