Intro to PR Exam 2

Brian Hoyt

Brian Hoyt is a senior writer for The Real Deal at RetailMeNot and the head of communications for RetailMeNot, Inc. He is an expert in e-commerce and has worked within various capacities over the last 15 years in high-tech and consumer marketing communications roles.

What is the effect of social and mobile media on gate keeping and power of traditional media?

Digital provides tools and platforms that practitioners can control. Traditional media, such as television and print media, involve gatekeepers (journalists) who control access to audiences. Social media, alternatively, give public relations practitioners and clients direct access to audiences.

Divergent vs convergent thinking

Divergent thinking encourages people to think of many different ideas, allowing their minds to diverge in all directions. Convergent thinking filters and evaluates all the ideas to focus down to one idea and a decision.

Who created the Creative Problem Solving process?

Dr. Sidney Parnes authored the book, "Optimize the Magic of Your Mind" and continued the work of Alex Osborn at the Creative Education Foundation. Together with Osborn, Parnes developed the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process that outlines six stages of CPS. The purpose was to encourage a deliberate and thoughtful process for examining and solving problems in imaginative ways. Much creative problem solving is haphazard. People toss a handful of ideas around and often accept the first workable idea. Osborn and Parnes hoped that CPS would guide groups through the necessary steps to think consistently outside the box.

Dateline

For formatting news releases, note where the story originates. Do not use postal abbreviations for the state.

What does "content is king" mean?

In conceiving a website, Bill Gates' comment "content is king," clearly applies. To have impact, content must be relevant. Personal content has its place on Facebook and Twitter, but professional communication on behalf of a client or with media must be relevant to a wider audience than casual friends and acquaintances. It should still, however, be something that one would be willing to say in person. "It is not so much about which type of media channel is the most important, it is about content and which idea is best."

Misconception 2: Creativity is about special activities — the arts

In fact, almost any task can be approached creatively. Sir Ken Robinson's definition of creativity is "the process of having original ideas that have value." Applying that definition, even fairly mundane tasks can be the focus for creative thinking.

Misconception 1: Creativity is about special people — artists

In fact, everyone is born creative, not just artists. Some people nurture their creative talents and somehow escape the negative influences that restrain other people's creativity. That is true. But everyone was gifted with creativity at birth and people who do not use their creative talents still retain them.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Indicate FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE or the date of release, if embargoed.

Product placement

Marketers pay television and motion picture producers to put their products in front of the camera as part of a program. The product image appears in the program and is unavoidable.

Backgrounder

Typically, the first two sections of a backgrounder are "introduction" and "history." The introduction generally explains the purpose, significance and importance of the backgrounder; the section under history offers references to time and pertinent developments of the subject. Subsequent headings are dictated by other information to add depth. Try to write them as interestingly or "punchy" as possible, instead of mere labels. Overall, the backgrounder is produced to be read and used by others. Thus, it should be informative and relevant.

Idea flexibility

Wild ideas can be good because they trigger thinking that leads to breakthrough ideas. Everyone in the group tosses ideas out, and people take one another's ideas and build on them, creating variations. This stage values idea flexibility, the ability to produce ideas that are different from each other. It also values idea novelty, the generation of ideas that are unusual.

What makes a news release newsworthy?

1. Consequence. Does the information have any importance to the prospective reading, listening or viewing public? 2. Interest. Is the information unusual or entertaining? 3. Timeliness. Is the material current? 4. Proximity. For most public relations people seeking to connect with the media, a local angle is often the only way to do it. 5. Prominence. Events and people of prominence frequently make the news. . . ."

Creative Problem Solving processes and steps

1. Mess finding What is the objective? What do we want to accomplish? Divergent thinking encourages people to think of many different ideas, allowing their minds to diverge in all directions. Convergent thinking filters and evaluates all the ideas to focus down to one idea and a decision. 2. Data finding What do we know about the problem? What research exists? What research could be done to better understand the problem? 3. Problem finding Can we agree that there is a problem? Can we agree on what the problem is? Are there other ways we can express the problem so that we can agree on what the problem is? 4. Idea finding (brainstorming) How many ideas can we come up with for solving the problem? 5. Solution finding What criteria shall we use to evaluate alternatives? Can we combine ideas to invent new and more acceptable alternatives? 6. Acceptance finding What obstacles exist that we must overcome to execute an alternative? What resources are available? What are the timeline, strategy and plan of action to make the idea a reality? Who is responsible for each action?

