step-by-step guides to strategic media relations by hoem seiha

Strategic Media Relations

By Hoem Seiha

H/p: 012-699-553

Email: entrepconsulting@gmail.com

Session 1

Pre-Learning Test You are given 20 minutes to take a pre-test on general understanding of Media Relations. You’re not allowed to cheat in any form during this test. The test is only intended to measure your knowledge about the whole subject, and it does not affect your scores. Return your paper to the committee upon your completion.

Work individually: 1. What is Media Relations?

2. What are the importance and roles of Media Relations?

3. What are the main activities of Media Relations?

4. What are the differences between Public Relations and Media Relations? Describe the main activities of Public Relations.

5. For your own perspectives, between Public Relations and Media Relations, which one is most effective for your organizational advocacy campaigns?

Pre-Learning Test

The primary goal of Media Relations is to garner positive publicity for an organization’s mission, policies, and practices.

Media relations refers to the connection between an organization and journalists.

Public relations extends beyond the media to the general public.

Understanding of Media Relations

Media Roles & Social Influences

Media refers to newspapers, magazines, radios and televisions as a whole. They bring information to the public (audiences) within a society, country or the whole world based on their reach capacity.

Understanding the Media

The role of media has become one way of trading and marketing of products and prejudices. The media claimed to be governed by righteousness and equity, but greed and self-aggrandizement has poisoned its virtues. Media is in charge of major roles in providing : 1. information 2. education and advocacy 3. entertainment 4. advertising 5. correlation of parts of society

Roles of Media

Media brings information such as fire, change of fiscal policy of the government, upcoming election, etc., to the public.

Information

Education and Advocacy

Entertainment

Advertising

Advertising is most common in any kinds of media. Because media is the central information disseminators, advertisers buy space on newspapers, time on TVs or radios, etc., to bring their marketing messages to the their audiences.

Correlation of parts of society refers to the interpretive or analytical activities of the media. For instance, if you know from the media that the government passes a law against network marketing, you’re not likely to get involved in it.

Correlation of Parts of Society

Troop mobilizations after election cause public concern.

Media influences the ways of thinking of the people. and change particular behavior of the population within a society from one point of view to another. For most of corporate entities, they use media to achieve their campaigns by applying awareness program and educate and advocate people about their products, services, and other programs. By doing so, media can change public opinions, urge policy-makers to adapt or change policies, warn the public of something that might impact on them.

Influences of Media

For instance, stories concerning an increase demand of housing will urge property investors to build new borei houses to cater to the rising need.

Influence on Policy

Change of Perception

VS

Work individually. Answer the following questions:

Red Bull has existed and predominated Cambodian market for many years. Recent existence of Bachhus has taken a big market share from Red Bull, though Red Bull is believed to have better quality and taste.

1. What strategies has Bachhus applied to gain a big market share from Red Bull in Cambodia?

2. Why people change their perception of traditional energy drinks (with more sugar) to light energy drinks (less sugar)?

Case Study: Red Bull Vs Bachhus

Types of Media

Media have been changing faces throughout the history. Long time ago, the westerners first printed newspapers. Now, there are many types of media (print, broadcast, online, social, etc.) coming to serve and change the face of the world. There major types of media in Cambodia:

Print media, broadcast media, online media (including email), social media, and mobile SMS

Types of Media

Print media is most common in Cambodia. Print media outlets are newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and other periodic publications.

Access to print media is limited, usually popular in the urban areas like Phnom Penh.

Print Media

Popular and widely read by urban population, especially in Phnom Penh, are daily

newspapers with circulation of 5,000 to 18,000.

Getting low readership are periodic magazines, usually only population in the urban areas, because of too many magazines coming. The

circulation is around 1,000 to 5,000.

Print Media Stats

Most of professionals and business people read the

Phnom Penh Post.

Many newspapers are getting less public confidence

because of its unbalanced reporting and political bias, and lack of innovation and changes.

Over 100 is the number of newspapers in Cambodia.

Did You Know?

Broadcast media refers to media outlets that broadcast news and other messages via TVs and radios. Such media outlets are Hang Meas HDTV, RFI Khmer, Apsara TV, etc.

The reach of TV is great regardless of rural or urban areas. The reach of Radio is only inside and around the areas of broadcasting.

Broadcast Media

98% of the households in Phnom Penh has TV.

73% of the households in Kampong Cham has TV.

65% of the households in Battambang has TV.

Statistics was in 2010.

TV Stats

77% of Cambodian youths are TV viewers.

87% of Cambodian youths watch international

film programs on TV.

65% of Cambodian youths watch Khmer film

series on TV.

Did You Know?

Online media refers to any media outlets that provide news on online platforms such as Phnom Penh Post online, DAP online, and email dissemination system platforms such as Gmail.com or Yahoo.com.

The reach of online media is generally within and around the urban areas and among only the highly educated population.

Online Media

2.7 million is the number of Cambodian Internet users estimated by the end of 2012.

Did You Know?

Email is the use of electronic means to deliver the message across the country and continents. The reach of email in Cambodia is only among the highly educated population.

