Category: News Writing
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What is a media advisory?
Many people in the public relations profession confuse a news release with a media advisory. Yet there are distinct differences between the two in terms of their purpose and format. A news release is sent to the media with the hopes that they will publish the story, cover your event or write their own story.…
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When a news release is NOT necessary
I was talking to a new communications professional the other day about two news story ideas involving the company where she works. One possible story was about a special event her company was planning to hold. Her other topic was “family-owned companies where fathers and daughters work together.” Both are potentially newsworthy topics, I told…
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Avoid the boiler plate lead
When writing a news release, too many people in the public relations profession confuse the boiler plate with the lead. Let me explain. A boiler plate is one paragraph that has background information about the entity putting out the release. The boiler plate is put at the end of the news release. Typical information in…
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Editors love round numbers
For some strange reason, people generally gravitate towards round numbers, and that includes news editors. Look what happened last year with the 9-11 Memorial in New York City. There was a ton of focus on it and on the entire tragedy in 2011. Why? Because it was the 10th anniversary. I’m guessing we won’t see…
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Your target audience consists of one person
When you’re writing a news release, your target audience consists of only one person. Can you guess who it is? It’s the news editor who is going to receive your release. The news editor has the ultimate decision on whether or not your release is going to get published or aired. So your news release…
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Stop, Think and Consider Before Writing, Sending A News Release
Communications professionals can learn a valuable lesson from reading about the boy who cried “Wolf!” too many times. I’ve heard editors complain about organizations that send out so many news releases that they reach a point where the editor doesn’t pay attention to them. So before you write any news release, ask yourself if the…
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Add the Power of “ST” to your news writing
If you can apply an adjective to your announcement that ends in the letters “s-t”, you stand a better chance of success. Those adjectives are very powerful when trying to gain the attention of the news media. Let me explain. Is your organization the first to market with a product? Is it the first to…
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The Importance of Developing Your News Writing Skills
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) publishes a high quality, monthly tab newspaper called Public Relations Tactics, which is filled with great articles about the industry. Every so often the publication runs a special focus edition on writing. I’m a big fan of Public Relations Tactics and feel it is one of the best benefits I receive…
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News Writing with Brevity, Clarity and Simplicity
It’s not uncommon for a modern day news editor in a mid-size city to receive about: 1,300 e-mails every week (about 250-300 each day) 35-40 pieces of U.S. mail About 40 phone calls News editors in larger markets receive even more. So guess how long an editor will take to review each inquiry and news story…
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Comments
I view this blog as an outlet for me as an individual to express my opinions and offer advice about…
Great advice, Unger! It's way too easy to treat writing like a task and move on to the next item…