1. Public Relations Writing Who do I Write for and What is my Venue?

2. Media for Internal Publics H Aim to increase understanding, teamwork, commitment by employees in achieving bottom-line results H Need to build a stronger manager- communication network, information should not only include job related information but key business and public issues affecting the total organization

3. Printed Words H Organizational Publications - upwards of 1 million produced including newsletters H All organizational publications satisfy the organizational need to go on record with its positions and communicate information essential for achieving organizational objectives

4. Internal Publications H Letters - not replaced by faxes or emails H Bulletin Boards H Inserts and Enclosures H Reprinted Speeches, Position Papers and “Backgrounders”

5. Internal Publications H Printed Words do not replace face-to- face, spoken words: –the grapevine –meetings speeches and speaker’s bureaus –CCTV H Other Spoken forms: –teleconferencing –DVDs, film and slide presentations

6. External Publications H Printed Publications –Newspapers –Wire Services and News Syndicates –Magazines H Broadcast –TV –Radio –Cable TV H Internet –FB pages, websites, blogs

7. P R Writing H Fundamentals –Idea Must Precede the Expression ‡ must relate to the reader ‡ must engage the reader’s attention ‡ must concern the reader ‡ be in the reader’s interest –Remember - must involve the reader! H Utilize the Drafting Process H Simplify, Clarify and Aim

8. Flesch Readability Formula H Write the way you speak! H Target the LCD –avoid big words –avoid being verbose –avoid clichés –be specific –be simple –be short –be organized

9. Real World Application H Primary Colors focused on the discovery of potentially “fatal” information about a presidential candidate H What do you think of this week’s publicity relating to Rush Limbaugh, Sandra Fluke, and Obama (gas prices)?

10. Strategies for Overcoming Negative Publicity to Date H Saturday morning radio address H Public appearances focusing on overall energy policy H Continued appearances on democratic-friendly media outlets H Scripted efforts primary focus – few questions taken from the media

11. The News Release H When writing news releases the key is to generate interest and coverage H Problems occur when they are: –poorly written –lack of localization –not newsworthy (you must sell the story!)

12. Format for the News Release H Spacing - double- spaced, typed H Paper - cheap! H Identification - who are you? H Release Date - timeliness H Margins - leave room for comments H Length - get to the point quickly H Paragraphs - here it’s OK for it to be a single sentence H Slug lines - use shorthand with directions H Headlines - grab attention early! H Proofread

13. News Releases - Styling H Remove potential sexual bias, if possible –don’t refer to someone as the “lady” lawyer –avoid terms like man-made material, etc. H If not possible, use traditional terminology

14. Styling (cont’d) H use down style - only capitalizing important words H Be careful of inappropriate or incorrect abbreviations H Spell out numbers <10 H Punctuation should clarify

15. Content of the News Release H This is what sells the story! H The content of the release should be tempered with the appropriate tone of the release H Should always include the vital facts

16. Guidelines for Working with the Press to Aide Visibility H Talk from the viewpoint of the public’s interest - not the firm’s H make the news easy to read and use H if you don’t want a statement quoted - don’t make it! H state the most important facts first H don’t argue or lose your cool with the reporter

17. Guidelines (cont’d) H if the reporter asks a direct question - answer directly H if the spokesperson doesn’t know the answer to the question - say so - but offer to immediately get back with them H tell the truth - even if it hurts H do not call the press conference unless you have what the reporter would consider news