JOURNALISM 370

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011

Let’s talk Memos and Letters

READING MEMO, STATEMENT OF WORK AND CLIENT MEMO THOUGHTS

• The Good:– Tone was professional.– You seem genuinely excited about the material

and potential to help these folks in need.

Areas For Improvement

• Follow the format– Refer to the memo format in the handouts.– Refer to the letter writing format in the handouts.– Refer to the syllabus on how to send me a file.– Put your name on your work.

Areas For Improvement.

• Way, way too much passive voice.– Any form of “To Be” is a red flag.– Any time you have the word “by,” it’s a red flag.

Areas For Improvement.

• Watch your prepositions.– If you see a preposition, chances are you can

condense your copy.– SVO writing can eliminate many prepositions.

Areas For Improvement.

Areas For Improvement.

• What’s up with commas?– When you link two sentences together with “and”

or other conjunctive phrase, you need a comma.– I went to the baseball game, and the vendor got

me a hot dog. • When the subject of the sentence is the same,

you shouldn’t need a comma– I went to the baseball game and got a hot dog.– I went to the baseball game, and I got a hot dog.

Areas For Improvement.

• What’s up with commas?– AP Style suggests when you list items, the final

listed word before and does NOT need a comma.• I got a hot dog, nachos and ice cream at the baseball

game.

• AP Style is email, not e-mail.

Areas For Improvement.

• You need to read your copy aloud. – There were several typos.– Several sentences didn’t have a period at the end.– Apostrophe use was wrong.– Other sentences were awkward and didn’t make

an ounce of sense if you read them.

Areas For Improvement.

• The best writing happens in the revision process. First drafts never cut it. – The person I will be working with this quarter is

named Bob Smith. His title is Executive Director.– My point person is Executive Director Bob Smith.

Areas For Improvement.

• We over rely on prepositions.

The purpose of the organization is…The organization’s purpose.

ATTENTION SPANS ARE SHORT.DON’T GIVE PEOPLE A REASON TO LEAVE

Areas For Improvement.

• Use bullet points.• Use bold font.• Your copy bled together, especially on the

reading memo.

Areas For Improvement.

• Let me list one, two, three, four, five and six.• Let’s consider the following:– One Two– Two Four– Three Six

Areas For Improvement.

• Let me list one, two, three, four, five and six.• Let’s consider the following:– One Two– Two Four– Three Six

Areas For Improvement.

• When will you be done with your work?• What is the revision process?• These protect you from getting crushed with

extra work.

NEWS RELEASE BASICS

WHY ARE YOUR WRITING A NEWS RELEASE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

• News Releases are still the backbone of publicity programs.

• Competition is greater than ever.• How do you increase likelihood of

publication?– Follow standardized format– Know and meet the needs of your audience– Be timely

CONVINCING YOUR COMPANY ON THE VALUE OF NEWS RELEASES

• Help achieve organizational objectives.

• Be cost effective.• Lead to news articles, which affect

purchasing decisions. Third party endorsements are a big deal.

RESEARCH CONSIDERATIONS

• What’s the subject and focus of the release?

• Who is the intended audience?• What are the benefits for the

audience?• What are the organizational goals?• What do you need to achieve and

communicate via the release?

TYPES OF NEWS RELEASES

• Announcements– Personnel, – Products, – Financial,

• Spot announcements: Response to problems of external cause

TYPES OF NEWS RELEASES

• Reaction: When an event or situation impacts the organization– Bad news: Comment, don’t cover up bad

news– Local news: Localized news gets

covered more often

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL NEWS RELEASE

• Letterhead: Print the first page on organization letterhead

• Contacts: Include PR contact information

• Headline– Factual– Active present tense – Devoid of hype–Most important information first

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL NEWS RELEASE

• Dateline– City of origin– Date– Is this for immediate release or

“embargoed”?

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL NEWS RELEASE

• Lead–Most important paragraph…this lays the

foundation, draws the reader in and sells the story

– Summary Lead–Most important item first– Think about your commitment statement– Think about why a viewer or gatekeeper

would care

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL NEWS RELEASE

Inverted Pyramid Diamond

RELEASE CONCLUSION

Boilerplate/Tag: A brief paragraph explaining who the organization is and what it’s all about.•Include a short, clear description. You can work off a company’s mission statement.•If you win awards, let people know.•Let people know where they can learn more and continue the conversation.

WHAT ABOUT QUOTES

• Use them.• Quotes should have adjectives and emotion.• Know the process of quote approval.

DIGITAL NEWS RELEASE

• Email subject line must be catchy.• Do you attach the release or put it in

the email itself?• Embed photos/graphics, video, audio.• Include social media tags.• Pitchengine.com

LET’S TALK BLOGGERS • Here’s how I target bloggers• www.technorati.com• www.blogged.com• www.followerwonk.com

• Good old fashioned grunt work• What blogs are bloggers reading?• RSS feeds• Follow the trail….

• Bloggers can be your best friend or worst enemy. • Prepare for both.

Blogger RelationsThe Differences

• 77% of Internet users read blogs• 89% of journalists conduct research on blogs• 72% of bloggers blog to share experience• 61% of bloggers supplement their income by

blogging

Blogger RelationsThe Differences

• Bloggers don’t break news• Bloggers answer to readers and communities,

not editors or news directors• Bloggers didn’t graduate from J school, let

alone Scripps• Bloggers don’t have daily deadline; they don’t

need press releases• Bloggers can get paid to promote products;

they just have to disclose payments.

Blogger Relations

• Define The Ask• Do you want to giveaway products?• Do you want a guest post?• Do you want an interview?• Do you want to be part of their links page?• Do you want permission to use their name as part

of future outreach?

Blogger Relations

• Build A Relationship• What do they like to write about?• How do they want to be pitched?• How far in advance to they work?• What is their favorite post?

Blogger Relations

• Justification: Offer a simple declarative sentence as to why anything you’re pitching would matter to the blogger’s readership.• Does it solver a reader’s problem?• Will it spark a conversation that helps generate

more traffic to the blog?• Are you responding to the blogger’s needs?

Blogger Relations

•Make The Relationship Last• Many bloggers use their blog as a revenue

generating instrument.• How can PR pro drive quality traffic to the site.• Link Building• @mentions on Twitter and Facebook.

Blogger Relations

• Content • Product Reviews• Research Findings• New Data

NEWS RELEASE AND FACT SHEET DUE NEXT WEEK

• A news release and fact sheet about your organization.

• A memo, no more than one page, explaining the theory you used to write the release– Why is this news?– What research did you use to ID this subject?– Your commitment statement that guided your

writing.

NEWS RELEASE AND FACT SHEET DUE NEXT WEEK

• Send all material to me in one Word file. • Material should be in my inbox at the

beginning of class. • You’ll be graded equally on the fact sheet,

news release and memo.