3. PRESS RELEASE
FACTUAL ANNOUNCEMENTS SENT TO THE MEDIA TO
BE USED AS NEWS ITEMS ON REGULAR BASIS
• WHO SENDS Press Releases?
– Businesses, Organizations, Individuals, and Government
• Locally, Nationally and Internationally
• WHO CREATES Press Releases?
– Public Relations Department
4. PURPOSES of PRESS RELEASES
• Introduce NEW PRODUCTS
• Keep the BUSINESS IN THE PUBLIC EYE
• Position the BUSINESS’S IMAGE
• Support good EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
• Create good COMMUNITY RELATIONS
5. INFORMATION in PRESS RELEASES
HARD COPY SOFT COPY
•Information that should
be announced
IMMEDIATELY
•Public will want to know
about it right away
•Information that DOES
NOT need to be
announced immediately
•PublicWILL NOT CARE if
they hear about it now or
later
6. STEPS to WRITING A PRESS RELEASE
1. PREPARE
– List the most important facts
– Identify which media to use
2. PUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION FIRST
– Inverted Pyramid Approach
– “Who, What, When, Where, Why, How”
3. STICK TO THE FACTS
– AVOID USING OPINIONS or EMOTIONS
7. 4. Write CLEARLY and EASY TO UNDERSTAND
– No complex words
5. Write in ACTIVE VOICE (Verbs)
6. EDIT Grammar and Spelling
– If send with errors, CONTACT the media to give
the correct information IMMEDIATELY
STEPS to WRITING A PRESS RELEASE
8. “You Do”
Write a Press Release for one of the following using
the format on the 4.03 Handout:
– Mooresville High School _________Team going to States
– _______________Band is having a concert in Charlotte
– _________________ NFL Team is going to the Superbowl
– _________________ NBA Team is being purchased by
_________________
– _________________ (professional athlete) is injured for the rest
of the season
– _______________________(corporate sponsor) is dropping
sponsorship with __________________ (NASCAR Driver)
9. SENDING PRESS RELEASE to MEDIA
• OBTAIN MEDIA DEADLINES
– Send Press Release CLOSE to deadline
• NEED to CATCH THE EDITOR’S ATTENTION
– THE EDITOR DECIDES WHETHER TO PUBLISH OR
BROADCAST THE RELEASE
– INCLUDE A CAPTIONED PHOTOGRAPH
• Picture that is accompanied by written text called a caption
• Send the release to a specific person
• Send a COVER LETTER with the release
• Send a THANK-YOU NOTE after the release is used
10. PROFESSIONAL PRESS RELEASES
• Typed
• ARRANGE INFORMATION APPROPIRATELY:
– Company NAME/CONTACT Information
– WHENthe release should be used
– If a PHOTOGRAPHis enclosed
– A HEADLINEfor the release
– The PLACE AND DATE of the news
– The BODYof the release
– Endof the release (“-END-”)
11. “You Do”
Write a Press Release for one of the following using
the format on the 4.03 Handout:
– Mooresville High School _________Team going to States
– _______________Band is having a concert in Charlotte
– _________________ NFL Team is going to the Superbowl
– _________________ NBA Team is being purchased by
_________________
– _________________ (professional athlete) is injured for the rest
of the season
– _______________________(corporate sponsor) is dropping
sponsorship with __________________ (NASCAR Driver)
13. NEWSLETTERS
Bulletin issued periodically to inform a group
about a business/organization
• EXCELLENT MARKETING TOOL
– COMMUNICATE WITH THE PUBLIC
– Increase business
– Market your brand
• TYPES of Newsletters
– PRINTED
– ONLINE
14. EFFECTIVE NEWSLETTERS
•“CATCHY” CONTENT
–Needs to be interesting to customers/fans
•BLEND content articles with ADVERTISEMENTS
–Promote your product throughout newsletter
•BE POLITE
–“Dear Friends”
15. STEPS to WRITING a NEWSLETTER
1.RESEARCH
– Look at other newsletters for ideas
2.Develop a PLAN
– WHO will write it, WHO will read it, WHO will distribute it?
– WHAT is the content?
– WHEN will it be published?
– HOW will it be produced (Email or print)?
