PUBLIC

RELATIONS

DECEMBER 4,2022

BA(HONS.) JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATION

COMPILED BY: MANIKANT MISHRA
COURSE GUIDE: DR. VASU CHAUDHARY
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INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL TRIBAL UNIVERSITY, AMARKANTAK

DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION

TOPIC : NOTES ON PUBLIC RELATIONS

NAME -: MANIKANT MISHRA

COURSE -: B.A.(Hons.) in JOURNALISM
CLASS -: SEMESTER V
ENROLLMENT NO. -: 2001102014

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 Syllabus
INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATIONS

Objective/s: The students will know about public relations and its function. How
to apply the tools and techniques for handling public relations and maintain
mutual understanding.

Unit –I INTRODUCTION TO PR

Meaning, definition and role of Public Relations.

History of PR, 20th century developments in PR.

Functions of PR.

PR interface with other management disciplines.

Unit –II ELEMENTS OF PR

Public in PR.

PR campaign, meaning, need, process.

Models of PR.

Corporate image and reputation, corporate culture and style.

Unit -III Planning Public Relations and Community Relations

Public Relations Process

Tools and techniques of Public Relations

Writing for PR; press release, backgrounder

PR and media relations

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Unit-IV Role &Organizational setup

Organizational Set-up of PR agency and department

Public relations and crisis management

Role of PR in government organization

Role of PR in public and private sector

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UNIT -I: INTRODUCTION TO
PUBLIC RELATIONS

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Meaning, definition and role of Public Relations

Introduction

Let's say you're heading to a job interview. You'll undoubtedly don a formal suit,
a great pair of shoes, and a decent tie. You'll comb your hair properly. You'll act
professionally around the business' HR representative. In essence, you'll work
to present a positive self-image to the interviewers. Every person and
organization in the world aspire to appear respectable, just like you. Additionally,
in order to seem good, individuals should present a favorable public image and
sustain excellent relationships with other stakeholders, in this case the HR
representatives and interviewers. Public relations work includes making an
attempt to seem respectable and provide a positive image.

Public relations have become increasingly important in the present

socioeconomic environment.

CONCEPT & DEFINITION, ROLE AND OBJECTIVES

Public Relations Concept and Definition

Pioneers of Public Relations

Some consider Ivy Lee (1877-1934) the "father of public relations," while others
cite Edward Bernays (1891-1995). However, both helped establish
contemporary public relations as a professional practice, and interestingly, they
also represent his two different and opposing views on his PR practice. For Ivy
Lee, PR was one of them.

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"Art" is the key to creativity and innovation. For Edward Bernays, PR can be a
scientific practice. A policy statement issued by Ivy Lee states that public
relations must be public, accurate, and cover topics of public interest. He also
praised the development of the latest press release.

Edward Bernays was the first PR theorist. Influenced by the psychological

theories of his uncle, Professor Sigmund Freud, his approach

The audience had to be carefully understood and persuaded to see things from
the customer's point of view. He wrote the first public relations textbook and
taught the first college course at New York University in 1923.

"Public Relations" is basically the art and science of managing relationships with
the "public."

It seeks to establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between for-

profit or non-profit organizations and stakeholders or the "public". The concept
of public varies from person to person and from organization to organization.
These are individuals, groups or institutions on which the unit's success
depends. This public may include customers, investors, employees, suppliers,
legislators, competitors, government officials, etc.

Public relations (PR) blossomed as a professional field in his 20th century, but
its roots can be traced back to civilizations around the world. Using poetry and
other writings to promote the image of the king, sending envoys to other
countries to promote art and religion, all these activities are part of public
relations and are always has been practiced.

According to Edward Bernays, one of the founders of PR, "His three main
elements of public relations are practically as old as society.

It's about informing people, persuading people, and integrating people.”

PR played an important role in the Indian national movement. Leaders like

Mahatma Gandhi used various PR methods to communicate with the masses
and gain popular support. Some of the methods he uses are now part of global
PR standards.

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All organizations, institutions, and individuals knowingly or unknowingly engage
in public relations activities. As long as we operate in a social environment, we
cannot ignore our relationships with others in society. The role of PR is to
optimally develop and manage this relationship. This allows for greater mutual
understanding that creates public goodwill and reputation.

Definition of Public Relation

“A strategic management function that adds value to an organization by

helping it to manage its reputation.” -The Chartered Institute of Public
Relations.

Role of Public Relation

One of the major functions of public relations is shaping the image. It generates
positive publicity for a company, an individual or a government and enhances its
reputation. The Government uses Public Relations to keep the public informed
about the activity of government agencies, explain policy, and manage political
campaigns. The Companies use it to handle relationship with many groups
affected by a company’s product and policies: consumers, shareholders,
employees, and the managing body. Organizations have several management
functions like finance, legal, human resources, marketing, and operations that
contributes toward its success. As discussed earlier, public relations help
organizations to develop and maintain relationships with all of its key publics
and stakeholders by effectively communicating with these groups.

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Good public relations not only create a favorable image but can help the entity
to achieve the desired objectives. It makes a significant contribution in helping
to form an organization’s ideas about what it is, what it should do and what its
publics want and expect from it.

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Public Relation interface with other Management Disciplines

Major Roles of Public Relations Management are:

Communication Management:

Communication plays a key role in maintaining a satisfactory, long-term, trusting

relationship with publics and stakeholders. One of the major roles of Public
Relations is managing the flow of information between an individual or an
organization and the public. It develops communication objective in line with
organization’s overall objectives and sets a two-way communication process
facilitating exchange of information between key publics and management.

Reputation or Image Management:

Public Relations function of an organization shapes its image. In consultation

with the management, it crafts an overview of how the company wants to be
perceived, and how it is going to project a positive image. Planning and
implementing of policies, procedures and strategies that demonstrate an
organization’s commitment to public and social responsibility, ethical behavior
affects reputation of the organization.

Issues Management:

Public Relations identifies and analyses problems, issues and trends that can
affect an organization. It also develops strategy and executes programmed to
deal with the issues. Research, study of public policy matters and business
environment monitoring are part of PR.

Crisis Management:

PR plays a critical role in protecting reputation of an organization when there is

negative or unfavorable rumors and adverse publicity, which if left unchecked
might negatively affect organization. PR not only establishes policies and
procedure to face an emergency affecting the public, but also responds to the
crisis situations through effective communication to mitigate concern of public.

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Relationship Management:

Another important Role of Public Relations is to identify key publics and

establishing strategies for building and maintaining mutually beneficial
relationships with those publics. Through various techniques, PR earns trust
and support of the public to achieve the business objective. Media Relations:
Media play an important role in Public Relations Management. PR establishes
an effective relationship with media to get favorable publicity to influence public
and change their behavior in the desired direction. It also helps in getting third-
party endorsement for a product, service, issue or organization.

Risk Management:

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Public Relations helps organizations to identify potential danger and risk factors
and alerts the management. It also suggests the necessary changes to avoid
the risk. Strategic Management: Public Relations serves on the management
team helping the organization develop sound policies that are in the best
interests of the public as well as the organization. It integrates the concerns and
attitudes of key publics into the organization’s managerial decision-making
process. In effect, corporate public relations professionals play the role of an
outsider. They question decisions and their impact on customers, the
community, employees, and others and bring the public perspective to an
organization, making it a responsible Company. As discussed, we can say that
the main objective of public relations is to create, maintain, and protect the
organization’s reputation and build and present a favorable image of the
organization. Creating goodwill for the organization is another vital objective of
PR.

The Broad Objectives of Public Relations Function are:

♦ Establishing, maintaining and projecting the organization’s corporate

character and identity

♦ Creating and sustaining awareness about the Company, its goals, products
and services.

