Where does the news come from?
A large portion of what we ultimately consume in the media comes from public relations professionals, working on behalf of companies, individuals, organizations and even countries.
The industry strives for a high standard of ethics, but whether this is achieved is often (perhaps unfairly) open to debate. After all, the goal of the PR profession is to shape opinion - and news - in favor of its clients.
To do:
1. After reading the above sources, describe PR in your own words. What is your definition of PR?
Next ...
One of the central jobs of a PR pro is securing press coverage; and one of the top tools for achieving this is the press release:
Basically a press release is an AP-style briefing, or news story, telling the news media what they need to know to write a story of their own.
PR pros send out press releases to news editors and reporters, in hopes of securing "free" press. So a news release or pitch to the media needs to be considered newsworthy - worth the reporter's time to cover.
When sending out a press release, it helps to pave the way with a pitch letter - this is your email to the editors/reporters alerting them of the news item you are suggesting they cover.
The assignment.
2. Imagine you are hired to conduct public relations for VeggieTown - a new, healthy fast food restaurant on Restaurant Hill in Montrose.
First prepare a pitch letter - a brief email draft - that you would send area editors and reporters.
pitch letter components:
- catchy subject line
- sentence or two selling your story
- instructions for finding more information (such as "see attached release for background; visit our website; call me, etc.).
press release components:
News-style format - headline, dateline, intro paragraph, quotes from your client's CEO. Refer to the Starbucks press release for help with structure and components of your release.
Finally: Source three reporters or editors who might be interested in this story from area media. Find their actual email addresses and paste those into your document.
Recap: Create a pitch letter, press release and media distribution list for your news item - the opening of VeggieTown healthy fast food restaurant in Montrose.
