Mark J. Miller Drury University - SWMO Public Relations Society of

Mark J. Miller
Drury University
PR History
“In brief, our plan is, frankly and openly, on
behalf of business concerns and public
institutions, to supply the press and public of the
United States prompt and accurate information
concerning subjects which it is of value and
interest to the public to know about.”
Ivy Lee, 1906, Guth & Marsh, 2003
The Present
Journalists
vs.
Public Relations
The PR-Journalist Relationship
 Journalists and PR people agree that the three most
important aspects of news are: timeliness, cultural
proximity and localness.
 Big change in 23 years between surveys: “The primary
function of PR is to get free advertising space for the
organization they represent.”
 1984=disagree.
 2007=neutral/somewhat disagree.
 Significant publicity for clients through strategic media
relations should be the goal of PR people. Less is more.
Source: Supa, D. W. & Zoch L.M. (2009). Maximizing media relations through a better understanding of the public
relations-journalist relationship: A quantitative analysis of changes over the past 23 years. Public Relations Journal, (3)4.
Retrieved from http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/PRJournal/Fall_09/
What makes a good news release?
A good story.
What makes a good story?
Narrative
Characters
Chronology
Drama
Tension
Listen to a PR expert: Bill Tyson
Media Expert Podcast
How to think about a news release.
 Find stories that are beneficial to your
organization and find how they will fit in
media’s agenda.
 Best PR practices: have newsworthy
information and be transparent.
 Ask journalists if what they’re getting is
valuable and how to make it valuable.
What goes in a news release.
 Who, What, When Where, Why and How.
 Contact information. Make sure you give
the media your cell phone number.
 A quote or two. Use past tense: said.
 Remain objective and avoid promotional
writing and unattributed opinions.
The Lead is the Key
Exercise: Write a one sentence lead based on the
following facts.
Who: City of Brokenridge officials and community leaders.
What: Ribbon Cutting for a new six-lane bridge that will service about
10,000 cars per day over the Rainbow River into the larger city of
Fresco which is a hub for employment and shopping.
When: Monday, August 1 at 10 a.m.
Where: Northern end of the bridge on the Brokenridge side of the river.
Why: The city received $5 million dollars in federal appropriations for
the bridge to replace an outdated two-lane bridge.
The Lead is the Key
Okay
The City of Brokenridge will
conduct a ribbon cutting on
Monday, August 1 at 10 a.m. on the
northern side of the new bridge that
crosses the Rainbow River.
The Lead is the Key
Better
The ten-thousand vehicles that cross
the Rainbow River everyday will have
a much easier commute beginning
Monday, August 1 when the City of
Brokenridge officially opens the new
six-lane bridge connecting
Brokenridge and Fresco.
Example
Timeline of Release
Day before: Gave news release to The Mirror. Embargoed
release until Friday, March 4 at 8 a.m.
8 a.m.: Letter from Pres. Parnell announcing new smoking
policy is released to faculty, staff and all students.
8:30 a.m.: News release is posted to the Drury University
newsroom, front page of the website, Twitter and Facebook.
9 a.m.: News release goes out to media.
10 a.m.-noon: Pres. Parnell, Wellness Director and college
smoking expert were available for interviews.
Media Pitch
Media Pitch
Hi, Marybeth.
Story idea for you……our full-time MBA program here at the
University of Iowa is considering an "application Tweet" as well as
an application essay. I thought this might make for an interesting
note, or be part of a larger story about how social media is
impacting higher ed, the applications process, etc.
More information about the plan is below—as you'll see, it's
optional this year, so to encourage applicants to participate, we're
offering a full tuition financial package to the applicant who offers
the best Tweet. That's a $37,000 award. Let me know if you'd like
more information and I can put you in touch with our MBA
admissions people.
Twitter Example
Twitter Example
News Release: What is it good for?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Send the news to your key stakeholders: employees,
customers, community leaders, industry colleagues,
donors.
Post it to your website or company blog. Tweet a link.
Post it to Facebook.
Tweak the news release into an article for your
newsletter, magazine or annual report.
In crisis, releases allow you to control the message
and the flow of information.
Provides an archive for your organization’s past
milestones and achievements. Searchable.
News Release: What is it good for?
News releases still have value, but now YOU ARE THE
MEDIA. Use the release on media outlets that are
available to you to get your message out to your most
important audiences AND use the release to
communicate to a larger audience through the news
media.
Newsroom Contacts
News-Leader Business: skipp@news-leader.com
KOLR: news@kolr10.com
KYTV: newsalerts@ky3.com
KSPR: newsroom@kspr.com
KSMU: ksmu@missouristate.edu
KTTS: news@ktts.com
Community Free Press: editor@cfpmidweek.com
Springfield Business Journal: eolson@sbj.net
417 Magazine: editor@417mag.com
Thank you
Questions?