Email

It’s estimated that around 100,000

people use email for communications.

Around 50,000 people open emails

frequently.

742,220 is the number of Cambodian people using Facebook (5% of the whole population) by the end of 2012.

Facebook Stats

1 million is the number of Facebook users estimated by 2013.

Did You Know?

44,071 is the number of frequent LinkedIn unique visitors in Cambodia.

LinkedIn Stats

19.6 million is the number of mobile subscriptions in Cambodia.

Mobile & SMS

Building Relationship with the Media

Session 2

Relationship with the right persons in the media accounts for the success for media relations and PR plans. Building a good and strong relationship with the media is a professional process, not involved in entertaining meals and drinks, by providing them information and opportunities to interest their readers and audiences. There are some practical guides regarding building strong relationship with the media.

Relationships with the Media

Try to understand what are the best media outlets that can achieve your media coverage planning. Media stands on the middle of your organization and the public, so make sure your story pitches go with the media outlets you’re going to build relationship. For instance, real estate related news stories are newsworthy for Phnom Pen Post, CNC TV, Hang Meas HDTV, etc. Corruption related stories are newsworthy for Radio RFA and Radio VOA, but not for DAP news online.

Identifying Your Media

Try to identify the persons with the right power that can decide to or not to run your news stories of your organization. Recommended persons to build relations with are:

Editor-in-Chief – one who’s in charge of the whole newspaper or magazine

Section Editor – one who’s in charge of a certain section of the newspaper or magazine

(Section) Reporters – ones who’re in charge of collecting and reporting the news stories for a newspaper or magazine

Identifying the Right Persons in the Media

Offering news pitches, news stories, or editorials produced by your organization is a way to build good relationship with the media. Since sometimes newspapers, magazines or TV outlets are stuck by a lack of stories to run on their outlets, your offers should help them a lot. They won’t forget you when you frequently offer them your news stories. However, if you produce a stories for them, be sure to do professionally in accordance with the standard of journalism.

Offer News Pitches

News reporters need human voices to fill up their news stories – this makes their stories sound stronger. For a success of media relations campaign, offer an access for reporters to reach your executives who can provide information the reporters needs for their stories.

Offer Access to Executives

A way to build and attract the media is to specialize a news beat (such as real estate) for the news media. When reporters think of writing, for instance, a story on real estate, they will come to you.

Specializing a News Beat

Provide media kits such as quarterly or monthly newsletters, monthly reviews, or press releases can be a good way to maintain relationship with the media. If your publications contain newsworthy information for the reporters to cite as references, they will enjoy and also enthusiastically wait for your later publications.

Offer Publications

Social, business or public events and workshops, exhibitions, etc., are a good place for PR practitioners to meet reporters from many media outlets. Below are some tips to build media lists at the events or workshops:

Try to attend these kinds of events and workshops that related to your organizations’ news beats.

Drop your name cards at the registration desk of the events or workshops

Ask reporters you meet for their business cards, and list them in your contact lists of media.

Notice if there is an PR email sending to a list of media, don’t forget to check the CC section. If there is a CC attached, copy those email and save it in one of your lists.

Send them your periodic publications or invitation to media conferences.

Building Media Lists

Don’t ignore email. It’s cheap, fast and convenient. Once you have built lists of media outlets, group them accordingly. Use email to send your publications and press releases, periodic reviews, editorials, and several other articles that newspapers or magazines can cite or totally run them on their newspapers.

Emails as Communication Means

Making Media Pitches

Session 3

Media pitch – a direct communication to a writer, reporter, blogger or editor via email or telephone to convince him to write a story of your organization.

A good media relations practitioner can pitch a story of his organization and interest the news writer who are likely to write the suggested story.

Making Media Pitches

Step 1: Pitch a story (create a story idea) that brands or promotes your organization professionally without using promotional messages.

Step 2: Prepare a letter to editor (or directly to news reporter) stating why the story matters and why it’s newsworthy for the audiences.

Step 3: Talk to the editor (directly to news reporter) about the story idea. Once he says he want to see the idea in details, you can send him the letter to him via email.

Step 4: Follow up the story idea by phone call or via email communications with the editor or reporter.

Step 5: Facilitate the information needed for the story such as executive interview, factsheet, newsletter, etc.

Steps in Making Media Pitches

A story pitch is a story idea (a narrower topic) covering a specific angle about a broad topic. A story pitch has a topic and its controlling ideas. Example:

diabetes prevalence increases among middle-age Cambodians

Fast Foods are getting popular among Cambodian urban population

A Story Pitch

Nonprofits that are featured in media stories share their story with their audience without paying for advertising space, graphic designers or printing costs. While there is no guaranteed method for gaining a media attention for a nonprofit, there are several techniques that can make a nonprofit’s pitch more marketable for media coverage, or a simple mention in a news story.

Pitch – It’s an Editorial Job

Step 1: Identify the areas of interest of the media outlets.

Step 2: Think of relating your organization’s story with the areas of media interest.

Step 3: Or if possible, discuss with the reporters over how to make the story newsworthy for the media.