♦ Winning trust and confidence of various stakeholders and getting their

acceptance

♦ Responding to criticism of the organization

♦ Establishing an effective channel of communication between public and the

organization

♦ Getting Cooperation from various stakeholders for achieving business

objectives

♦ Generating positive publicity in media

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♦ Earning awards, certification and endorsement from various organization,
individuals or associations

♦ Reinforcing the by maintaining positive relationships with key audiences, and

thereby aiding in building a strong image

Functions of Public Relation

1.Community Relations:

A business should be seen as a responsible citizen of the community it operates

in. A comprehensive community relation programme should focus on building a
respectable image for the company in the community in the long run. Many
organizations implement educational and health related programmes for
improving quality of life of the community members. Such activities help to build
their reputation along with benefiting the society.

2.Employee Relations:
Employees are the most valuable assets of the company and the organization
had to create employee goodwill for maintaining a loyal workforce. Loyal
employees are more productive and interested in the well-being of the
company.

3.Customer Relations:

The most important component of external public is the customer. The customer
is the reason behind the existence of the organization. Public relations inform
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the customer about introduction of new products or changes in existing ones.
Public relations play a crucial role in attracting the attention of the buyer towards
the company’s offerings and helps to differentiate the product from those of its
competitors.

4. Financial Relations:

A segment of the company’s public consists of those individuals and institutions

the company has financial dealings with. These include the shareholders,
creditors, potential investors, banks, financial analysts, etc.
These parties have to be informed about the company’s finances, plans for
expansions, plans to raise share capital, etc. A well-planned financial relations
programme is necessary to improve the organization’s image and increase the
value of its stock.
5. Political and Government Relations:
The Company has to function under the control of government rules and
regulations. It has to forge proper relations with various government officials and
political parties to ensure smooth functioning of the enterprise.

6. Crisis Communication:

The role of public relations takes on vital significance during crisis situations like
an accident, financial scams, bankruptcies, etc. It is the responsibility of the
public relations to give the honest and accurate information to the concerned
publics and assure them of remedial measures taken to control the crisis.

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UNIT -II: ELEMENTS OF
PUBLIC RELATION

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“Public” in Public Relation

Actually, the ‘public’ in public relations doesn’t refer exclusively to the general
public, and we’ll look at the different types in some detail. 

To clarify what we mean by this, there are two basic types of public
relations: internal PR and external PR. Each label refers to different groups that
PR efforts are meant for. Here are some basic definitions of these terms. 

External PR refers to any PR materials, campaigns, etc. that are meant for
anyone outside of the company itself, which, as you might have guessed,
represents the vast majority of people. This is also the type of PR that most
people picture when they hear the term. 

Internal PR is any PR meant for people within the company are with a direct link
to the company and therefore already has intimate knowledge of the company’s
operations. 

In general, if you want to figure out whether a specific piece of PR is external or

internal, just ask yourself who was meant to see it. 

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We don’t have the time to cover every different group within the internal and
external PR categories, but we can go through a few of the most important
categories, and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing in the following sections. 

I. External public relations 

As we already mentioned, external public relations is the type that the majority

of people already know about. 

If you see a commercial on TV or hear a commercial on the radio, this is

external PR in one of its most basic forms. 

Since the distinction between external and internal PR is all about who is going
to be exposed to it, external PR will just about never include detailed information
about the company itself and how it’s doing.

As we’ll soon see, most external PR groups don’t need this information, and it
would be inappropriate to share it with them. 

Now let’s look at some specific groups. 

1.The general public 

PR designed for the general public is often very limited. It communicates some
core concepts about the company in question and it seeks to generate goodwill
toward the company, or at the very least a sense of ambivalence. 

Since many members of the public may not be familiar with a company’s work,
external PR for this group should make a company’s main product line clear. 

2.Shareholders 

Shareholders are one of the only external PR groups that warrants the sharing
of more intimate company details. This is because, in a way, shareholders are
part of the company. 

Still, they won’t be given every single last detail about a company’s current
condition. Almost anyone could buy shares in that company, and so
shareholders still qualify partly as members of the general public. 

In the end, shareholders are closer to external than internal. 

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3.Customers 

Customers are an external PR group that doesn’t need to be introduced to the

company from ground zero. 

These individuals have already purchased a company’s products or services,

and so they are already familiar with what the company does and what it offers. 

In most cases, PR made for customers aims to keep them in the fold, giving
them reasons to come back and buy more. 

Being able to contact customers directly is also extremely helpful during the

course of a situation that specifically affects those customers. 

The example we tend to mention for this type of scenario is a product defect or
recall. In this situation, a company would want to be able to disperse PR
materials directly to customers, rather than releasing these materials to the
general public and hoping that their existing customers see them.

Internal public relations 

Internal public relations are quite different from external PR for obvious reasons.
This is PR meant for people who work within the company. 
In certain ways, internal PR is often meant to make employees feel good about
working for this company, but it’s also about informing employees of what’s
going on with the company right now and its plans for the near future. 
1.Employees:
Employees should receive internal PR materials that give general information
about the company’s current plans. 

For example, it’s important to notify employees of a product launch well before
that product has been announced to the public. 

However, since these are not high-ranking employees, internal PR should not
divulge more crucial information about the company’s financial state or other
executive-level details. 

Similar to external PR meant for the company’s customers, PR for a company’s

employees should be generally positive in tone, making employees feel glad
that they are part of this company and what it offers to its customers. 

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2.Managers:
Managers and higher-level employees would obviously qualify to receive more
detailed information about the company through internal PR. 

As an example, let’s say a company is tentatively planning a major expansion,

opening up several new, large branches in different cities. 

Internal PR for the managers of that company would most likely notify managers
that things are going well and that there’s a possibility of expansion in the near
future. It would also probably include instructions not to divulge this information
to employees at lower levels. 

Internal PR for those lower-level employees would probably say something

about things looking up for the company but not go very far beyond that.

It’s also worth noting that the specifics of internal PR can vary significantly
based on the company in question. 

Depending on differing policies in this area, a company might be inclined to

share even more information with employees or they might share even less. 

It all comes down to specific policies and the company’s overall workplace

culture. 
Rest assured, though, that internal PR will always offer more specifics than
external PR.

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Public Relations Campaign: Meaning, Need and Process

Meaning

A public relations (PR) campaign is a series of planned activities that are all
focused on achieving a specific outcome for a business.

This could be creating a behaviour change such as buying a new product or

investing in a new service.

It could be a campaign asking for support or with a particular call to action. For
example, making a donation to a charity or writing to your politician to ask for
the government to take action on an issue.

Agreeing to a specific objective at the start of the activity not only makes it
easier to plan and execute the campaign, but also to measure its success.

A well-crafted public relations campaign often uses a combination of both

earned media/mainstream media (TV, radio, digital, print) and owned media
(website, social media, newsletter, etc).

Often a company will choose spokespeople or celebrities to head up the

campaign and drive engagement.

Increasingly organisations are working with influencers to share their message

with their own audiences.

Whilst much of the PR work is planned in advance, there is also a reactive

element to any successful campaign, particularly as it builds in momentum.

It’s the job of PR to continually manage the message, to keep the campaign
focused and ensure it achieves its goal.

 PR campaign vs PR Plan?

A PR campaign is a planned series of activities over a relatively short period of

time, focused on one main objective. PR plans map out activity over a longer
period of time, often with multiple objectives and focusing on different brand
elements.
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Need of Public Relations campaign

The saying, ‘Fail to prepare then prepare to fail’, couldn’t be truer when it comes
to public relations – this is why you need a PR plan.

Process and Planning a Public Relations campaign

Successful PR campaigns are, without exception, well researched and

meticulously planned.

 Before you do any media, work or reach out to influencers, you need to
nail down the following:

1. Objective – what do you want to achieve

2. Message – what you are going to say to ensure you achieve your
objective
3. Audience – who is your campaign targeting

Once these are agreed, all activity can then flow from them.

