Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Public Relations Strategies and Tactics Tenth Edition Dennis L. Wilcox Glen T. Cameron This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 14 Preparing Materials for Mass Media

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 14 Objectives Write a standard or multimedia news release Recognize the components of a good publicity photo Prepare media kits, media advisories, and fact sheets Use proven techniques to “pitch” a story to a journalist Understand the structure of an organization’s online newsroom Organize media interviews, news conferences, and media tours

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The News Release Created by Ivy Lee in 1906 Primary purpose is the dissemination of information to mass media such as newspapers, broadcast stations and magazines The media rely on news releases for two reasons: Reporters and editors spend most of their time processing information, not gathering it No media enterprise has enough staff to cover every single event in the community

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Planning a News Release Before writing a news release, a number of questions should be answered to give the release direction and purpose What is the key message? Who is the primary audience for the release? What does the target audience gain from the product or service? What objective does the release serve? Is a news release the best format for the information?

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Basic Online News Release

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Multimedia News Release “Smart media release” (SMR) Embed high-res photos/graphics, video, and audio Search engine optimization (SEO) Inclusion of social media tags Do’s and don’ts

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Publicity Photos Print and electronic news releases are often accompanied by a photo Eight elements to consider Quality Subject matter Composition Action Scale Camera Angle Lighting Color

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Media Kits A media kit (press kit) is usually prepared for major events and new product launches Give editors and reporters a variety of information and resources

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Media Kits Cont… Traditional media kit is a 9X12 folder with inside pockets Basic news release A news feature about the product or service Fact sheets on the product, organization, or event Photos Bios on the spokesperson or chief executives Basic brochure Contact information E-Kit (EPK) distributed via , website, CD or flash drive Short videos News releases Fact sheets Thumbnail sketches High res photos Industry links Trademark information Executive officer photos

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mat Releases Uses feature angle is used instead of a lead Geared toward providing helpful consumer information/tips about a variety of subjects with only brief mention of the nonprofit or corporation Canned features Regular columns featuring an expert An entire color page layout that a newspaper can publish without cost

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Media Alerts and Fact Sheets Most common format of media alert/media advisory is short, bulleted items May contain One-line headline Brief paragraph outlining the story idea or event Some of Journalism’s five Ws and H or contact for more information

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Two Kinds of Fact Sheets Summary sheet about the characteristics of a new product that serves as a quick reference for journalists writing a story Corporate profile – one-page, bulleted list summary that gives the basic facts about an organization or company

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Art of Pitching a Story A pitch occurs when public relations practitioners and publicists write a short letter or note to the editor that tries to grab their attention Public relations people also use pitches to Ask editors to assign a reporter to a particular event Pursue a feature angle on an issue or trend Book a spokesperson on a forthcoming show

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Basic Guidelines for Pitching by Use a succinct subject line Keep the message brief Don’t include attachments unless they are expected Don’t send “blast” s to large numbers of editors Send tailored pitches to specific reporters and editors Regularly check the names in your database to remove redundant recipients Give editors the option of getting off your list to ensure that your list is targeted to those who are interested Establish an relationship

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributing Media Materials News releases, photos, media kits and other media materials can be distributed by five major methods First-class mail Fax Electronic wire services Online newsrooms

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Media Interviews Preparing for an interview Public relations practitioner must help interviewee say something that will inform or entertain the audience Know interview’s purpose to assemble facts and data for client to use Be well acquainted with the interviewer’s style The print interview Person-to-person talk that results in a word story Asking to approve a story before publication is viewed as a form or censorship

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. News Conferences A news conference (press conference) allows for a quick, widespread dissemination of a persons comments and opinions to a number of reporters at the same time Planning and conducting a new conference Public relations professionals must assess whether the information can be distributed via a news release or media kit first Online news conferences Can be cost-effective, have better attendance, and have a greater impact

Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Media Tours and Press Parties There are three types of media tours Trip or “junket” Familiarization trip or “Fam trip” Executives from an organization travel to key cities and talk to selected editors Press parties Can be luncheon, dinner or cocktail party Host rises at the end of the socialization period to make the “pitch” Parties open channels of communication