How to Pitch a Story

If you’re working to promote a property management company using media relations strategies, think of these themes for media to cover your stories.

New approach to investing in serviced property

Update of serviced apartment market

Update of serviced office space market

Vtrust achieves 95% of office occupancy rate

Etc.,

Example of Story Pitches

Study an example of a story pitch:

Vtrust achieves 95% of office occupancy rate

“Vtrust” is a topic.

achieves 95% of office occupancy rate” is a controlling idea.

Vtrust is involved in the story.

Vtrust’s executive will have voices in the story

Direct Pitch

Study an example of a story pitch:

Entrepreneurs attach integrity to business success

“integrity” is a topic.

“Entrepreneurs attach... to business success” is a controlling.

Entrepreneurs involve in the story.

Vtrust’s executive will have a voice in the story.

Indirect Pitch

A story that might be interesting for some professional newspapers might not be of the interest at some TV. So the areas of interest for broadcast media are different according to their expertise and censorship by the government, etc. For example, a story about human right violation is well suited with VOA, RFA, RFI, but not suitable for almost the rest of other radio or TV outlets.

Pitch for Broadcast Media

These two TV outlets are fond of business and economic stories like any industry, real estate, foods, etc.

However, all TVs in Cambodia is non-neutral and has a tendency to the ruling party, hiding some of the true stories about those issues behind.

Hang Meas HDTV, CNC News

Sensitive stories are not broadcast on TVs

Among print media outlets, Phnom Penh Post (Khmer & English) is now becoming most popular in Phnom Penh and throughout the provinces for its fairness in reporting sensitive stories, economic and business stories alike. Phnom Penh has several sections that serve different group of people with different interests. Such sections: Local – focusing on crimes, human rights violation, politics, and many other

issues Business – focusing on business and economic sectors Real Estate – focusing on real estate and property sectors Lift – focusing on youth issues and entertainment Sports – focusing on sports 7Days – focusing on features of prominent people and entertainment Special Reports – focusing on special events, happening and stories with

in-depth analyses.

Print Media

There are few online media outlets in Cambodia, but most common online media are Phnom Penh Post, Raskmey Kampuchea, Kosantepheap, DAP News, and others that are not so popular.

Raskmey Kampuchea – reporting on general issues

Kosantepheap – reporting on general issues

DAP News – reporting on general issues

Online Media

Pay-as-you-go, email delivery service whose reach is up to 45,000 email addresses is most common for updates of trainings, events, and jobs and some of notifications of special events. For delivery of sensitive information like human rights violation or political issues, the service providers do not offer.

However, you can own your own email system to achieve your media campaign at low costs.

Emails & SMS

1) Work individually.

2) Time allowed for this test is 20 minutes.

Instruction: Think of a story idea that relates to your own organization and suggest a pitch for the media to cover that story for you. Tell what the story is about, how this story is interesting for the media to cover up their publication. Write your ideas down.

3) After you finish, hand your paper to the trainer.

Session 4: Test 1

Organizing Public and Media Events

Session 5

Event is one of the strategies to get your company’s stories covered in the media. However, planning an event to attract the media isn’t an easy task. There are some practical experiences to make it attractive:

Create an event that relate to the media’s areas of interest (such as opening, briefing on new report, special public event, etc.).

Create story ideas that reporters can use to write their stories for their newspapers.

Prepare press kits (review, press release, speech, factsheet, newsletter) to help them find necessary information.

Organizing Public and Media Events

1). Identify your organizational objective of the event you’re going to hold.

For an organization, whatever event is a good way to bring certain group of people, public and media in in order see what’s going at your organization. However, not all events can attract the attention of the media, and the coverage could be kind of promotional. To achieve that, you have to identify a clear objective of your event and think of how to create your event attractive to the media by creating possible story pitches to suit different media.

Process of Creating an Event

2). Relate your event to a story pitch of the media.

By pitching news stories within your event, media reporters become interested in it and will set aside other tasks to attending your event for possible coverage. For instance, if your event is the “Grand Opening of Park Café’s new outlet” (restaurant chain), then you should make a pitch that suggests restaurant industry is growing in Cambodia, as example set by the expansion of Park Café.

Process of Creating an Event (cont.)

3). Work with the speakers/presenters

Now you have a story idea that the media are hunting for. However, you have to talk to your speakers of the event and provide them what should be raised at the event. Talking about many things without a clear objective only makes news reporters boring and find it uninteresting.

Process of Creating an Event (cont.)

4). Create an agenda for the event

Creating an agenda for the event makes the news reporters know clearly where/when the event is to be hold, what the event is about, what speeches or what topics should be of their interest for the stories they’re going to write, or who are of their targets for the news reporting.

Process of Creating an Event (cont.)

5). Assign teams for the event

No team, you cannot make the event go smoothly. So assign people of your team the duties and responsibility of each tasks in the event (like facilitator, MC, registration officers, etc.)

Process of Creating an Event (cont.)