For example, the type of media you approach during the campaign will depend
on the audience. Who do you want to target during the campaign? What
behaviour do you want to change?

The media you work with will also be dependent on the message. What does
the campaign need to say to get the people you want to respond. And which
media will be open to that message?

 Start by clarifying your objective. Be as precise as possible.

If you want to raise brand awareness, think about which element of the brand
you want to promote specifically and for what purpose – increasing sales,
driving web traffic or even recruiting new staff.

If you want to change opinion amongst your customer base then understand
why they hold their views and how you need to reassure them.

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  Measure your objective of Campaign:

Most importantly make sure that your objectives are measurable. Set targets
and time frames.

Liaise with your marketing communications or business development team and

ensure that your goals are aligned with the overarching business objectives.

There’s no point trying to raise awareness about a product if it’s set to be

discontinued in a couple of months.

And it’s not worthwhile trying to change opinion about one element of the
business if there’s another issue which is a far greater risk to the company.

Once you’ve agreed your objective then you need a razor-sharp message to
help you achieve it.

 Choose a Standout Message for PR Campaign:

Your message is the single most powerful element of your campaign.

Get it right (and get some media training) and it will drive engagement and
generate a huge media buzz for your business. Get it wrong, people will switch
off and the media will ignore you.

 Here are top five tips for choosing a standout message:

 Be newsworthy - If you want to get traction with the media from your
campaign then your message needs to be newsworthy. It must be topical,
current and make the journalist sit up and take notice. You must help a
reporter out.

Situate your message within the wider news agenda, explain how it is
relevant to the media’s audience and what impact it can have on their
lives.

This is often quite challenging for businesses, particularly those whose

products or services are not typically thought of as newsworthy.

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 This is where PR needs to become creative, imaginative and humorous.
And successful campaigns contain a little bit of all three.

 Have a clear call to action - The most impactful messages are the easiest
to understand and have a clear instruction for the audience to follow.

Make it simple for your audience to complete an action (that benefits

them), and it will be a no brainer for them to take part.

 Include audience participation - Get your audience involved in the success

of your campaign and not only will they feel more connected to your cause
or product, but you’ll benefit from them sharing your message across their
networks.

 Be informative - PR campaigns are a great way to educate consumers.

But the best campaigns don’t preach, they engage and inform through
opening minds and raising awareness.

 Dare to be different - Don’t be afraid to turn your existing brand perception

upside down. For example, if you’re a serious, conservative charity then
do something pretty out there or if you’re a lesser-known charity think BIG
to get noticed.

To get traction with your campaign you will need to be creative, or even
better, disruptive.

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 Media collateral

You’ll need a variety of different types of media collateral for your

campaign depending on the story you are telling and the media you are
approaching. Make sure you have them in advance so you can supply
them as soon as they are asked for.

Here is a selection of the collateral you’ll need to produce:

 A Press Release
Learning how to write a press release is still the most important part of any
PR campaign. It must be a well-crafted, news ready story that clearly
communicates the relevance of your campaign and why a journalist or
influencer should take notice of it.

Gone are the days of tedious lists of information and promotional

messages about a product. First and foremost a press release must
contain NEWS!

A press release has 11 sections so that the story flows just as a news
story would. Amongst others, these include an attention grabbing
headline, first paragraph, quotes and a boilerplate.

 Media Pitch

Working with the media is not just about having a good media list and
calling in favours for your campaign.

What matters most is your presentation of the news story. This holds true
for how to get a story on the local news and also for getting national media
coverage.

Whether your email or phone journalists you must clearly and succinctly
articulate the importance of your campaign and why it will be of interest to
their audience.

Use this guide to know how to find someone’s email so you make sure
you get to the right journalist.

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 Then know how to write a media pitch.

Be targeted and personalise everything. Journalists HATE spam. Using a

PR tool such as Response Source can help you get to the right person
fast.

Respect deadlines and always be prompt in responding to the media. You

need to build a relationship of trust ASAP and that means giving them
what they need when they ask for it.

If you are just looking to blast your campaign out to 100s of places at
once, you can always look into using one of these press release
distribution services.

 Media ready photos

All media is image-led so make sure you have a library of high res,
professionally shot and perfectly styled images to tell the story of your
campaign.

Prepare these in advance and ensure you have a variety of portrait and
landscape images available. Save them in Dropbox or similar folder so you
can easily share them with journalists.

Don’t forget to include your logo too.

 Video content

News platforms now include video content in most of their stories. Create a
short video that summaries your story and gives the audience the headline
points in a short space of time – it can be as little as 30 seconds.

The video can be a combination of photos, infographics, interviews and event

footage to communicate why your campaign is relevant and what action the
audience should take.

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 Spokespeople

Most of the most impactful PR campaigns are made up of human voices to

create an emotional connection with the audience.

So, you’ll need spokespeople for your campaign, who can be company
representatives, celebrities or from case studies of actual customers or
people affected by the issue you’re addressing.

Human voices bring personality to a story and make it more relatable for the
audience.

 Infographics

Summarising the main points of your campaign story in an attractive

infographic is proven to boost engagement because it is easier for the
audience to understand.

Not only are consumers overwhelmed with information in the digital world,
but they have increasingly short attention spans, so use infographics to stand
out and make your campaign as accessible as possible for them.

 Campaign collateral

If your campaign ignites, you’ll be inundated with new people interested in

your organisation or business. They’ll want more details on your product,
extra information about how they can support your work.

You must be equipped to deal with new enquiries otherwise the campaign
will be a wasted effort.

Make sure you’re prepared with the necessary marketing materials e.g.,
brochures, product information sheets, website content and merchandise, so
you don’t miss out.

 Campaign media coverage

Earning media coverage for your campaign is competitive. Journalists are

inundated with PR requests, so you must stand out in their cluttered inboxes.
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Here are my top 5 tips to help you rise to the challenge:

1. Have a newsworthy story

2. Work to deadlines
3. Think visually
4. Make your spokespeople available
5. Create media briefings

 Influencers in Campaign

Partnering with influencers or micro influencers is now an important tactic in

many public relations campaigns – we call this influencer marketing.

It’s a no-brainer. Influencers have an organic and engaged following, who

want to hear more about the influencer’s life and experiences.

So, if you and your campaign can strike up a genuine relationship with an
influencer, one where they truly care about your product or issue, then the
gain can be huge.

But be cautious of insincere partnerships. If your campaign is not a good fit

with the influencers values or the audience can tell that the support is
disingenuous then there can be a backlash.

 Integrate social media in Campaign

Effective use of social media is an integral part of any PR campaign.

Of course, the priority focus is to earn media coverage, but generating

engagement on social comes a close second.

Here are five ways you can use social to extend the reach of your campaign:

1. Preview your campaign to build anticipation around the launch

2. Use live broadcasting from campaign events
3. Share your campaign content
4. Share your coverage
5. Use social media advertising to boost interaction

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 Use PR to help boost the SEO

Many major media platforms have a rule that they don’t include links to
companies that they feature within their stories. So, if you need your PR to
help boost your SEO then remember to include smaller influencers, blogs
and more niche news sites in your campaign.

These sites often do include links and as long as the sites have a strong
domain authority, they’ll be great for SEO.

Don’t forget the power of outbound links. Even if you don’t get a link from the
media, you can still include a link to the coverage on your site. SEO
performance also reflects the quality and quantity of outbound links from your
site.

If you’re continually monitoring your SEO, then be simply using your normal
metrics, you’ll be able to calculate the positive impact of your media
coverage. Make sure you use one of the best media monitoring services to
track your success.