3 attributes or dimensions of creativity

1. The creative person -- everyone is born creative 2. The creative product -- originality should satisfy: Originality (novelty), Relevance (logic and usefulness), Elaboration and synthesis (well-crafted, elegance, understandable, skillful) 3. The creative process -- most creative ideas are the product of a process. They are the result of a deliberate series of steps. These steps include: Fact finding, Idea finding (brainstorming), Solution finding (convergent thinking)

Kurt Lewin developed a theory in the 1950s that described change as a three-step process:

1. Unfreeze behavior -- Before people will change a behavior, they must abandon the mindset that causes them to do things in the same way. The environment imposes the need for change. 2. Change -- Once behaviors become unfrozen, change occurs. Change-resistant institutions eventually face only two options: change or die. 3. Refreeze behavior -- After behaviors are unfrozen and change occurs, the new behaviors become frozen again

Media advisories (or media alerts)

A media advisory gives notice to news media about an upcoming event. It is a one-page brief outline giving journalists advance notice of an event. The format of advisories enables quick reading. They supply journalists with the information necessary to assign a story to a reporter. Advisories should go to the media several days in advance. It is advisable to indicate whether the event is a photo or story opportunity. A photo opportunity is an event that will probably yield interesting human interest photos but probably no serious story. Television journalists will try to ascertain the availability of video opportunities, including individual interviews, from the advisory.

Slug

A one-word description. Use the slug line and page number on pages after the first page. For example, GIFT / Page 2.

Stunts

A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs.

SEO (Search engine optimization)

A strategy used to drive traffic to websites and add followers on social media is called Search Engine Optimization, often shortened to "optimization" or SEO. Optimization builds on the power of search engines. The more a site appears as a search result, the more attractive it will become to visitors.

How to brainstorm effectively

Alex Osborn developed the following guidelines for effective brainstorming: 1. Ideation and evaluation must be separate. 2. No criticism of ideas is permitted. 3. The goal is to produce as many ideas as possible in the time allowed. 4. Freewheeling or wild ideas are good. 5. Recording all ideas on a flipchart, chalkboard, or poster board makes it easy to refer back to them. 6. At the end of the brainstorming process, some ideas must be selected.

Brainstorming

Alex Osborn developed the following guidelines for effective brainstorming: 1. Ideation and evaluation must be separate. When brainstorming, list as many ideas as possible in the time allowed. 2. No criticism of ideas is permitted. Discussing ideas damages the brainstorming process. 3. The goal is to produce as many ideas as possible in the time allowed. This is commonly referred to as idea fluency. More ideas yield better ideas. 4. Freewheeling or wild ideas are good. Brainstorming groups that enjoy themselves tend to be the most productive. Wild ideas can be good because they trigger thinking that leads to breakthrough ideas. A special energy exists in a group that is doing brainstorming effectively. It also values idea novelty, the generation of ideas that are unusual. 5. Recording all ideas on a flipchart, chalkboard, or poster board makes it easy to refer back to them. It is important to record every idea. If enough group members engage in self-censoring, the group will be less productive. 6. At the end of the brainstorming process, some ideas must be selected.

Who is Alex Osborn and what did he find?

Alex Osborn founded the advertising firm of Batten, Barton, Dirstine and Osborn (BBD&O). In the early 1940s, Osborn observed that advertising teams got inconsistent results. Sometimes they produced ideas that were remarkably imaginative. At other times, the results were mundane and unoriginal. Over time, Osborn created a process that he called brainstorming to generate more and better ideas. Following his guidelines, people found their natural inhibitions reduced. Inhibitions prevent some people from putting forward ideas that might be "wrong" or "stupid," at least in the eyes of others. Osborn reflected on his observations about creativity in a 1953 book titled, "Applied Imagination." He also founded the Creativity Education Foundation, which still exists today, to encourage the study of creative behavior.

Keywords

Among the popular ways to optimize a website are to edit content to use specific, relevant keywords and to share links with other relevant sites.

Embargo

An embargoed release is held for publication on a specific future date. Instead of stating "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE," the release would read: "HOLD FOR RELEASE: 6 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, July 11, 20015."

Sir Ken Robinson

At a conference in Glasgow, Scotland in 2005, sponsored by the Scottish Book Trust, there was considerable discussion about the effect of education on creativity. Creative thinkers wither with age, according to Sir Ken Robinson, chair of the British government's report on creativity, education and the economy. It was time, he said, to unchain teachers and students so that there is less emphasis on training students to focus on one right answer, which stifles creative thinking. Sir Ken Robinson says that people do not just lose their creativity as a normal part of aging. Rather, he says, we are educated out of our creativity. Sir Ken Robinson's definition of creativity is "the process of having original ideas that have value."