6). Create media invitation and media kits

Write an advisory to the media, press release, speech of the president, factsheet, review if necessary. Burn it on a CD or print in handouts. You can send these tools to the media prior to event, except speech.

Process of Creating an Event (cont.)

7). Plan the budget for the event

Without budget, you can’t host an event. Plan the budget and submit a proposal to the management to approve. Here, the proposal should be attached with an event plan (including agenda), media plan (including media advisory and media list of attendants).

Process of Creating an Event (cont.)

8). Book a venue for your event

Once your proposal is approved, you can proceed the next step of booking a venue for your event. Prepare all what you need for the day to happen. Be careful! Poorly-prepared event can cause your event out of control.

Process of Creating an Event (cont.)

9). Keep everyone involved in the event informed

Once your proposal is approved, you can proceed the final step of holding an event. Make an invitation and alert them in advance. The event is full of joy when everyone of the people involved in the event come.

Process of Creating an Event (cont.)

It’s always eventful at the day of the event. Participants and media start to arrive, and registration become busy, while distinguished guests are anticipated by you.

At the time of start, of course, opening starts and speech delivery follows. Media starts to questions. And if no questions from the media, your event is likely to be out of interest for the media.

On the Event Day

Producing Media Kits

Session 6

There are several media kits used at the event or without the event.

Press release – normally used when there’s an event

Speech – normally used when there’s an event (rarely used in non-event but still in special case like immediate press release or special occasion)

Factsheet – can be used in many occasions

Newsletter – usually delivered periodically (monthly, quarterly, or yearly)

Review – just like newsletter but shorter and with detailed information on specific areas of interest.

Media Kits

Press release is a piece of information about something of or relating to an organization. A press release is used to pitch the media so that reporters or editors might be interested and cover on that in their publications. Examples of press release is a release telling about “grand opening, joint venture agreement, new data release, etc.”

How to Write a Press Release

A news release has the following elements:

1. Company name (and logo)

2. Headline (sometimes also subhead)

3. Issue date

4. Lead (the first few sentences)

5. Body (details of the story)

6. Conclusion (not mandatory)

7. Editorial notice (editor’s note)

8. Media Inquiry Contact

The Basic Elements

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Company name

Headline lead

body

Editor’s note

Media Inquiry Contact

Company & Issue date

Sample: Email-Based News Release

Headline

Company & issue date

Attached e-release

Headline – It’s the subject line (the title of the news release). Either it’s electronically used or printed on the paper, headline nature is still the same. Write it concisely but meaningfully. A good headline of a news release should convince news writers or editors to get it published. It should:

Capture the news writers/editors’ attentions

Summarize the overall content of the release

Writing a Headline

Be short.

Be straightforward, not misleading.

Not be promotional.

Not include company’s name (except some cases).

Use simple words.

Comply to style guides.

Not be written in BLOCK.

Be capitalized or lowercased.

Writing a Headline (Cont.)

Too long

More than a Hundred Buyers Queue for the Arrival of iPhone 4S in front of iOne at Canadia Tower from Morning until Evening

Acceptable

Hundreds of Buyers Queue for iPhone 4S Arrival at iOne All Day

Example: Length

Non-Standard

Apartment and Office Realty Revenues Are Expected to Rise Up in the Upcoming Years.

Standard

Apartment, Office Realty Revenues Expected to Increase Next Years

Example: Style

Since lead is the first line(s) of the news release, it should be short, summarizing the overall content of the release. An effective lead should:

Capture the news writers or editors’ attentions

Reveal the overall meaning of the release content.

Provide a brief of the “5 Ws” and the “H”.

Not run more than 5 lines (best, 50-80 words)

Not exceed 2 sentences

Writing a Lead

Not Effective: Too long, poorly structured, delayed lead

In time of ASEAN Integration over the next few years, free market is open to this community and foreign investors have already looked to invest in the country. Cambodia will no doubt improve many economic sectors. For instance, Cambodia’s apartment and office realty revenues are predicted to grow by the next years, said industry leaders at the economic review session yesterday.

Example: Lead

Effective: Concise, immediate lead, well-structured

Apartment and office realty revenues are predicted to grow by the next coming years, as bolstered by ASEAN Integration when foreign investors have already looked to invest in the country, industry leaders said at the economic review session yesterday.

Example: Lead (Cont.)

The body of a news release provide details of the headline of the release, narrowing down the points in an inverted pyramid style. An effective body should:

Provide details of the subject matters

Answer to the “5Ws” and the “H”

Include the intended messages

Include background information

Include supporting elements such as human quotes from involved individuals, figures, statistics, factual information

Writing a Body

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Even if the conclusion is not always necessary for a news release, sometimes writers use it to leave a special message for the readers so that the readers are drawn by it at last. An effective conclusion should:

Briefly restate the lead (in a far different way)

Leave a message for the readers to consider

Urge for an action

Not run more than 5 lines (best, 50-80 words)

Conclusion (Not Mandatory)

Writing News Stories

Prewriting is the first step of all writing activities. It includes the followings:

Defining recipients (clients or potential clients)

Choosing an email campaign

Brainstorming

Gathering information

Outlining the content (of a campaign)

Choosing a format & design style

Prewriting

Audiences are the first priority to consider before writing a news story. To succeed in your writing, define for whom the stories are intended. Such considerations are demography (age, gender, living standard, occupation, location, etc.), old or loyal clients, potential clients, preference, etc.

