One of the main, if not most important, element of media relations is in writing client prose. Prose is defined as a form of written discourse, which is an apt way of looking at it. It should be looked at as a form of conversation, meant to engage and interest the target, in this case, the media.
As media relations professionals, not only do our grammar skills have to be top-notch, we have to make what we write appeal to the journalists as well. The media receives several press releases by other NGOs which need the free publicity as well, sadly enough, but we have to ensure that what we give the media stands out. When formulating press releases, we have to write as journalists themselves. The prevailing question to ask is whether the information is news or newsworthy? It would help to do all the hard work for them too such as providing an angle and writing a lead paragraph with the most important information.
Rules of writing aside, what about the packaging of the press release itself? I think they could serve as attention-grabbing tools. This was a letter done by Microsoft to show software sales staff that Windows breaks down the walls in customers’ lives :
It would be cool if a similar concept could be adapted. I'm sure it would capture the journalists' attention and engage them directly. How's that for standing out amongst the other letters and pieces of paper.
Writing prose is also important in order to establish or maintaining media relations, and the list includes brochure materials, letters to editors, feature stories, brochures, annual reports and of course, press releases. An important tactic in relation to our campaign would be to create a personality profile.
Keeping in mind our client being PCS, it is imperative that our actions have to have humanising factors, because it has to reach out to our target publics on an emotional level. This is what the personality profile help to introduce. PCS does deal with the difficult issue of teenage pregnancy, which still is quite a taboo subject. Also, our target audience, the youths, might shut off to our messages because they might feel this does not concern them or that it’s not a subject they want to take interest in. By having Rozz as our spokesperson, it helps to humanise the issue and sheds light on it, because the hope is that the messages Rozz delivers will go through to the youths.
Another spokesperson that we could do a personality profile on perhaps is Stephanie Mohan, a young mother who was interviewed on RazorTV before. Stephanie got pregnant when she was 18, and despite the circumstances that she was in (she just started school and her boyfriend actually dumped her), abortion was never an option for her.
Watch the actual interview here : http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/37292.html
Rozz would make the public take notice, but Stephanie would definitely provide that true inspirational face to the issue.
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After today's discussion, I think Rozz is more of our ambassador than spokesperson since the latter needs to be someone in a senior management in the organisation. However, i agree that humanising the issue is a better way of getting our message to the youths; we feel more connected to the issue/message when it is transmitted through a person than directly from the organisation.For example,the Singapore Heart Foundation emphasised the importance of heart health by having one of their "Go Red For Women" ambassadors, Ms Abidah Mahmood also known as Dee Dee(who is a popular celebrity fitness trainer and a regular columnist for the malay daily newspaper,Berita Harian), to create a work out routine using hip hop music in 2008 to make exercise more fun and thus, encourage women to exercise regularly. Had Singapore Heart Foundation directly send out to their stakeholders their message that heart health is important and exercise is important, i doubt their stakeholders would notice the message.
ReplyDeleteIt is also good idea to add in Stephanie as our other ambassador since she has the experience and thus,she's able to give valuable first-hand insight about being a young mum to expectant teens who are contemplating on continuing their pregnancy.These information can be channeled to the media or placed on the website since Stephanie does not seem to mind being in the public's eye.
oh. and i think we have the ability to come up with attention-grabbing packages like the ones you posted, especially for our flash mobs(:
ReplyDeleteAgree, I think Rozz is more of an ambassador.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a good idea to appoint a spokesperson from PCS, probably the MD? That way should the media contact PCS, a soundbite from senior management would definitely have more credibility and adds an element of expertise too.
Rozz is definitely a good ambassador for our campaign. However, I do not think Stephanie is suitable as a second ambassador simply because nobody knows who she is. Ambassadors need to have a circle they can reach out to. That is the point of using one. She would serve as a good 'example' to use when we reach out to our target publics but she will never serve as a second ambassador.
ReplyDeleteI love the example Microsoft did with its press package. During the Young PR night some of us attended, a journalist present was talking about the things PR practitioner's did wrong. One of them was poor press kits and media releases. We should take note that everything important in our media release should be in the first two paragraphs. Information that is summarized is important.
The element of creativity could definitely come in not just in the flash mob aspect of our campaign but also in its launch.
everyone....stephanie mohan is my friend's friend! Though i didn't know she was interviewed by Razor Tv. haha.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I do agree with Stacey where we had real experiences from journalists talking to us about bad PR as though as we were the culprits.
Rachel Kelly said she received about 100-200 media releases a day. With PR practitioners calling her up telling her "THIS IS THE BEST STORY SO FAR". I think journalists get that alot, and other than "sucking up" and saying it's the "best story ever",all that facts and important information should be stated in the media release.
And creativity and originality in our ideas in gaining a journalist's attention is indeed of top priority.
And Sha, GREAT EXAMPLE!
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