PR 101

Every once in a while, it's always good to be reminded of the basics.  One of the most basic things in PR is the event and news release.  Notice the distinction there?  An event release is to inform the media of an event that is happening and that is the news worthy angle.  A news release on the other hand has more "newsworthy" information in it that might entice a reporter to interview the client.  This article (originally posted by Arthur Fink on Facebook) is a gentle reminder that we need to realize how bombarded the media is these days and not to try to make PR mountains out of molehills.

How to Write a Bad News Release

When I was in J School - journalism that is - we were taught a very formulaic way to write.  You are supposed to get the who, what, where, when and why all into the first paragraph.  Then each descending paragraph can expand upon each of the five Ws.  The reason being that editors cut from the bottom of stories to make sure that everything fits in the newspaper.  Of course radio writing is a different animal, but what's the sense of even talking about it now since the FCC has gutted the news business.

When I left the world of radio and print news to become a PR consultant, I decided that news releases would follow the same format.  In some of the small towns I sent the releases to, they ran them as is.  I wanted to make it easy for someone to just plug it in.

In radio, I saw some of the worst news releases, some of which even included photos!  Yeah, like we were going to describe the photos on the air.  What were they thinking?  Or perhaps it was they weren't thinking in the first place.

There really should be a news release hall of shame and now there is something of that ilk on the internet.  Paddy Johnson of the wonderful art blog Art Fag City, has risen to the challenge on the Hyperallergic blog !  Go on over there and vote for your take on the worst.  They are both pretty dreadful, full of silly art speak and other hyperbolic language.

Why PR is a Crap Shoot

I'm working with a new client these days who didn't get the information to me in time to meet a certain print deadline.  Sigh, I wish everyone would understand that we all have to hustle to meet deadlines.  Having worked in media, I can tell you that if I didn't get the information by 5 minutes before the newscast, it just wasn't getting in that broadcast.  Same is true of print media.  Luckily the internet is far more forgiving and once it's out there, it's there maybe forever, who knows.

Generally sending out a news release is always a crap shoot, sometimes there's room for your story, but many times other events, like the devastation of Haiti, will push your worthy story to the back burner.  Except on the internet!  This client is hosting a reading of a screenplay that he will produce down the road.  He wanted to get the word out to the community and not only have other writers/actors/industry types comments, but comments from regular folks.

I wrote the release and then posted it on as many internet outlets as I could find, thinking that even though we couldn't post it on the TV channels community calendars (they need the info at least 8 weeks in advance- rather like Public Service Announcements), I could post at other sites where folks would see it.

Probably three hours after I sent it out, I get an email from the client saying that he's already received several phone calls from people, some of whom might be interested in helping to fund the project!  I was astounded honestly for him to get that immediate response.  Generally PR, unless it's event related and time sensitive, takes a much longer time to have an impact.

And speaking of Haiti, please donate what you can.  I have a dear friend who works with a group called Map International, so they get the PR plug of the hour here on PR Insights.

Welcome

I've decided to also blog about PR, something that I've been doing for over 15 years now, in addition to my art blog at Waiting for the Muse. I started doing PR after leaving a 10-year career in radio and print journalism. This gave me a unique background compared to most practitioners in that I had been on the receiving end of PR for many years.

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What is PR you might ask? It's simply the flow of information from a company or group to the general public via mass media and now, social networking. This can take the form of news releases, event announcements, media interviews, newsletters and blogs. I often call PR a crap shoot in getting a message to the public via mass media. Why? You might have a great, "sexy" story that you think the media will go with, only to be upstaged by a large local event like a huge fire, or a murder or a scandal involving a public figure.

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Although many think PR is more credible than advertising, the one thing you can't do really is control PR the way you can advertising. PR must be thought of as a long-term strategy that works together with your marketing and advertising plans.