Module 7: PR

7.1 Introduction to public relations

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What is PR?

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Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and the public.

Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment.

Wikipedia.org

What is PR?

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- Aim: inform the public, prospective customers, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders; persuade them to maintain a certain view about the organization, its leadership, products, or of political decisions

- Public relations professionals typically work for PR and marketing firms, businesses and companies, government, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations and nonprofit organizations

What is PR?

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- establish and keep relationships with target audience, media, other opinion leaders.

- common activities: designing communications campaigns, writing press releases and other content for news and feature articles, working with the press, arranging interviews for company spokespeople, writing speeches for company leaders, acting as organization's spokesperson by speaking in public and public officials, preparing clients for press conferences, media interviews, and speeches, writing website and social media content, organizing internal/employee communications, managing company reputation and marketing activities like brand awareness and event management

Module 7: PR

7.2 Writing a press release

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Is it newsworth?

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1. Is there anything "new" in the story?

2. Is there anything unusual or unexpected?

3. Would anyone outside my business be interested in it?

4. Will people actually care?

Headlines and subject lines

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- Journalists get many emails every day, so don’t just use "press release" or "story idea“ in your subject line.

- Be precise. If they don't immediately get what’s your story, they'll move on to the next email.

- Write interesting headlines to draw attention

5 Ws

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- five Ws" (who, what, where, why and when)

- Try to get them in the opening line- Imagine your story appears on TV (5-6

seconds to present a subject)

Tips

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- Be concise- Use quotes as examples- A press release isn’t a story- Adapt press release for different media- Paste your press release, don’t attach it- Photos can sometimes be helpful but

avoid huge email attachments