Tips for Press Release
Writing and Effective Media Relations
These links were compiled by
Cathy DuPre, editor of the excellent newsletter, Internet
InfoScavenger.
Press Release Basics
A Publicity Primer from Kirk Hallahan at Colorado State University's
Journalism and Technical Communication School is a good place
to start. Find out the "mainstream notions of what's newsworthy"
and see 32 ideas for generating news. Under "Writing a News
Release: A Checklist" he outlines the format, important
items to include, and common problems seen in many press releases.
The Care and Feeding of the Press by Esther Schindler, for the Internet
Press Guild. Labeled a "guide for press relations staff
(or those who play them on TV)." Provides good feedback
on what the media wants, and what irritates them.
How to Get the Press on Your Side. In Marketing Without Megabucks, Shel
Horowitz says it's easy--just make yourself newsworthy. Horowitz
outlines events and situations that may lead to free publicity,
and how to deal with the press effectively.
D.M.
Freedman Company provides
excellent links to informative articles, online reference works,
book reviews, and resource links for media relations professionals
and wordsmiths.
At long last: what journalists want from PR people
by
Bernie Silver. Of all the people at whom it is easiest to take potshots,
public relations people - known unaffectionately among journalists as
flacks - are probably the easiest. At best they come in second behind
lawyers. Well, maybe third behind lawyers and journalists. But that's the
best they can do. And if they're not ahead in the
easiest-to-take-potshots-at race, they're not more than half a lap behind
the lead.
Electronic Press Releases
Wired Style: Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age.
"When does jargon end and a new vernacular begin?....What's
the language of the global village?....When we turned to the
traditional style manuals for answers, we found them inadequate....
Nothing quite answered the editorial questions we confronted
daily. So we created Wired Style."
If a Journalist Calls...
InternetPRGuide
Looking for more information on public
relations? Visit internet.com's InternetPRGuide
for the latest ideas,
tips, and opinions on public relations, as well as
resources for PR professionals and do-it-yourselfers.
