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JOUR 342 Quiz 1

Terms in this set (62)

what's writing for PR
- breaks traditional writing style
- formatted similarly to writing for journalism
- convey most important info FIRST
inverted pyramid
- most newsworthy facts
- the main story
- supporting content
inverted pyramid pt. 2
- info that MUST be ft. for communication to be successful
- additional info that's helpful but not crucial
- info that's nice if they have it
how's inverted pyramid different?
- main idea is the FIRST thing you convey
- background goes later
- don't have to wrap up and restate same idea at the end
inverted pyramid format
1. lead
- the first paragraph, maybe the first two if you use an anecdotal lead
2. nut graph
- answers the "so what" questions and tells the reader why this story is news
3. everything else
- descending importance
two types of leads
1. straight lead
- just the facts, answering the
who, what, where, when, why and how
- STRAIGHT news
2. anecdotal lead
- starts with an interesting
facet or fact that relates to the story
- works well w/ FEATURES
three pillars of strategic writing
- purpose
- audience
- content
what sets strategic writing apart
- goal oriented
- work has a specific mission
- know the purpose of the content you're producing (should be able to express in a single sentence the one most important thing you want your audience to know)
- purpose relates to clients goal
understanding goals
- client might have mission statement or core values
- everything you produce must help your client achieve value-driven mission
- every client relies on something or someone
- your work connects those resources w/ your client
why good writing matters
- bad writing distracts your audience
- carefully choose words, phrasing and
sentence structure
- want writing to emphasize and draw
your audiences to your message
- writing must be concise
being prepared
- research: helps define your content's purpose or its goal
- know your audience
- know the medium you're using
- what should be the single, strategic message of your content?
reaching target audience
- what's in it for me?
- how might your target benefit from this?
- what does your audience really need to know?
- use personal pronouns: we, our, you, your
- make your content accessible
- avoid euphemisms
understanding who you represent
- where are we now?
- why does organization exist? mission / values
- SWOT
- where are we going?
- how will we get there?
strategic writing is:
- deliberate and focused
- relevant and persuasive, sometimes unexpected (relevant to client? check)
use product of your research to
capture audience
pique curiosity by,
conveying direct and indirect benefits
relate to your audience
- identify and understand your audience
- write short sentences; keep subject, verb and object close
- avoid double negatives
- avoid passive voice
- short PP's
- avoid noun strings
- omit unnecessary words
websites: getting info to visitors
- websites distribute information quickly and to a diverse audience
- people read information on a computer screen slower than they read it in print
- they click and scan, moving quickly from one topic to another
keep visitor attention
- first scan headlines, article summaries and
captions
- sometimes have multiple windows open or switch among multiple websites
- think about the way that you browse the web or use apps
SEO - search engine optimization
- improving visibility of content in search engines via the "natural" or unpaid search results
- higher on the page, the more often content appears, the more visitors it will get
- SEO strategies evolve based on search engine changes and competitive conditions
ad results
- many users run ad-blocking software
- being up high in a "sponsored
link" might not be as effective as you think
- on ad-blocked pages, if you are at the top of the free results, that's what people see first
SEO
- identify and flag keywords
- build a list of keywords
- use keyword research tools (such as those offered by Google and Microsoft)
- make sure keywords are in content (title, headlines, appearance in the body)
writing for the web
- be concise
- avoid long PP's
- avoid long intros / welcomes
- need self-congratulatory background or history? save that for the bottom or for a separate "about" page
writing for the web...
inverted pyramid
- crucial info first
- build in appropriate links for each page
- use inverted pyramid form of writing
organization for longer passages
make reading your content easier
- bulleted lists to increase scanning ease
- headlines and sub-headlines (subheads) to break up text
- highlight key passages for emphasis
- these tactics help guide your audience
- graphics that are not overly distracting
- include printable PDFs of key documents. make sure they are easy to find
- target online documents or text between 600 and 700 words; 1,000 words is too long
- harder to read information on a screen than on paper
formatting text for web
- ONE idea per paragraph
- limit paragraphs to 50 words
- short sentences. be watchful when you reach 15 words
proposals: why?
- promote and describe a potential plan
proposals: for whom?
- organizational decision makers
proposals: how?
- printed versions furnished, typically with a PDF but with supplemental DVDs, USB drives, other media
- formal presentations of proposals often include multimedia elements
marketing plans
- successful proposals often become part of marketing plans
- purpose: provide a road map for the integrated actions of a marketing campaign
- audience: individuals who approve and implement the plan & internal audience
key to success
- show a detailed blueprint that solves a well-defined problem or seizes a well-
defined opportunity
- know the mission of your client company or organization, ask yourself "why do they exist?" & then ask yourself "what can we do to successfully promote that?"
format of a proposal
- single spaced
- extra space btwn PP's
- no indentations
- #ed pages, beginning w/ exec summary
- large bold type for title on title page
- section titles and subtitles in bold type
make proposal presentable
- margins at least 1in
- generous use of white space
- colorful charts and graphs to clarify meaning
structuring proposals and marketing plans
include these sections:
- memo or letter of transmittal (but not for our assignment)
- title page
- table of contents
- table of charts and graphs
clarify strategy in proposals
- exec. summary
- SWOT
- statement of purpose
- target audiences
make sure you're on message
the plan
- hypothetical goal w/...
tactic #1 (eval outcomes, NOT outputs)
tactic #2, etc.