Defining Audiences

Example 1

Example 2

Corporate Internet Package: $90 - $300

Unlikely

Retail user

Now that you’ve got the ideas of story, the next step is to think briefly about what information should be included in the your story. Remember the “5 Ws” and the “H” for brainstorming techniques.

5 Ws: What, where, when, why and who

The H: How

Brainstorming

Example: Event

Press Release Event name

What’s the event about?

Event location

Who presides the event?

Starting & lasting time

Who organizes/

Hosts?

Who are invited?

You’ve come up with the all the ideas of what to write in your email marketing message, and the next step you have to take is to gather all the information you have listed in the brainstorming process. Think of resource persons who share the responsibility of providing you the information regarding the what you’re going to write. Sometimes, you have to sit your marketing counterparts, upline managers, CEO down for the information.

Gathering Information

Gathering Information can be done by:

Desk Review

Use computer and internet (for electronic materials)

Find print materials (brochure, flyer, etc.)

In-Person Interview

Meet marketing counterparts, upline managers and CEO for the interview

Clients (for newsletter only)

Information Gathering Approaches

An effective interview should be planned in advance. A list of questions should be established. Here are the tips:

Choose what to write about

Generate a list of questions (what, where, when, who, why, how)

Determine who should be interviewed

Make appointment with the resource

Interviewing Tips: Question List

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A good interview is better done with a good communication and closeness between the interviewer and interviewee. Here are some tips:

Warm up – start the conversation by a warm-up.

Let him know why you need the information.

Ask him according to question list, but be flexible with the unexpectedly told pieces of information

Think of pop-up questions and follow up

End the interview with a full of information

Interviewing Tips: Interviewing Process

News –sometimes called “news story” – is mostly published on newspapers, magazines or other online media. A news story tells you about something unusual happening around you. Like a news release, news story has to answer the “5Ws” and the “H”. A good news story should:

Answer the “5Ws” and the “H”.

Be narrowed down in “inverted pyramid” style

Have a clear angle

Be objective (avoid subject “I”)

Quote human voices

Have supporting elements

Be factual

Be word-economic

News

A good news story should have one or more of the following characteristics:

Proximity – Nearness to your audience / Are they directly affected?

Timeliness – Is this something new?

Prominence – Are those involved of importance to the audience?

Novelty – Is this something unusual, first, largest etc.?

Conflict – Are there competing sides, big or small?

News (Cont.)

Wide Appeal – In many cases local media appeals to an eighth-grade reading level and topics that appeal to mass audiences. Does your story have wide appeal or can you describe why it should?

News (Cont.)

Like a news release, news story has basic elements described below:

Lead – the first few lines (sometimes only 1 sentence) of the news story

Body – a block of paragraphs. All the details, usually written in an inverted pyramid style, are given to support the lead.

Conclusion – a paragraph. A special message is left for the readers. Even if this sometimes used by writers, this is not so important for journalistic writing.

News Basics

The basic elements of the body of a news story should have the followings:

The “5Ws” and the “H” – telling about what, where, when, why, who, and how

Background Information - telling something related to the main idea of the story

Supporting elements – like details, print or human quotes, statistics, figures, (sometimes rumors)

Body

A paragraph is a block of sentence grouped together to state a idea or thing. An effective paragraph has the following characteristics:

Concise but meaningful (not exceed 100 words)

Word-economy (make every word counts)

Should contain only main idea or point (and followed by supporting elements).

Appropriate word choices

Should contain no cliché, jargon, or idiom.

Body: Paragraph

A supporting element is a sentence or few sentences that support a certain statement in a paragraph of the body. Supporting elements can be the followings:

Details

Figures or statistics

Human or print quotes

Rumors (rare case)

Body: Supporting Elements

Every year Beeline gives away school materials to students throughout Cambodia. Last year the company distributed more than 1,000 school bags, 4,300 books, 4,200 pencils and pens, and over 1,000 t-shirt printed with the slogan “Study for a Bright Future” to 1,000 top students from 23 schools in 20 provinces.

Example 1: Paragraph

Main point

Supporting elements: figures

The two paragraphs have different points.

The company is ready to distribute more than 59,000 books and 59,000 pencils and pens that were printed with the slogan “Study for a Bright Future”.

Ham Phearum said that this year the company gives away those materials to all young children, unlike the previous year that the company rewarded the materials to only top students.

Example 2: Paragraph

Point A

Point B

Human indirect quote

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There are basically two types of news—hard and soft news.

Hard News – Hard news, sometimes called “hot news” is a type of news of something or event happening currently.

Soft News – Soft news, sometimes called “feature” is a type of news story about something or event occurring at a time around now. It’s usually long, providing in-depth views and analyses.