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Models of Public Relations

The four public relations models, which elaborate on different managerial and
organizational practices, were developed by Grundig Hunt in 1984. These
models help various organizations develop guidelines, tactics, and programs to
stay ahead of the competition.

The four models include the press agentry/public model, public information, two-
way asymmetric, and two-way symmetric models. Each of the models is
explained below.

1.    The Press Agent/Publicity Model

Communication experts mostly use this model to win the hearts and minds of
the audience. It is based on propaganda and doesn’t involve any survey or
research. The main target of this model is to manipulate how the audience
reacts to specific information.

The publicity model is a one-way communication model, as the recipients of this

type of communication are not given a chance to respond. Instead, it’s cantered
on creating a positive image of the company in the minds of prospects.

2.    Public Information Model

Although this model is not manipulative, it doesn’t involve surveys or research to

ascertain the effectiveness of the message on the receivers. It is also a one-way
communication model, though it tends to relay accurate information about a
company.

The public information model focuses on educating the public about a

company/organization. Some of the formats used to relay this information
include brochures, magazines, press releases, and newsletters. 

Most of the time, public relations experts regularly send this information to
various prospects in order to raise brand awareness.

3.    The Two-Way Asymmetrical Model

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A two-way asymmetric public relations model entails communication between
an organization(sender) and the receiver(prospects/audience). With this model
PR experts also research their audience in order to identify their behaviours and
attitudes. This helps in crafting the messages sent to them.

However, this model still incorporates manipulations that are to the

organization’s advantage. The audience, in most cases, is swayed to behave in
a manner that the organization wants after learning their behaviours. That
makes this model imbalanced and not favourable to customers. On the other
hand, it’s a model that marketing and advertising companies prefer, as it helps
widen their profit margins.

4. The Two-Way Symmetrical Model

This model works differently from the rest as it allows organizations and their
audiences to maintain cordial relationships. However, the model does involve
thorough research, and according to it any conflict between a company and its
consumers must be solved amicably.

The model ensures both an organization and its audience benefit. It gives
customers a voice and platform to air their grievances, and it makes companies
responsible for tackling all this the right way in order to avoid tarnishing their
name. 

Corporate communications refer

to the way in which businesses
and organizations communicate
with internal and external various
audiences. These audiences
commonly include:
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31
UNIT -III: PLANNING PUBLIC
RELATIONS &
COMMUNITY RELATIONS

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Public Relation Process

This process is primarily composed of four steps: using research to define the
problem or situation, developing objectives and strategies that address the
situation, implementing the strategies, and then measuring the results of the
public relations efforts. Sometimes acronyms, such as John Marston's RACE
(research, action planning, communication, evaluation) or Jerry Hendrix's ROPE
(research, objectives, programming, evaluation) are used to describe the
process. Marston (1979). You'll notice that that the process always starts with
research and ends with evaluation.

Although it is easier to remember such acronyms, the four steps are essentially
the following:

1. Use research to analyse the situation facing the organization and to

accurately define the problem or opportunity in such a way that the public
relations efforts can successfully address the cause of the issue and not just its
symptoms.

2. Develop a strategic action plan that addresses the issue that was analysed in
the first step. This includes having an overall goal, measurable objectives,
clearly identified publics, targeted strategies, and effective tactics.

3. Execute the plan with communication tools and tasks that contribute to
reaching the objectives.

4. Measure whether you were successful in meeting the goals using evaluation

 Step 1: Formative Research to Analyse the Situation

The first step in the process is analysing the problem or opportunity. This
involves research, either formal or informal, to gather information that best
describes what is going on. Research used to understand the situation and help
formulate strategies is called formative research.

For example, a natural gas company may be considering the route for a new
pipeline. It must conduct research to understand what possible obstacles it
might face. Are there any environmentally protected or sensitive regions in the
area? Are there strongly organized neighbourhood groups that might oppose
33
the project? What is the overall public support for natural gas and transportation
pipelines? Community relations professionals are very familiar with the NIMBY
(Not in My Back Yard) sentiment. Additionally, are there acceptable alternatives
to the pipeline construction? Alternative routes? Alternative drilling procedures?
Alternative construction times? All of these questions should be considered
before the first shovel breaks ground.

According to Cut lip, Centre, and Broom, research "is the systematic gathering
of information to describe and understand situations and check out assumptions
about publics and public relations consequences. “Cut lip, Centre, and Broom
(2006). Much of this information may already exist and may have been collected
by other agencies. Research that has previously been conducted is called
secondary research. For example, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of
America has conducted surveys on public opinion and communication practices
of pipeline companies. Research on NIMBY and other social behaviours is also
available through a review of academic and professional literature. Secondary
sources are the least expensive way to gain background knowledge.

However, you may need to conduct primary research or data you collect
yourself for your purposes. You may need to conduct interviews or focus groups
with neighbourhood as oscitations or environmental groups. You might consider
surveys with homeowners and business that might be located near the pipeline.
There are many different methods to collect the data that is needed to fully
understand the situation. Analysis of previous news stories about pipelines in
this region would give you a good idea about the way this story might be framed
by media. Another analysis of blogs and other social media about pipelines also
would be a good idea. Again, the purpose for gathering the information is to
help with understanding the situation.

 Using a SWOT Analysis

A very popular tool for analysing situations is the SWOT (strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. This breaks down a situation by
looking at the internal and external factors that might be contributing to the
situation before developing strategies. The internal factors are the Strengths
and Weaknesses of the organization. The external factors are the Opportunities
and Threats existing in the organization's environment

The first step is to look internally at the strengths and weakness of the
organization. For example, the energy company may find that it has very strong
relationships with members of the media, has good employee morale, is
34
financially sound, and has a culture that values innovation. It may also find that
it has weak relationships with environmental groups and neighbourhood
associations, has a culture that promotes confidence in its decisions (perhaps
even bordering on arrogance), and has dedicated few resources in the past
toward community relations. This information helps inform the possible
strategies it needs to take regarding the construction of a new pipeline.

The external factors, opportunities and threats, are usually the reasons the
organization finds itself in the situation. In the case of the energy company, it
sees an opportunity to drill into a new methane gas deposit and provide that
energy to its clients. To the energy company, this appears to be a win-win
situation because it can continue to provide energy to meet the demand of its
consumers. However, it also needs to assess the possible threats, which
include probable legal actions from opposition groups that could lead to court
injunctions. Other threats might include negative coverage of the project by the
media, leading to a damaged reputation and lower public support for the project.

After conducting the SWOT analysis, you can couple the internal factors with
the external factors to suggest possible strategies.

• SO, strategies focus on using organizational strengths to capitalize on the

external opportunities.

• ST strategies also use organizational strengths to counter external threats.

• WO strategies address and improve organizational weaknesses to be better

prepared to take advantage of external opportunities.

• WT strategies attempt to correct organizational weaknesses to defend against

external threats.

 Constructing a Situation Analysis

Once enough data and information has been collected so that you really do
understand the core contributing factors and not just the surface conditions,
then it is time to write a two-paragraph statement that summarizes the situation.
The first paragraph should redefine the situation using the data collected by
your research.

Highlight the insights gained through formal and informal research. The second
paragraph should identify the problems, difficulties, and potential barriers to

35
resolving the issue. These also should have been identified in the research, and
the research also should help you recommend solutions to these barriers. For
example, the energy company would address the opportunity to provide a new
energy source to its customers using innovation and technology for efficient and
effective delivery of the natural gas, asking its employees to be ambassadors to
the community, and working with the media to tell the positive story of the
project. It would also need to identify that previous pipeline projects have been
delayed, and in some cases halted, because of the effective opposition of
environmental groups and neighbourhood associations, and that it needs to
improve its efforts with community relations before starting the project.