3.Design aFORMAT
– Number of columns/pictures/articles per page
– Colors and Font Types
4.SELECT PEOPLE to write articles to submit
5.Create submissionDEADLINE
6.EDIT
7.DISTRIBUTE
17. MEDIA GUIDES
Sports-related press booklet published by
sporting teams
• Provide information about
– Participants
– Location
– Price
• ENCOURAGE TELEVISION/NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF
THE SPORT
• Goals:
– Generate interest so the MEDIA WILL PROVIDE COVERAGE
– ENCOURAGE SPECTATORS TO BUY TICKETS
18. DEVELOPING a MEDIA GUIDE
• BUDGET
– How much will is cost?
• ADVERTISING
– Who will buy advertising space?
• Photographs and Graphics
– Logos, photos from past seasons, team pictures, etc.
• Page design
– Layout: where will certain information go?
• PRINTING/DISTRIBUTION
– Online or Printed?
– How will you get it to the fans?
19. “YOU DO”
Your PROJECT GROUP will do ONE of the following
for your team:
1. Develop a NEWSLETTER using the steps from your
notes.
2. Develop a MEDIA GUIDE using the steps from your
notes.
• Research other examples of newsletters/media
guides online for ideas.
• Your newsletter/media guide MUST be printed in
COLOR and match the FORMAT of a real
newsletter/media guide (booklet).
21. MEDIA RELATIONS and SPORTS
• MEDIA:
– keeps us informed, entertained and enlightened
of SPORTING EVENTS
• SPORTS
– Provides MEDIA with news and events which
attracts public interest
22. PUBLIC RELATIONS vs. MEDIA RELATIONS
PUBLIC RELATIONS MEDIA RELATIONS
•Communicating with ALL the
many people an organization
may have a relationship with
•Employees
•Customers
•Fans
•Communities’
•MEDIA
•Interaction with the MEDIA….
•Reporters
•Journalists
•Editors
•Print Media
•Electronic Media
•Online Media
…to communicate
organization’s newsworthy
information
23. MEDIA RELATION REPRESENTATIVES
• BEAT WRITERS
– Writer assigned to cover specific topics
• Sports: typically assigned to cover specific sport or team
• COLUMNISTS
– Writer for a specific publication
• TV Game Broadcasters
• Radio Game Broadcasters
• Photographers
24. MEDIA RELATIONS
POSITIVE EFFECTS NEGATIVE EFFECTS
•MONEY
•Media companies pay for the rights
to show a sporting event
•Sports shown on the TV generate
sponsorships
•ROLE MODELS
•Endorsements of famous athletes
•INSPIRATION
•Encourage people to get involved
•COACHING AID
•Watching games on TV can provide
guidance to athletes, coaches or
teams
•BIAS
•Onlyreally popular sports get much
attention
•LACK OF ATTENDANCE
•Games shown on TV-ticket sales
often drop
•ATTENTION
•Attention paid to pro athlete private
lives more than sport
•DEMANDS
•Media coverage impacts games
(timing, commercials, etc.)
25. MEDIA RELATIONS and CRISIS
• Athletes have become CELEBRITIES because of
increased MEDIA COVERAGE
– Their PERSONAL LIVES are covered by the Media
– Must OVERCOME NEGATIVE PUBLICITY
• Ex: After criticism for being overpaid, a pro-athlete
became a volunteer spokesperson for Special
Olympics
26. “YOU DO”
• CREATE an THINKING MAP demonstrating the
following concepts from today’s notes:
– Public Relations VS. Media Relations
– Positive and Negative Impacts of Media Relations
– How a Crisis affects Media Relations
• PRESENT Thinking Map to the Class
28. POSITIVE MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS
• Developing POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS with the Media:
– GENERATES PUBLICITY
• More publicity = More sales = More Money!
– MAXIMIZE FAVORABLE NEWS AND EVENT COVERAGE
• PLAN A MEDIA DAY
– Give media chance to VISIT EVENT VENUE IN ADVANCE
– ENCOURAGE MEDIA TO PUBLICIZE THE PREPARATIONS
– Must be HONEST AND PROFESSIONAL
• PUBLIC RELATIONS PROFESSIONALS should present themselves this
way
29. TYPES of MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS
• INTERACTIVE
– Both media and sport entity have ONGOING, TWO-WAY
COMMUNICATION
• BUILD TRUST AND GOODWILL
– BUILDS MUTUALLY FAVORABLE
• Both parties must get something out it
• PROACTIVE
– Consider POSITIVE MESSAGES the company wants to send
• REACTIVE
– Consider potentially NEGATIVE NEWS and establish how
the company will respond