Types of News Stories

A structure of a news story is based on the style a writer applies. Styles are divided into two common ways:

1. Inverted Pyramid Style (most common)

2. Hourglass Style

3. Chronological Style

Basic News Story Structures

Most commonly, news writers use inverted pyramid style for their story reporting. It can easily and quickly deliver the message to the readers, since the modern day people do not have much time to read the rest of the story if the news is not very interesting for them. Inverted pyramid style starts with:

Lead – a summary of the topic (with five Ws, the H)

Supporting details – important supporting information

Less important details – less important information

Inverted Pyramid Style

Structure Sample

The hourglass form summarizes the news, then shifts to a narrative. The top delivers the news, the turn acts as a transition, the narrative tells the story.

THE TOP. Here you deliver the news in a summary lead, followed by three or four paragraphs that answer the reader’s most pressing questions. In the top you give the basic news, enough to satisfy a time-pressed reader. You report the story in its most concise form. If all that is read is the top, the reader is still informed. Because it’s limited to four to six paragraphs, the top of the story should contain only the most significant information.

Hourglass Style

THE TURN. Here you signal the reader that a narrative, usually chronological, is beginning. Usually, the turn is a transitional phrase that contains attribution for the narrative that follows: according to police, eyewitnesses described the event this way, the shooting unfolded this way, law enforcement sources and neighbors agree.

THE NARRATIVE. The story has three elements: a beginning, middle and end. The bottom allows the writer to tell a chronological narrative complete with detail, dialogue, and background information.

Hourglass Style (Cont.)

Hourglass Diagram

The Top, summarizing the news

The Turn (transition), shifting to a narrative

The Narrative, telling the story

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Like spatial and logical orders, chronological style is rarely used for journalistic writing since the most important point will stand at the end of the article, where most of the readers fail to get the message after a few seconds of reading the “boring” opening. It tells a story narratively and chronologically. It begins with:

Lead

Foreshadowing (nut graph)

Chronological Storytelling

Climax at End

Chronological Style

Lead

Foreshadowing

Chronological Storytelling

Climax

Chronological Style Diagram

Writing a Feature Story

Session 8

A feature, sometimes called feature story, is a type of news articles intended for newsletter, newspapers, magazines, or other online media. Unlike a hard news story, a feature story has much more space to go in-depth, providing analyses, investigations and different points of view from different sources. An effective feature story should better run between 500-2,500 words. (sometimes reach 5,000 for magazine)

Features

There are many kinds of feature stories. Here are some popular types:

Human Interest: The best-known kind of feature story is the human-interest story that discusses issues through the experiences of another.

Profiles: A very common type of feature is the profile that reveals an individual's character and lifestyle. The profile exposes different facets of the subject so readers will feel they know the person.

Types of Features (1)

How-To: These articles help people learn by telling them how to do something. The writer learns about the topic through education, experience, research or interviews with experts.

Historical Features: These features commemorate important dates in history or turning points in our social, political and cultural development. They offer a useful juxtaposition of then and now. Historical features take the reader back to revisit an event and issues surrounding it. A variation is the this date in history short feature, which reminds people of significant events on a particular date.

Types of Features (2)

Seasonal Themes: Stories about holidays and the change of seasons address matters at specific times of a year. For instance, they cover life milestones, social, political and cultural cycles, and business cycles.

Behind the Scenes: Inside views of unusual occupations, issues, and events give readers a feeling of penetrating the inner circle or being a mouse in a corner. Readers like feeling privy to unusual details and well kept secrets about procedures or activities they might not ordinarily be exposed to or allowed to participate in.

Types of Features (3)

Unlike the lead of a hard news story, a feature lead does not necessarily summarize the overall content of the story in a sentence. Feature lead:

Can be delayed (delayed lead)

Does not necessarily state the main point strait away

Sometimes acts like a thesis statement of an essay

Can be several paragraphs long

Can be different types: descriptive, anecdotal, narrative, mystery, teaser, and question

Lead

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You have 45 minutes to write a hot news story consisting of 300 – 400 words, using the given information below.

Scenario: Your organization has organized a media briefing session on 12 November, 2012. The briefing is to inform media reporters about the yearly report of your organization on the achievement. Write a hot news story that covers the briefing event and the yearly report, using the provided information and your additional ideas as appropriately as possible.

Test 2: Writing a News Story

Write a lead for a feature story.

Topic 1: Your company’s survey shows clients’ satisfaction reach 95%.

Topic 2: Your computer shop makes computer sales 60% (1,000 units) higher than last year.

Topic 3: Your company’s success in a joint venture with Korean company.

Topic 4: An advantage of your organized tour to Sihanouk on a national holiday.

Topic 5: Yearly report of your organization (HelpAge) shows that 100 old people in 7 communities were helped by your organization during 2012, compared 60 old people in 2011.

Test 3: Writing a Lead

Media Coverage Monitoring

Session 9

Media coverage monitoring is the daunting tasks in the current context of Cambodia PR and advertising industry. However, media coverage monitoring helps your organization achieve the goal better compared to non-monitoring. A media monitoring program aims to meet the following objectives:

Media Coverage Monitoring

1. To track relationships between your organization and individual media outlets/reporters.

2. To monitor mention of your organization, its programs and/or staff in order to evaluate brand strength, positioning and the need to correct erroneous information in the public sphere.