Boilerplate

Below the final paragraph in the news release, typically single-spaced, is the boilerplate paragraph. This paragraph provides institutional language about the company announcing their news. It basically answers three questions: "Who we are," "What we do" and "Where we operate." The boilerplate paragraph is background information that a reporter or blogger has the option of weaving into the story. It reports on how companies want others to see them. It includes the kind of information that puts the source of news in proper perspective. Thus, it may include information such as their history, the number of employees, the locations of their offices and the kinds of work they do that give their expertise and their reputation. It is general information that may not relate to the topic of a particular news release. The same boilerplate might appear at the end of many different news releases about different topics.

Keyword stuffing

Create keywords that people commonly use in their searches. Don't use too many keywords. This practice, known as "stuffing," may get a site identified as a spam site. -- Use keywords on each page of your website. Use four to six keyword references in the text.

Creativity and children

Creative thinkers wither with age, according to Sir Ken Robinson, chair of the British government's report on creativity, education and the economy. It was time, he said, to unchain teachers and students so that there is less emphasis on training students to focus on one right answer, which stifles creative thinking. Robinson described research that showed that "young people lost their ability to think in 'divergent or non-linear ways,' a key component of creativity. Of 1,600 children aged 3 to 5 who were tested, 98 percent showed they could think in divergent ways. By the time they were aged 8 to 10, 32 percent could think divergently. When the same test was applied to 13- to 15-year-olds, only 10 percent could think in this way. And when the test was used with 200,000 25-year-olds, only 2 percent could think divergently." The research suggests that everyone is born creative. Sir Ken Robinson says that people do not just lose their creativity as a normal part of aging. Rather, he says, we are educated out of our creativity.

Data finding (mining)

Data finding -- What do we know about the problem? What research exists? What research could be done to better understand the problem? Search engines use "spidering" as a means of finding data. Web crawlers create a copy of all visited pages for processing through search engines.

Earned media

Earned media is free coverage of a company, event or brand. The free coverage may come from traditional media doing news stories or word-of-mouth such as reviews, mentions or viral sharing of content on social media. The content is of such interest to media or the public that it "earns" coverage, sharing and views. Earned media is unpredictable because journalist gatekeepers make decisions about what stories have earned coverage and the public decides what online content interests them enough to view, share and review. The client and PR agency have less control of the content and distribution.

Fact sheet

Fact sheets are a quick reference tool in an outline or bulleted format. Sometimes the information is organized with headings of Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Other headings might figure in, depending on whether the focus of the fact sheet is a product, an event, a service, a business or an issue. In simplified terms, a fact sheet is a snapshot of one of these subject areas, information that can be quickly consumed by people. It is typically one of the first items in a collection of information called a media kit.

Google Panda

Google Panda is a change to Google's search results ranking algorithm that was first released in February 2011. The change aimed to lower the rank of "low-quality sites" or "thin sites", and return higher-quality sites near the top of the search results.

Hard vs soft news

Hard new generally refers to up-to-the-minute news and events that are reported immediately, while soft news is background information or human-interest stories.

Ideation

Idea finding (ideation) refers to identifying as many ideas as possible in the belief that more ideas will yield better ideas. Idea finding is also called divergent thinking, which means allowing thinking to diverge or spread out. The search for ideas goes in all directions. (Creation of ideas)

Divergent thinking

Idea finding is also called divergent thinking, which means allowing thinking to diverge or spread out. The search for ideas goes in all directions.

PSA (Public Service Announcement)

Is routine media efforts in broadcast, though with the advent of video platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, PR firms can manage a client's message with longer-form storytelling and create separate channels. Public service announcements are noncommercial advertisements for nonprofit groups that radio and television broadcast free of charge. Most relate to health and safety, such as messages about drinking and driving, cigarette smoking, supporting food banks and the dangers of using drugs. However, electronic media regularly broadcast PSAs for a wide variety of nonprofit activities and events. Public relations sends written PSA scripts or prerecorded PSAs to radio and television stations and cable television systems. Announcements must be brief, typically 30- and 60-seconds. On radio, on-air talent read many PSAs live as part of their "banter."

Self-censoring

Judgment triggers self-censoring behaviors that limit the willingness of some group members to share their ideas. If enough group members engage in self-censoring, the group will be less productive.

