BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ENGB 213 Unit 13 Publicity material

Overview Public Relations News Releases Guidelines for Writing News Releases Online News Releases Company Newsletters Writing Skills E-mail Newsletters Publicity Material – Key Points to Remember

Public Relations The public relations (PR) function in any organisation is usually carried out by staff who are specialised in this sector. As the name suggests, it’s about the relationship between the organisation and the general public. One of the aims of PR is to influence the general public through the mass media e. g newspapers, television, radio, etc.

Public Relations The job of PR person in any organisation is to be constantly on the lookout for newsworthy events, products, developments and human interest stories and then to turn them into any of the following: a news release a press conference a photo opportunity for newspaper coverage corporate material for direct mailing briefing packs for potential customers

Public Relations If you are responsible for helping to produce public relations material, here are some guidelines to follow. Effective PR material will: be factual, newsworthy and impartial appeal to human interest contain up-to-date information be appropriately distributed be produced professionally

Public Relations – corporate brochure sample

News Releases A news release (or press release) is an announcement sent to the press and other media about anything considered to be newsworthy. A press release is not an advertisement but it can result in useful publicity for the company issuing the release. Some reasons why a company may send a news release to the media are: relocation of offices introduction of new products purchase of new buildings move to new premises changes in top personnel

News Release – (Singapore MRT Ltd announce their new lifestyle hub in Singapore)

News Release – article in Singapore’s Business Times.

Compiling a press release Editors who receive the press release may publish an edited version, publish it as written or contact the initiator to find out further details. Unfortunately 90% of press releases are thrown in the waste and only 5 -10% are actually used.

Compiling a press release To make sure that your press release are in this small percentage, special writing skills are needed: Headline • Compose an appropriate, snappy heading Opening • Good opening is essential to grab editor’s and reader’s attention Middle Close • Central paragraphs should be short and selfcontained so that editor can cut them out if necessary • Conclusion or summary may be appropriate, or a brief repeat of the main passage. Useful to include quotation from a key person

Guidelines for Writing News Releases Use third person. Write as though you are the newspaper editor, talking about your company as an outsider. Do not make the press release sound like an advertisement or invitation. Write in an interesting, snappy, punchy style with short sentences. Try to appeal to human interests where possible Use a style suitable to appear in a newspaper with as few changes as possible. Your press release must answer the following questions: What? – What is happening? /Who? – Who is involved? Where? – Where is it happening? / When? Why? – Why is it newsworthy?

News Release – another example

Online News Releases If you visit the website of any company you will probably find a heading ‘News Releases’ or ‘Media News’. Companies usually place all their news releases on the Net, with hyperlinks taking readers to connecting stories or sites of interest.

Online News Releases – example

Online News Releases – another example

Company Newsletters Many companies publish regular newsletters known as inhouse journals or company magazines, which keep staff informed about matters of interest. These regular magazines are very good for improving company/staff relations. They are an effective way of reaching out to members of staff where there are many different branches of a company around the country or even internationally.

Company Newsletters – contain a variety of information Births/ marriages/ deaths Promotions Updates on products/ services New policies/ procedures Sports and social news Company newsletters Contributions from employees

Company Newsletters - example

Writing Skills The same basic writing skills are needed to write articles for in-house magazines as are needed for writing press releases. The following guidelines should be noted: use reported speech, third person write in an interesting, readable style try to appeal to human interests be as factual as possible build the article logically

Writing Skills – example of good article

E-mail Newsletters E-mail marketing is probably the most measurable and effective direct marketing ever. There are many software programs available that will help you set up a database, create a message template and then work with you to craft an effective e-mail campaign. E-mail campaigns to customers are known to be about 10 to 20 times more effective than standard direct mail, and the results vary according to the strategy, frequency and professional level of the campaign.

E-mail Newsletters – author’s own example

E-mail Newsletters – author’s own sample cont.

Publicity Material – Key Points to Remember 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Effective publicity material will be factual and newsworthy. Press releases often result in useful publicity for the company issuing the release. Online news releases often include hyperlinks to stories or sites of interest. Company newsletters are a good way of communicating with all staff or customers and keeping them up-to-date. When writing news releases or articles, use reported speech, third person. Write in an interesting, sharp style, using short sentences. Do not write like an advertisement or invitation.

Publicity Material – Key Points to Remember 8. Write as though you are the editor of the newspaper or newsletter, talking about your company as an outsider. 9. Include a quotation from a key person if possible. 10. Remember to answer the questions ‘Who? What? Where? When? Why? ’