3. Clip the pieces of the coverage and keep it in place for your later consideration, policy and change of the media pattern.

4. To evaluate trends in media reporting in order to identify information gaps and to guide what kind of information to release to media.

5. To aid in the evaluation of the effectiveness of your organization’s public relations campaigns

Media Coverage Monitoring (c0nt.)

The saying ‘you can never find one when you need one’ is very true of journalists –except when there’s bad news. Then you have an opening, event, program, venue or activity to promote, it is increasingly difficult to get media attention in today’s information overloaded world. But when something goes wrong, the media inevitably turn up at your door or on the phone in a matter of hours, or even minutes.

By Jim R. Macnamara

Facts

A crisis happens when your company meets a controversial issue that might conflict a society or the public, bring your company’s image down, result in a loss of customers’ confidence, etc. An example of a crisis could be a death of a consumer in association with your products.

What’s a crisis?

No preparation to deal with the media will result in erroneous information, distortion of facts, and publicly embarrassing gaffe (confuse of something). Therefore, preparation is the best way to handle the media during a crisis. Below are some strategies for media relations in time of crises.

Being cooperative with the media

Designate media relations spokesperson

Develop a crisis response strategy

Manage media events to show crisis responses

How to Handle the Media

Staying silent at your side could result in an error in news reporting because the news media have no clear information about the crises and what your organization respond to them.

Being cooperative with the media

Not all the people in an organization can speak to the news media. Designate a skillful person in charge of responses to the media. The benefits are:

He knows how to turn things bad to good.

He knows a series of information flows from the organization clearly, and thus he responds accordingly.

He has more time to focus on the response strategies.

Designate media relations spokesperson

The company has to develop a crisis response strategies in order to stand well with the news media. Strategies could be how the company responds to the death of his consumer associated with its products.

Develop a crisis response strategy

Planning media events to show how your organization response to the crisis is a good opportunity to bring your messages out to the media.

Interviews

Editorials

Press briefings

Press releases on specific policy or real-story

Press packages and fact sheets

Manage media events to show crisis responses

Whenever you take over a position of PR, establishing a good relationship with the news media (news reporters) is a good way to deal with the media during a crisis. Tasks should be:

Build both Contacts & Relationship

Be a source for the media

Pre-Crisis Tasks

A media strategy is more than developing ‘contacts’. Having ‘contacts’ will not prevent the publication or broadcast of bad news. But relationships established over time can make you a known source (it is always easier to attack strangers) and build a reputation and trust which will frame future interaction.

Build both Contacts & Relationship

A practical step in building relationships with journalists is helping them when they want something – not only when you do. Help journalists find information – even if it is outside your area of interest, give them background without expecting a story, point them to other contacts who can assist them, and you will find they value you as

a reliable and credible ‘source’ and mutual respect and reciprocity are developed.

Be a source for the media

Divide participants into three groups. Create a story pitch about your organization for the media to cover or write it for your organization’s newsletter. Tell what the story is about, why it’s newsworthy, how this story is interesting for the media to cover up their publication. Write your ideas down. You have only 30 minutes for this group test.

Session 10

Group Test

Each of the group presents their ideas, being allowed only 10 minutes for the presentation. Other groups can challenge. Each group has an opportunity to earn 10 marks that will be added to each member directly and equally.

Session 11

Group Presentation

Session 12

Media Planning

Overall, media planning is the first thing to do before implementing the actions on media relations. Without an appropriate plan, PR or media practitioners often don’t know where to start or to end. Therefore, plan is crucial for media relations practitioners to achieve the goal of the organization.

Media Planning

It’s a basis program for your media relations campaign. Example of the campaign should be:

Brand awareness program

Product publicity program

advocacy program

Product value awareness program

Public announcement program

What is a Media Relations Plan?

There are 9 steps in planning your media relations campaign. 1. Situation Analysis 2. Goal 3. Objectives 4. Target Media 5. Key Messages 6. Strategies 7. Tactics 8. Budget 9. Measurement

The Plan Components

Objective

Media

Messages

Strategies

Tactics

Budget

Measurement

Goal

Plan of Media Relations

After your public research, you’ll have a deep understanding of your target media. It’s time for you to analyze and design a media plan that your suits your media targets and audience, objective and budget.

Situation Analysis

Address your single goal of your media relations program. Example:

If your product is new to the market, you might plan a product publicity for it. Then this is called “Product Publicity”.

Goal

Two or more objectives are the smaller elements of the main goal. These should be specific, measurable and attainable and have a specific deadline for completion. For instance, one of your objectives is to get your message to certain groups of your audiences with a month or year. It’s called Objective 1, 2 or so.

Objectives

It’s who you want to reach and impact through your media plan. Examples of target media and audiences can be: Middle class consumers Media Investors Corporate audience Government Grassroots Etc.