Media (or press) kit

Media kits (also called press kits) are a package of materials provided to media at news conferences or other events. They once were the most powerful product used in pitching a story to media organizations. Their impact has given way to a wide array of presentation materials that come alive through various formats from PowerPoints to Prezis or simply on the Internet or through social media. Nonetheless, media kits with collateral materials still have a significant role in sharing the experience of a product, service or issue. They usually consist of a folder that contains such materials as a news release, a fact sheet, a backgrounder, article reprints from publications, brochures, newsletters, and graphic design materials including logos, corporate annual reports, fliers, biographies of key executives or other personnel and photographs. They've also been known to arrive in decorative boxes and shipping tubes. Some also contain CDs/ DVDs, flash drives or other multimedia or promotional novelties.

What are the 3 misconceptions or myths of creativity

Misconception 1: Creativity is about special people — artists Misconception 2: Creativity is about special activities — the arts Misconception 3: Creativity is about letting yourself go

What makes a news release newsworthy?

Most news releases become discarded because they fail to pass a journalist's test of newsworthiness. They appear to journalists as either an attempt to get free advertising or as a story with no local importance. Reporters may dismiss these attempts as hype or puffery. At the very least, news releases serve large urban newspapers and niche publications as a source for story ideas. Journalists who find news in the news release will reward the promoter with some form of media attention. Journalists typically will take the essence of the news release and conduct their own interviews, even fact- finding for their own story. The news release, at the very least, then, provides a starting point from which a reporter can construct a story.

PR Tactics

News releases Letters to the editor Op-Ed pieces Columns Fact sheets Backgrounders Position papers Newsletters Media advisories Media kits Annual reports Company magazines Brochures Fliers Posters Public service announcements (PSAs) Video news releases (VNRs)

Inverted pyramid

News releases are written in news style, a format that follows the inverted pyramid, a model that guides storytelling from most important information to the least important information. Similar to a news story prepared by journalists, the news release begins with a lead, which often presents information prompted by basic questions Who, What, When and Where. The second paragraph presents the next most important information that supports the lead but is slightly less important than the information in the lead. The third paragraph is usually the lead quote in the story, often the most newsworthy or "best quote" from an interview that supports the information in the first two paragraphs. It is the best quote because it either reflects a strong opinion, explanation or description of the information in the lead, and it does so in a vivid way. Subsequent paragraphs continue the storytelling with transitional paragraphs to secondary ideas, quotes that explain the secondary idea and other information related to the secondary idea. The story continues to be told with transitional paragraphs, more factual information and quotes until the story reaches an eventual end. The closing paragraph typically states: "For more information contact . . . ," with a phone number and email given for an appropriate source.

News (press) release

News releases are written in news style, a format that follows the inverted pyramid. The news release is usually a one- or two-page document. The only major difference between a news release and a story written by journalists is that the news release contains information that is told from the perspective of a company or organization. It is biased but is organized and written like a news story.

Books

News releases were once delivered by Postal Service employees to actual mailboxes. Promoters sometimes believed they could better sell their idea and gain additional favor by accompanying the release with a product sample. Publishing houses and record companies would send along free copies of books and albums; restaurateurs might personally deliver a news release with a sampling of a specialty dish.

Letters to the editor

Newspapers and magazines regularly publish letters to the editor. Letters to the editor are widely read and a good choice for briefly expressing an opinion or setting the record straight, if the information that was published was inaccurate. Writers offer opinions contrary to those expressed in editorials; and salute or praise actions or statements made concerning an organization or political stance. Letter authors must identify themselves, unlike posts in a chat room, where pseudonyms are often used. Most publications will verify their identities before publishing their letters. Publications often offer guidelines concerning the length of a letter to the editor. Typically, they are 250 words in length. One can craft a cogent argument in 250 words. It begins with a direct statement of opinion. A second sentence or paragraph offers support for the opening statement. The third sentence presents authoritative support for the first two paragraphs, most likely from an expert on the subject or a reputable survey. The next paragraph sets up the inoculating paragraph by discussing a popular argument provided by the other side of the issue. The next sentence is the strong response, or inoculating argument, to this position. The last paragraph is the conclusion and can be written in many ways. It could rephrase the opening statement, provide a call to action or present some form of ultimatum (example: If this happens, these will be the results).

Op-ed

Op-Ed is the name given to guest opinion articles appearing on the page opposite a newspaper's editorial page. Op-ed combines the words, "opposite" and "editorial," and indicate "opposite the editorial page." Regular essays by such syndicated columnists as Charles Krauthammer, Cal Thomas and Ellen Goodman occupy much of the space on the op-ed page. Space is also available for well-written local essays by authorities on a subject. Op-ed articles can be useful in public relations as vehicles for weighing in on public policy issues. There is no cost to have an op-ed essay published. Competition for available space is fierce, and op-eds must be well written, timely and interesting.