From the description paragraphs, a succinct one-sentence problem/opportunity

statement is written that cuts to the core of the situation and identifies the
consequences of not dealing with the problem or opportunity. For example, for
the hypothetical utility pipeline situation, because environmental and
neighbourhood groups have been influential in stopping pipeline projects in the
past and this pipeline route is planned to go through sensitive regions, the
company needs to build better relationships with the community through
communication and action that will eliminate or reduce obstacles to building the
pipeline.

 Step 2: Strategic Action Planning

The strategic plan should be focused on resolving or capitalizing on the situation

identified in the problem/opportunity statement. It begins by flipping the
problem/opportunity statement into a goal. In the case of the energy company,
the goal might be the following: "To use communication and actions that
improve relationships with key members of the community in order to
successfully complete a pipeline that delivers newly found methane gas to
customers." Notice that there is room for change with the pipeline plans in this
goal statement. The end goal is to build a pipeline, and in order to achieve this
the company may need to make adjustments to the routes or construction of the
pipeline. Care should be taken not to write goals that suggest that the public will
do something you want them to do. Because publics cannot actually be
controlled, it might set up the organization for failure. Instead, focus should be
on what can be done to achieve the goal, such as communicate and act in such
a way that earns the consent or endorsement of these publics.

The goal provides the direction for the strategic plan and objectives provide the
direction of specific and measurable outcomes necessary to meet the goal. A
good objective meets the following criteria: it should be an end and not a means
36
to the end; it should be measurable; it should have a time frame; and it should
identify the public for the intended outcome. Anderson and Hadley (1999).

• End and not means to an end. An objective should be an outcome that

contributes to the goal.

There are three possible outcomes for these objectives: cognitive (awareness,
understanding, remembering), attitudinal (create attitudes, reinforce positive
attitudes, change negative attitudes), and behaviour (create behaviours,
reinforce positive behaviours, change negative behaviours). The opposite of
these outcome objectives is what Lindemann called "Output Objectives,
“Lindemann (2003). which are the means to an end. They include the
communication efforts to reach the objectives such as placement of messages
in influential media. These are actually strategies and not objectives (more on
this later).

• Measurable. Objectives also help hold public relations professionals

accountable for their efforts. Public relations should engage only in strategies
and tactics that actually contribute to larger organizational goals. Measurable
objectives often require a comparative number, such as 65% awareness of a
product or program. An objective cannot be set to increase awareness by 20% if
the current level of awareness is unknown.

This is why formative research is needed to establish benchmarks. If no such

benchmark exists, then it is customary to establish a desired level, such as
"increase awareness to 85%." The problem with this is that you do not know
how close you are to that figure before the campaign. This might be an easy
objective to achieve (if your level of awareness is already at or above 85%) or a
very difficult one (if your awareness level is around 20%).

• Time frame. When will the objective be met? If there is no time frame
specified, then it cannot be accountable.

• Identify the public. It is a good idea to identify overall objectives before tying
them to a public.

This helps to think about which publics are connected to the objective. However,
to make an objective truly measurable it must identify a public, because different
publics will be at different levels of awareness, attitudes, and behaviours. For
example, the objective may be to increase attendance at employee benefits
meetings. Research may find that the messages are getting clogged at middle
37
management, which has many people who have a negative attitude about the
meetings and are not encouraging employees. One objective might focus on
increasing the level of awareness of employees while creating another objective
focused on increasing positive attitudes of middle management.

Of course, this also means that you should look into your meetings and find out
how to improve them.

• Outtake objectives are focused on increasing awareness, understanding, and

retention of the key message points. It is far more important to know that the
audience received the message than whether it was sent out. For example, you
may send out a message in an employee newsletter that reaches 10,000
employees. You need to be more concerned on the impact that message had
than the number of people it reached.

• Outcome objectives are perhaps the most important, but also the most difficult
to achieve. For example, let's say the public relations program is for the state
highway patrol to increase awareness of the importance of seatbelt usage and
the objective is to decrease the number of fatalities caused by not using a
seatbelt. There is a diffusion process that occurs with adoption of this
behaviour. First, drivers need to be aware and understand the safety
advantages of seatbelts. Next, they need to have a positive attitude about
wearing seatbelts. Finally, this positive attitude will hopefully translate to
increased use of seatbelts.

 Tie Strategy to Objective

Too often public relations programs have been primarily tactical and have
skipped the strategic step of creating objectives. Public relations professionals
are doers and often want to get to the action first. However, too many tactics
have been executed because of tradition ("We always send out press releases")
than because of strategy.

What makes public relations strategic is having the action tied to the real needs
of the organization. If you come up with a really clever tactic but it does not help
meet any objectives it should be seriously reconsidered. Far too many
resources often are wasted on creative tactics and fall short of addressing the
needs of the issue. At the same time, brainstorming on strategies may lead to a
legitimate idea that was not considered during the objectives phase, and it may
require revaluating the objectives. But if a strategy cannot be tied to an essential
outcome, then it should not be executed.
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  Segment Audiences

All groups within public should be differentiated based on common

characteristics such as demographics, geographics, or psychographics.
Demographics include variables such as gender, income, level of education,
and ethnicity.

 Step 3: Communication Implementation

The best public relations programs include both communication and action. The
old adage "actions speak louder than words" is as true for public relations as it
is for other business disciplines. Sometimes an organization needs to act, or
react, before it can communicate. For example, if employees are not attending
training seminars it might not be enough to try more creative and persuasive
messages. The seminars might need to be more relevant and interesting for the
employees providing something to communicate that might change behaviours.
Organizations should not only expect stakeholders to behave in ways that
benefit the organization; sometimes the organization needs to change its
actions and behaviours to improve these critical relationships.

 Step 4: Evaluation

According to Paine, four concerns should be addressed when evaluating the

effectiveness of a public relations campaign:

• Define your benchmark.

• Select a measurement tool.

• Analyse data, draw actionable conclusions, and make recommendations.

• Make changes and measure again.

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Tools and techniques of Public Relations

 Publications

Publications are a common way to build relationships with the public.

Publications include annual reports, brochures, articles, company newsletters,
pamphlets, and magazines, diaries, calendars, and audio-visual materials like
films, slides and sounds, video and audio CDs.

The cost of audio-visual and multi-media materials is higher than the cost of
printed materials, but audio-visual materials have a bigger effect on the
audience. With all of these tools, the company tries to tell people about its
products, services, facilities, plans, accomplishments, and so on.

All of these publications can help make a good impression on shareholders, the
general public, employees, customers, traders, etc.

 Events

For better public relations, a company could highlight some interesting events.
Special events can be set up to bring attention to new products, other activities,
and accomplishments.

Some examples of these events are news (press) conferences, seminars,

exhibitions, contests and competitions, sponsorships of sports and cultural
events, anniversaries, and so on. Coca-Cola, for example, has helped pay for
the World Cup. People from many different groups can be interested in these
kinds of events.

 News

Public relations experts often write positive and interesting news stories about a
company's activities, products, employees, successes, and so on. Even though
it takes a lot of skills, knowledge, and experience to make news.

40
The news stories must be interesting, catchy, up-to-date, and well-written to
meet the needs of the press. For the company to get more positive coverage in
the news, the public relations officer needs to keep good relationships with
reporters and editors.

 Speeches

People also use speeches a lot for public relations. Key people in the company,
like the managing director, general manager, or experts from outside the
company, give speeches about the company's products, policies, great
achievements, etc., in front of a large crowd to gain popularity with different
groups.

The company's image is improved by speeches that are well-planned and well-
delivered. People can get a good impression of different groups of people from
the speeches they hear at special events.

 Public-Service Activities

This tool has a number of things that are done for the public good or interest.
The company can improve its reputation by giving money, time, and other
resources to help the community where its offices and plant are.

Some of these things are running schools, colleges, and hospitals that are
funded by charity, planting trees, setting up medical/vaccination camps, holding
events where people can give money or help, making gardens for the public,
and keeping them in good shape, taking villages as data, putting clean water in
public places, etc.