Target Media & Audience

There should be no more than three key messages that you want to impress upon your target audience. Too many messages create “noise” and confusion, reducing the possibility that your most important messages will get through. For example of key messages:

Bacchus Energy Drink helps enhance performance, reduce sleepiness while driving, and reduce drunkenness.

Key Messages

Your key messages should not be self-centered. It should be audience-centered.

Beware!

It’s methods that you will use to get your message across your target media in order for them to cover it up in their publications. It addresses broadly on what, who, how to achieve your media objectives. Some of examples of strategies that you want to bring your key messages out: (Bacchus helps enhance performance, reduce sleepiness while driving, and reduce drunkenness.)

Newsletter to the consumers or media

News release for free coverage on media

Letter-to-editor or column to a newspaper

Event, etc.

Strategies

It’s a communication process to support your strategies. Here, you’ll have to set a deadline and estimate the cost for your communication process. Example:

4 Events: $1,500

Media briefings: $1,000

Quarterly newsletter, monthly review, special releases : $6,000

Youtube & other social media: Jan – June

Tactics

Plan and allocate your budget to meet your objectives of your media relations plan. Each spending item should be listed at Tactic process.

Budget

Evaluate your media plan to measure whether it will meet your objectives. Revise or eliminate some strategies that do not suit your budget or objectives. Keep it as a historical reference for your next media relations plan.

Measurement

Additional Lesson 1

How to Write a Media-Centric Speech

For media and PR practices, a media-centric speech is a piece of script for a top executive to speak at an event, for instance, media briefing, grand opening, or public or media conference. A printed speech is generally intended as a media kit to the news reporters.

What is a Speech?

Common sections in the media-centric speech:

-Name of the speaker

-Greeting and thanks-note

-Introduction

-Body

-Conclusion or End-Note

-Thanks-note

Media-Centric Speech

In this section, greeting and thank-you note is given in order to show respect to the audiences. For example:

Good morning His Excellency, oknha, ladies and gentlemen, and distinguished guests!

First, on behalf of Park Café’s management team, we’d like to thank you for your highly honorable presence at our Grand Opening Ceremony of new branch of Park Café.

Greeting & Thanks-Note

This section cover a brief information of the whole event:

As you might know, Park Café has successfully grown from the small first establishment in front of Parkway Square and for now we’ve expanded 6 Park Café’s outlets. Today, the Grand Opening Ceremony indicates our 6th establishment, and this is our pride to announce that Park Café (Psar Kandal Outlet) now officially opens to serve our customers.

Introduction

In the body, details of the intended event or something of the company are provided:

We’re proud to introduce you to all of our branches that we’re established so far. Thanks to the continual support from our customers, we have established 6 branches as indicated below:

Park Café, Parkway: located on Mao Tse Tong Boulevard, in front of Parkway Square

Park Café, Sovanna: located on Corner of st.271 and entrance to Sovanna Super market

...

Body

It’s the last message or the media or the audiences. Often, thanks-note is again addressed:

Last of all, we’d like to say “thanks” again to His Excellency, oknha, ladies and gentlemen, and distinguished guests who have taken their valuable time off to participating this Grand Opening Ceremony, and we expect your continual support to all of Park Café outlets.

Conclusion or End-Note

Additional Lesson 2

How to Write a Factsheet

A fact sheet is an important, at-a-glance tool used in public relations to provide an overview of your chapter. Though fact sheets can stand alone, they are more commonly used to supplement a news release, anchor a press kit, or replace a brochure.

What’s Factsheet?

A fact sheet is generally one or two pages and includes “the who, what, when, where, why and how” about a chapter or event. Components of a fact sheet include the following:

Elements of a Factsheet 1

Your chapter name, address and phone number should be on the upper left. If using chapter letterhead, disregard this step.

A contact name, title, and phone number should be on the upper right.

Triple space down and type the name of the subject. This should be centered and in upper case letters.

Double space down and type “Fact Sheet,” which should also be centered.

Elements of a Factsheet 2

The body of the fact sheet is set up in two columns. The left side includes the headings, such as history, vision, mission, purpose, future, etc., all in upper case lettering. The right side contains the heading descriptions. The descriptions should consist of short sentences that align under the second column.

If the document is longer than one page, type “-more-” at the center of the bottom of the first page.

At the end of the fact sheet, “###” should be centered and inserted.

Finally, double space down and type the month and year, flush right.

Elements of a Factsheet 3

One page is best

Make it readable - use at least a 12 point font

Keep the text brief - no one wants to read tons of information in a small font

Keep the most important information in the first paragraph - what the issue is, what action is needed, and label the main message(s)

Give references for more information - in electronic communications you can offer links

Tips

The fact sheet must be self-contained - do not refer to previous documents or assume that the reader remembers the information

Use bullets when you can

Leave lots of white space

Make it very clear what you want the reader to do - bold type face, text boxes, and graphics add emphasis

Give the reader all the tools he/she may need to take action -- do not say "call for more information"; instead give the reader all the information he/she will need

Tips (Cont.)

Good Luck!