Brainstorming

Osborn created a process that he called brainstorming to generate more and better ideas. Following his guidelines, people found their natural inhibitions reduced. Inhibitions prevent some people from putting forward ideas that might be "wrong" or "stupid," at least in the eyes of others. Osborn found that "silly" ideas are useful in brainstorming because they spark other ideas by stimulating thinking and encouraging people to springboard from one thought to another.

Owned media

Owned media is content that is created and paid for by or for a client. Brochures, company magazines, fliers, VNRs, backgrounders, fact sheets, Web and social media sites and many other tactics fall under the category of owned media. The client controls the content so they can be more certain that it is a positive narrative. It is hoped that well-executed owned media will lead to earned media from sharing of the content or links to it.

Paid media

Paid media is paid-for distribution of a message such as advertising, paid search keywords and event sponsorships. Typically, paid media relates more to marketing and advertising, but some PR also involves paid media.

Convergent thinking

Solution finding is the rational process of evaluating the many ideas that were generated during brainstorming or another process to identify the best, most workable ones. Thinking converges on a solution. Filtering of ideas occurs until a solution emerges and the details are worked out. The goal of convergent thinking is to evaluate and discuss ideas in a logical and critical way to choose the best ones to execute.

Idea fluency

The goal is to produce as many ideas as possible in the time allowed. This is commonly referred to as idea fluency. Research suggests that if a group produces 100 ideas, the second 50 will be the best. Early ideas tend to be safe and familiar variations on things done before. It is important for groups to push past the easy ideas to engage in genuinely original thinking. More ideas yield better ideas.

Lead or Lede

The news release begins with a lead, which is the most important information, which often presents information prompted by basic questions Who, What, When and Where.

Reach

The number of people reached

Frequency

The number of times the average person sees an ad

Heuristics

These routines or patterns are heuristics — rules for solving problems. Based on experience, we create rules or guidelines that enable us to make decisions with less thought. Such shortcuts liberate us from having to seriously ponder every decision we make. Heuristics guide many of the purchasing decisions that consumers make. Heuristics are necessary or else the number of decisions we would have to make each day would overwhelm us. If every decision required complete analysis, people might take hours to buy a small number of items in a grocery store. Heuristics enable us to deal with repetitive problems quickly so that we can devote more time to solving important problems. The drawback to habitual responses is that our reliance on rules, systems and ideas that worked well in the past may outlive their usefulness when it comes to new problems.

Misconception 3: Creativity is about letting yourself go

This notion suggests that creativity springs out of wild, undisciplined lifestyles and behavior. We think of modern Bohemian artists who chose unconventional lifestyles, such as Picasso, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, or F. Scott Fitzgerald. In fact, creative work usually requires discipline. Authors write, edit and rewrite their work many times before publication. A creative inventor like Thomas Edison was a model of discipline. He held nearly 1,100 patents by the end of his life.

Left and right brain thinking

Traditionally, the left brain is associated with logical, linear, rational and analytical thinking. Right brain thinking is thought to be more visual, holistic, creative, playful and intuitive. Some people were believed to be more creative because the right half of their brains was dominant. Left brain thinkers were believed to be less creative while exceling at tasks that required analytical and logical skills such as science, mathematics, accounting and management. Today we know that both sides of the brain work equally in everyone.

VNR (Video News Release)

routine media efforts in broadcast, though with the advent of video platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, PR firms can manage a client's message with longer-form storytelling and create separate channels. VNRs are a complete video "package" or story that is ready for broadcast. They are similar to printed news releases in that a television station could use them as is, but most do not. If the subject interests TV journalists, they most likely will use the VNR as a story idea but will shoot their own video and produce their own story. Often PR people make the elements of the VNR package available separately so TV stations can assemble them as they wish. They provide background video, called B-roll. TV journalists are more likely to use the B-roll as part of their story than the complete VNR. Stations seldom use an entire VNR and usually identify on the air the source of the video that they do use. A story about a pharmaceutical or automobile recall will be helped with file footage of pill bottles speeding along a conveyor belt or cars coming off an assembly line. File footage is commonly used but should be marked as "file footage" or "Courtesy of (name of company)" to differentiate it from timely video shot by a television station in the preparation of the broadcast news story. Video reports work best with stories that one can explain in a minute or two. Complicated stories with many details are challenging to explain in 90 seconds.