--> reach goal
details for proposals and marketing plans
- timetable
- budget
- challenges
- additional benefits
- conclusion
- supplements
tips for proposals / marketing plans
- be diplomatic
- campaign theme
- be realistic
news releases =
press releases
why distribute news releases
to deliver news from an organization to journalists
- in hopes that the journalists will publish or broadcast news; could be seen by public directly outside news media channels
who are you trying to reach w/ news releases
- journalists (traditional and social media)
- general public, target groups (usually online or specialty pubs)
how to get news releases out there
- social media, websites, email, DVDs or USB drives in media kits, digital satellite transmissions and more
keys to success w/ press
- only newsworthy information that appeals to the audience of the targeted journalist
- no thinly disguised ads for your organization or client
- sound as if a good journalist wrote it
- NO "alternative facts!" always tell the truth. - can't disclose something, that's OK. Say so!
news release format =
important, so info is easy to find
- headings must be correct and complete
- single-spaced headings
- text is double-spaced; shorter is better
- need another page? write "-more-" at bottom the page
- done? write "###" or "-30-" at end of news release
invoke elements of newsworthiness
- timeliness
- impact
- proximity
- conflict
- novelty, unusualness
- prominence
write the news release as ready-to-publish news story
- write objectively
- non-promotional
- no unattributed opinions
- emphasize local interest
headlines in NR
- use newspaper/news website style
- write in short, but complete sentences
- present tense
- include client's name when possible
- write a strong top (lead gets straight to the news)
NR? most important details FIRST
inverted pyramid
- main idea in lead and first few paragraphs
- save background for later in news release
- good quote high up in news release
important considerations w/ NR
- ensure a contact person can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- focus on local interest: why does the story matter to the targeted journalist's
audience?
- avoid using the words today, yesterday and tomorrow
- always be precise. you don't know when, or if, the news release will be published or broadcast
story pitches
to persuade an individual journalist or a presumable influential blogger to write or produce a story benefiting your client
- your audience is typically only one journalist or a specific blogger
- mostly distributed by email
- know target? telephone pitch or social media contact
grab your target's attention
key to success
- first sentence = hook recipient
- make it personalized
when / why to pitch
- pitches serve a similar role to ft. news releases; pitches are easier to read, quicker to digest , are conversational --> done well? journalists have a sense of story ownership
- use for soft stories ONLY: don't use a pitch letter on a hard news story suitable for an announcement news release
be selective
pitches are sent to only one journalist or blogger
- you are making an exclusive offer
- sometimes you can can pitch one journalist in each media market
typically they follow a traditional four part organization
part 1: start a fascinating story
- one or more PP's
- hook the recipient...
* write first PP as if it were the lead of the journalist's story
* don't let it get too long
part two: state the purpose of the pitch
- new PP
- tell the recipient why you're writing
* note why you're writing to them instead of someone else
- continue to sell the story
* add 1 or 2 more details
part 3: state the terms of the offer
- new PP
- set the terms
* exclusive offer
* specify a deadline
* offer specific help
part 4: describe what you want to happen next
- new PP
- note when youll call your target
- include your phone # if you haven't already
- thank them for their consideration always
telephone pitches
- whether you do them depends on working relationship with your target
- cold calls, ok when you know target well
- to make it work, you must
* know the particular medium of your target
* know the recipient's daily deadline times
* come right to the point
* be well-informed and ready to answer questions
* ready to start the story now
final tips on pitches
- sell the story, not your client or organization
- make follow up call
- be ready to respond quickly if target calls
media kits
purpose:
- to deliver to journalists and bloggers more info than a news release could supply
methods of delivery:
- websites, DVDs, CDs, printed packages, USB drives, attachments
key to success, media kit
focus on one core news story and supply extensive suppoting, supplemental info
common formats for delivery for media kits
websites, Cds, DVDs, USB drives, folders w/ internal pockets, boxes
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