 Identity Media

In a society with too much information, a company needs to make its own visual
identity so that it can be easily recognized. Signboards, hoardings, and wall
paint are all ways that a company advertises.

It can use words, logos or symbols, slogans (especially in text format), pictures,
uniforms of employees, shapes, colour combinations, and other visual means to
create a unique image or fame.

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  Publicity Media

Print Media, TV, Radio, Films and Documentaries, New Media, etc. are all types
of mass media. It is important to get information from the right people in order to
reach your goals.

During the freedom struggle, print media was a big part of how many people
became aware of what was going on. So, publicity through the press or print
media is the most effective and powerful tool.

The Language Press can also help you reach people with specific interests.
Television is another good way to communicate. It is the most popular form of
communication because it uses audio and video to inform, educate, and
entertain people.

Radio is another medium. It is portable and has the qualities of a direct personal
medium because it uses spoken words most of the time to get the message
across.

The Public Relations department or staff needs to put together a good press
release, press briefings, and press conferences so that all of these media have
clear information.

You can also get the message across through films, short films, or
documentaries about a certain subject. Films have a strong effect on people
because of how they sound and look.

And the effects of news media like the internet, teleconferencing, mobile
phones, social media, etc. have become more noticeable in recent years.

 Oral Communication

It has been used to talk for a long time. Before writing and other ways to
communicate were invented, the only way to talk to someone was in person. It
can be done through meetings, speeches, phone calls, public address systems,
panel discussions, counselling, workshops, seminars, etc.

This method works much better, is faster, and costs less. Still, it has some
problems, like the fact that the message doesn't stick around for long and that it
could be misunderstood.

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Printed literature is important for any business, organization, or service, whether
it is for profit or not.

Printed literature includes things like house journals, annual reports, brochures,
catalogues, booklets, leaflets, annual reports, direct mail, etc. It keeps records
and helps inform and persuade the target audience about a product, service, or
idea. Photos are also an important way to get people's attention and show proof
of facts or events.

 Exhibitions/Fairs

Exhibitions are another good way to get the word out about something. People
often don't go to formal meetings, workshops, etc. because they don't want to
listen to long speeches and do other formal things.

Still, exhibitions and fairs are fun and relaxing places to be because they have
different kinds of entertainment, food stands, etc.

So, they have the chance to bring in a lot of people. Instead of long speeches
and boring sessions, they show Posters, Photos, Animated Flow Charts and
Diagrams, Murals, Sculptures, Audio-Video Aids, Interesting Literature, etc.

Organizing Exhibitions/Fairs, Puppet Shows, Community Songs, and Dance

Programs, Nautanki, Tamasha, Street Plays, etc. are all powerful forms of
Traditional Media that give information, education, and entertainment to rural,
uneducated people.

 Advertising

Advertising is the paid presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, and

services. Advertisements are put in all kinds of communication channels to
spread messages, make a good impression, and build goodwill.

Print Media (display ads in newspapers and magazines, as well as leaflets,

flyers, posters, etc.), Electronic and New Media (audio-visual ads on TV, Radio,
the internet, mobile phones, etc.), and Outdoor Media.

Also, in this age of aggressive marketing and advertising, promotional literature,

and material called P.O.P., which stands for "point of purchase," is an important
tool because it affects whether or not a consumer buys a product.

43
At the same time, the goal of Public Service Advertising is to help the public and
teach people about different government policies so that they can get the most
out of them. These ads are also used to improve and keep up a good image of
the government and to get the public to think positively about it.

 Special Events

Special events are the most obvious way to keep good relations with the
community. Special events include celebrating local and national holidays and
days, putting on music concerts, plays, book fairs, career fairs, trade fairs,
jewellery shows, literary weeks, and honouring famous artists, celebrities, and
intellectuals, among other things.

People look forward to these shows because they are entertaining and also
teach them something. Through these events, it's easy and convincing to
promote any products or sponsors that are tied to them.

 Media Relations

Maintaining healthy and good relationships with people in the media is the only
way to get good coverage and support from the media. This is why media
relations is an important part of public relations and an important tool for a
public relations practitioner.

A Public Relations Person can get to know Media people through press
releases, press conferences, and press briefings. Media relations is in charge of
making sure that journalists can attend press conferences and meetings by
making plans for their meals, visits, and tours.

 Blogging

PR specialists use digital versions of press releases and newsletters to reach

online audiences. They also use blogging and, more recently, microblogging. It
lets them connect with their target audience and keep in touch with them, as
well as set up two-way communication.

44
  Social Media Marketing

As the name suggests, it is mostly used in the marketing business. PR experts,

on the other hand, are using social media networks more and more to connect
directly with the public, consumers, investors, and other target groups.

Tips In Using Public Relations Tools and Techniques

Sending out press releases, working with the media, using social media well,
talking to your employees, and caring about the community are all ways to use
public relations.

 Communicating New Developments with Press Releases

Newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV are all important ways to reach

customers, investors, and the public at large. If you want to get people
interested in a new product, for example, you could send a press release to
newspapers and magazines that your target market reads.

Send a press release to the business or financial editors of newspapers about

growth opportunities in your market or big new business wins if you want to get
investors.

If you want the public to agree with your plans for a new factory, send press
releases to local media explaining how the new factory will help the community's
economy and the job market.

 Partnering With the Media

Giving the media your thoughts or comments on important issues can help bring
more attention to your company. Ask editors and reporters to talk to your
company's CEO about things like laws that affect your industry.

Ask your technical director to comment on an important new technology or

material or to write an article about it, and then send the article to trade
magazines.

Speaking at conferences or local business events, like the chamber of

commerce meetings, is another great way to show how knowledgeable your
company is.

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  Make Effective Use of social media

By using social media, you can keep an eye on how people feel about your
company and adjust your public relations plan accordingly. Keep an eye on both
positive and negative comments about your company or products on social
media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and product review sites. By talking to
people, you can help build positive attitudes and manage the reputation of your
company.

 Focus On Communication with Employees

Even in small businesses, it's important to keep in touch with your employees.
Keeping employees informed about new products, customer wins, important
appointments, or new business opportunities builds good attitudes and
commitment.

You can share important company news through newsletters or a page on your
website just for employees. Sending local newspapers press releases about
changes in your business can also help you find new employees if you want to
grow your business.

 Focus On Social Responsibility

Volunteering for community projects or sponsoring local sports or community

events builds relationships with the public and shows the social responsibility of
your company.

If your products or the way you make them affect the environment, share your
company's policies with the public through press releases or public meetings to
show that you care about the environment.

The news, speeches, and special events are all important tools for public
relations (PR). PR people find or make news about the company and its
products that is good for them. Speeches and talks given at trade groups or
sales meetings can help get the word out about a product or company.

Most public relations research falls into four main categories: media monitoring,
PR audits, communication audits, and social audits.

To run a good PR campaign, you need to know who you're trying to reach and
why. Really get to know them. This includes everything about them, from their
46
basic demographics to where they "hang out" to what they like and dislike and,
most importantly, what makes them buy from you.

Conclusion

Public relations are a way to get people to do what you want them to do by
managing relationships and communications well. Public relations practice is
both an art and social science.

It involves analysing trends, predicting their effects, advising leaders of

organizations, and putting plans into action that serve both the interests of the
organization and the public. Each tool and technique have its good points and
bad points.

A company should use the best tools to build good relationships with the public
and other interested parties. Which tool is used depends on how well the tool
works overall and what the company's management decides is the best policy.

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Writing for Public Relations: Backgrounder and Press Release

Backgrounder

PR specialists provide in-depth information about an issue or event for reporters

in backgrounders or briefing sessions. The PR people offer handouts
(information sheets or reports) and the principal news source about the issue or
event makes a presentation. Unlike news conferences, there is little give and
take between reporters and the moderator of these sessions. They are used to
explain a policy or situation rather than to announce something. The National
Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB), for example, might hold a briefing
session following an airplane crash. The handouts prepared for these sessions
are sometimes quite extensive, requiring solid information preparation among
the PR specialists working on the handouts. The information tasks for the PR
specialists include the need to anticipate the types of questions journalists will
ask and the depth of follow-up material they need to provide.

How to Write a Backgrounder:

1. Determine the tone and style of your backgrounder.

The tone and style of your backgrounder should meet industry standards. For
the tone of your business, it's best to keep your backgrounder professional and
concise. Your tone should also be written in third-person and not include any
jargon or slang terms.

We recommend using the AP style, a set of standardized rules and guidelines

that was created by American journalists working for or connected to the
Associated Press (AP). This style guide is adopted across the country, with
most journalists and media outlets following its rules for the publication of
traditional and online media.

2. Include contact information.

Similar to a media advisory or press release, your backgrounder should start

with the appropriate contact information. Make sure you include the contact
details of the media contact, including their email and telephone number, as well
as the address and website of the business.
48
3. Write about your business, products, or services.

This section is often looked at as the body of the backgrounder as it focuses on

the scope of your business, product, or services on offer. Not to be confused
with the history of your business. This section is mainly about what your
business offers and how it has made an impact on its industry.

Highlight your approach to delivering excellent customer service and how

you're working to earn the trust of your customers. This section should help the
reader see why your business stands out from the rest, especially if you're trying
to enter an already saturated market.

Avoid going off-topic. Only include relevant information about your business

or the product, services, or event your press release focuses on. For example, if
your backgrounder comes with a media advisory for a sports fundraising event,
it would not make sense to talk about a beauty product your business offers.

Include facts and studies related to your press release. Journalists are

always looking to include facts and valuable statistics that further showcase the
credibility of a business or product, as this also helps them build trust with their
readers.

4. Write about the history of your business.

Because backgrounders are typically sent to media outlets that are not familiar
with your business, it's wise to include a brief section that details the history of
how your business came to be. This section should include how the business
was founded, who founded the business, what inspired the concept, and what
the original vision was, as well as how the business has evolved over the years.

Include information about any awards or milestones your business has

achieved. This is a great way to showcase credibility and the growth of your
business. While your history section should be no longer than three paragraphs,
we recommend listing your awards and milestones in number format if you have
more than two.

5. Lead into your current vision and mission statement.

The history section is a great way to lead into the current state of your business
and why it's worth supporting. Only include two to five sentences, as this gives

49
you enough room to reveal the values your business supports and your mission
statement.

Detail how you plan to move forward and what your goals are, especially if
you're hoping to improve your community. If your business supports local
community projects or charities, include this information as it speaks to the
values of your business.

6. Write your conclusion.

Your conclusion should be a summary of your backgrounder so far, only

highlighting the key aspects you want the reader to walk away with. Spend
some time on this section as some journalists may skip to this section for a
quick overview. If this section is informative enough, this could encourage the
reader to go back and read the backgrounder in detail.

Backgrounder Example:
Media Contact: [Name and Surname]

[Business Name]

[Media Contact Job Title]

Email:

Telephone Number:

Address:

Business Website:

[Headline]

[Company Name] is a [type of company] that produces top-quality [type of products or

services] for our customers in the [location] area. [Company Name] success has stemmed
from staying connected to its loyal customer base, ensuring they are always placed first in its
decision-making processes. With a variety of [product name] options available, customers
have benefited from [list of at least three benefits].

50
Over the years, [company name] popular [product name] has grown in popularity, earning
multiple awards and a total of [fact], with most customers stating the product greatly improved
their lives thanks to its powerful [product details]. [Product name] was initially developed as a
standalone product but has since expanded into [insert facts on how it's grown].

History of [Business Name]

[Company name] was created by [first and last name of founder/s] in [location] in [year of
inception] when the then-budding entrepreneur saw a need for more [product or service] in
[his/her] community. Looking for an opportunity to capitalize on [location] growing [industry
name] industry, [first name of founder] came up with the idea to produce [product name] with
the help of a small team of dedicated employees.

After nearly [number of years since inception] years in the business, the business has grown
exponentially, with [number of stores] stores currently open in [number of states] states.
Despite its great success, the company has remained loyal to its initial vision to provide
affordable products to low-income families that struggle to afford the more expensive brands
in the market.

Awards & Milestones

 [Name and year of award]

 [Name and year of award]
 [Name and year of award]

Company Vision and Mission Statement

[Insert mission statement and company vision]

Conclusion

[Company name] is a successful [type of company] business that credits its success to hard
work and a loyal customer base who has supported the business since its inception in [year
of inception]. With over [number of awards] awards, including best [most significant award],
the business has solidified itself as a top contender in the [type of industry] industry.

Writing a Press Release

 Plan your content.

Spend some time thinking about the message that you want to convey to your
audience. Your release should be concise, so write down the basic details and
then trim out any unnecessary items.

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Your release should provide enough context that anyone who comes across it
can quickly ascertain the main points. It may help you to write a summary to
clarify your own understanding of the news before you actually write the press
release. When doing this, focus on answering the five W’s (who, what, when,
why, and where), as this information will make up the majority of your press
release's body.

Determine your target audience. Understanding your target audience can help

you prepare a release that meets their style, tone, subject matter, and interests.
Avoid sending press releases to publications that don't serve your target
audience. For example, if you're announcing the launch of a new bridal
collection, it won't be wise to send your release to a publication that focuses on
sports news.

Once you've identified your key target audience, you can start tailoring your
content to pique their interests. Try to include trending topics that are currently
affecting the audience or industry you're writing about.

 Adopt a journalistic style of writing.

A press release should be ready for publication as much as possible. Take the
time to research regular news articles and try to mirror the tone and style when
creating a press release. This helps features editors and journalists formulate a
story and determine if the tone matches their news outlet's style.

Most press releases follow the AP style, a set of guidelines created by the
Associated Press (AP) that help govern the way media outlets write their news
stories. Because most media outlets and freelance journalists follow the AP
stylebook, press releases are expected to be in the same format. The AP
stylebook includes guidelines for punctuation, dates, numbering, capitalization,
and pronoun usage.

 Choose the type of press release you want to create.

Since its inception in 1906, the importance and the purpose of press releases
have greatly evolved to meet the specific needs of the business sending the
release and the media outlet covering the story. Due to this gradual change in
the public relations industry, new types of press releases have emerged.

There are currently three common press releases used today. These include
the standard release, a media advisory, and an embargoed press release.
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Three Types of Press Releases:

Type of Press Release Description

Standard Your standard press release is used to
announce general information about a
company, whether it's the hiring of a new
Chief Financial Officer or the launch of a
new product. In addition, a standard press
release is also used to cover an event
after it has taken place.

Media Advisory A media advisory is an informational

document that is similar to an invitation.
Instead of including all the additional
details added to a press release, a media
advisory is very straight-forward and only
providing recipients with the details
needed to attend and cover an upcoming
event.

Embargoed An embargoed press release is generally

used when a business is preparing to
make a big announcement. This release is
very similar to a standard release when it
comes to content and format. However, an
embargoed press release is not for
immediate release. Businesses send out
the information but require media outlets to
wait until the official publication date to
cover the story.

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Press Release Format:
While each type of press release is used for specific reasons and formatted
differently, they generally include the following:
1. Headline.
2. Subhead (optional).
3. Location.
4. Dateline.
5. Opening paragraph.
6. Body paragraphs.
7. Boilerplate.
8. Contact information.

 Inform the media about when the press release can be made public.

When you start crafting your press release, you should already know if the
information provided is available for immediate release. If so, start your press
release with the title, "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE." Place the release
information in the top left corner of your press release and make sure the
information is in all caps. If you decide to create an embargoed press release,
you must title the document, "NOT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE," and follow
this with the official publication date.

 Write a headline and subhead.

Headline.

Include an intriguing headline that captures the reader's attention as most

recipients decide to read or skip a press release based on its headline. Due to
its significance and position in the press release, the headline has to be brief,
attention-grabbing, and able to convey the importance of your release.

Centre your headline on the top of the press release and make sure it's 14
points in size and bold. Your headline should only be one sentence long and
include keywords that make it easier for readers to search online. Additionally,
try to include trending topics that may interest the journalist or media outlet
covering the story.

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Subhead.

Press releases include a subhead to help add more information to the headline
or provide a new perspective or angle to the story. However, including a
subhead is not mandatory. If you do decide to add a subhead, avoid including
details that can already be found in the opening paragraph. If you're new at
writing press releases, we recommend not adding a subhead until you've honed
your skills.

A subhead should be placed just below the headline and is generally italicized.
In addition, the font size of the subhead should only be one point smaller than
the headline. This means the subhead should be 13 points in size.

Headline & Subhead Examples:

Oscar Launches First Testing Center Locator for COVID-19

The first-of-its-kind tool is the latest update to Oscar's suite of integrated

solutions for coronavirus preparation and care.

Why it Works:

 This headline works well because it's brief, concise, and answers who
(Oscar) and what (testing centre) the press release is about, while also
including the mention of a trending topic (COVID-19) and searchable
keywords.

 The subhead complements the headline by providing additional

information that may be newsworthy. This includes the "first-of-its-kind"
phrase and the fact that Oscar has been launching various preparation
and care suites in response to COVID-19. This also provides the journalist
with various angles.

 Include a dateline.

A dateline stipulates when and where the events in a press release took place.
The dateline is placed in the first sentence of the opening paragraph and
includes the state and city where the press release originated from. Make sure
that you type the dateline in bold font, as this will help the journalist or editor
immediately see if the story is new and meets their printing schedule.

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Use the intended release date in the dateline. This is an important detail,
especially if you're writing an embargoed press release. Furthermore, your city
should be capitalized and your state has to be abbreviated according to AP
Stylebook guidelines.

For Example:
SEAL BEACH, Calif., April 15, 2020 -- CUDDLY, a fundraising platform for small
to mid-sized animal rescue organizations, has launched an accelerated foster
matching program for non-profit animal welfare groups across the country.

 Write your opening paragraph.

Aside from the headline, your opening paragraph is one of the most important
sections to focus on when writing a press release. The main priority of the
opening paragraph is to convey the news value of the press release in a quick
and concise manner.

Avoid a sensational or overly-descriptive opening paragraph. By only writing

about the important information, you're essentially creating a summary that
covers all your Five Was. This way, features editors and journalists will know if
the press release is worthy of a full story.

Focus on answering the Five Was. To keep the reader interested, journalists
are taught to answer the Five Was in their opening statements. This is a great
trick public relations businesses have come to adopt. If you want a journalist to
cover your story, you need to sell the information in the format they're familiar
with. Essentially, you'll need to learn to think and write like a journalist.

For Example:
Opening paragraph: 7-Eleven announces it has opened its first-ever hospital
pop-up store at Children's Medical Centre Dallas, the flagship hospital of
Children's Health℠. The store provides access to food and essential items for
health care workers and patient families during the COVID-19 health crisis. The
pop-up store features grocery and personal care products such as take-home
dairy, paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, and phone chargers as well
as an assortment of fresh food options including salads, heat-and-eat entrees
and take-and-heat pizza and wings.

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  Write the body paragraphs.

Compromising three to five paragraphs, the body is the heart of the press
release, fully explaining the finer details that are not covered in the first
paragraph.

Flesh out the headline and opening paragraph. If the journalist is willing to
continue reading the press release, this means your headline and opening
paragraph has successfully captured their attention. Now that you have it, use
your body to support and better describe what you wrote in your headline and
opening paragraph. In the body, you can be more descriptive and add additional
information that livens the press release up.

Use quotes. Quotes from experts in the field or business leaders that specialize
in the subject at hand are a great way to add credibility. Additionally, journalists
receive a quote from a reliable source and are pointed in the direction of the
expert they may need to interview at a later stage.

Example of Body:

"Our health care team members are on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-
19 every day taking care of the children in our community while their own
families are home from school, work and their daily routines," said Chris
Dervish, president and CEO of Children's Health. "Our work with 7-Eleven
allows us to provide more comfort and convenience to those within our facilities
by making every day essential items easy to locate, purchase and take home."

To enhance the safety of the shopping experience during this unprecedented

time, the pop-up store allows hospital staff to use their employee badges to pay
for merchandise. The store also offers traditional credit/debit checkout with an
acrylic sneeze guard at the counter to reduce person-to-person contact. 7-
Eleven's frictionless and contactless Mobile Checkout feature will soon be
available at this location, allowing customers to scan and pay for their
purchases using the 7-Eleven app on their mobile phones. Mobile checkout is
designed as a convenient alternative to traditional checkout and is more
important now than ever.

 Why it Works: Includes a quote from the CEO of the Children's Hospital

and goes more in-depth about how the new service (pop-up store) will
enhance the lives of healthcare workers.
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  Add a boilerplate.

While a boilerplate is generally preferred, adding one to your press release is

optional. A boilerplate is a brief description of your business's history or
background. This section could also apply to the individual sending the press
release. For example, if the press release is about a research study, your
boilerplate could be about the head researchers' history in the field and their
background information.

Include a boilerplate if you've never sent press releases to or worked with the
media outlet in question. Only provide a basic understanding of the business's
background, including its inception, values, awards, and leadership structure.
Ultimately, you want journalists to read the boilerplate and not have to conduct
extensive research about the business.

For Example:

About CUDDLY

CUDDLY is a fundraising and Wishlist platform dedicated to helping animal

organizations worldwide, while supporting more than 1,600 non-profit animal
shelters across the United States. The for-good start-up seeks to help all
animals find a healthy life and a loving home. Through CUDDLY, animal lovers
can purchase and give in a modern, transparent way, via online shops, gift
registries and donations. CUDDLY also provides fundraising and marketing
support, as well as valuable community business tools, to help support the
important initiatives of animal welfare organizations. For more information,
please visit cuddly.com.

 Provide contact information.

If a media outlet decides to cover a story, they will need to know who to contact
for interviews, photographs, and more. This is why it's important to include the
details of the media contact managing the press release. If you're working
through a public relations firm, include the name and contact details of the
account manager. However, businesses do have the option of including the
details of their in-house media relations expert.

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Include the full name of the media contact, as well as their job title, phone
number, email address, and business website. Once you've entered this
information, end the press release with three hashtags (# # #). This indicates
the press release is finished.

 Proofread your finished press released.

You should always proofread your press release before you distribute it as small
mistakes could result in the spread of misinformation. Whether you're working
for a public relations firm or an in-house media consultant, the information
provided in press releases represents a business. Sending journalists and
editors press releases with multiple grammatical and spelling errors will cause
them to take the press release less seriously, and over time, lead to mistrust in
the source.

 Identify who you want to send your press release to.

The success of your press release heavily depends on who you send it to.
Ideally, you want to send your press release to media publications that serve
your target audience. If you send your press release to a media outlet that
doesn't publish similar stories, your press release will most probably be
disregarded and earn you a bad reputation with the features editor.

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Bibliography
Odisha State Open University
New York Contoso Press
Shodhganga.gov.in
E Library - IPU, New Delhi
publicrelationspr.com
thesmbguide.com
studynotes.com
IGNOU E-Notes

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