1. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ENGB213
Unit 13
Publicity material

2. Overview Public Relations News Releases
Guidelines for Writing News Releases
Online News Releases
Company Newsletters
Writing Skills
Newsletters
Publicity Material – Key Points to Remember

3. Public Relations
The public relations (PR) function in any organisation is usually carried out by staff who are specialised in this sector.
As the name suggests, it’s about the relationship between the organisation and the general public.
One of the aims of PR is to influence the general public through the mass media e.g newspapers, television, radio, etc.

4. Public Relations
The job of PR person in any organisation is to be constantly on the lookout for newsworthy events, products, developments and human interest stories and then to turn them into any of the following:
a news release
a press conference
a photo opportunity for newspaper coverage
corporate material for direct mailing
briefing packs for potential customers

5. Public Relations
If you are responsible for helping to produce public relations material, here are some guidelines to follow. Effective PR material will:
be factual, newsworthy and impartial
appeal to human interest
contain up-to-date information
be appropriately distributed
be produced professionally

6. Public Relations – corporate brochure sample

7. Public Relations – corporate brochure sample

8. News Releases
A news release (or press release) is an announcement sent to the press and other media about anything considered to be newsworthy.
A press release is not an advertisement but it can result in useful publicity for the company issuing the release.
Some reasons why a company may send a news release to the media are:
relocation of offices
introduction of new products
purchase of new buildings
move to new premises
changes in top personnel

9. News Release – (Singapore MRT Ltd announce their new lifestyle hub in Singapore)

10. News Release – article in Singapore’s Business Times.

11. Compiling a press release
Editors who receive the press release may publish an edited version, publish it as written or contact the initiator to find out further details.
Unfortunately 90% of press releases are thrown in the waste and only 5-10% are actually used.

12. Compiling a press release
To make sure that your press release are in this small percentage, special writing skills are needed:
Headline
Compose an appropriate, snappy heading
Opening
Good opening is essential to grab editor’s and reader’s attention
Middle
Central paragraphs should be short and self-contained so that editor can cut them out if necessary
Close
Conclusion or summary may be appropriate, or a brief repeat of the main passage. Useful to include quotation from a key person

13. Guidelines for Writing News Releases
Use third person. Write as though you are the newspaper editor, talking about your company as an outsider.
Do not make the press release sound like an advertisement or invitation.
Write in an interesting, snappy, punchy style with short sentences.
Try to appeal to human interests where possible
Use a style suitable to appear in a newspaper with as few changes as possible.
Your press release must answer the following questions:
What? – What is happening? /Who? – Who is involved?
Where? – Where is it happening? / When?
Why? – Why is it newsworthy?

14. News Release – another example

15. Online News Releases
If you visit the website of any company you will probably find a heading ‘News Releases’ or ‘Media News’.
Companies usually place all their news releases on the Net, with hyperlinks taking readers to connecting stories or sites of interest.

16. Online News Releases – example

17. Online News Releases – another example

18. Company Newsletters
Many companies publish regular newsletters known as in-house journals or company magazines, which keep staff informed about matters of interest.
These regular magazines are very good for improving company/staff relations. They are an effective way of reaching out to members of staff where there are many different branches of a company around the country or even internationally.

19. Company Newsletters – contain a variety of information
New policies/ procedures
Updates on products/ services
Births/ marriages/ deaths
Promotions
Sports and social news
Contributions from employees

20. Company Newsletters - example

21. Writing Skills
The same basic writing skills are needed to write articles for in-house magazines as are needed for writing press releases.
The following guidelines should be noted:
use reported speech, third person
write in an interesting, readable style
try to appeal to human interests
be as factual as possible
build the article logically

22. Writing Skills – example of good article

23. Newsletters
marketing is probably the most measurable and effective direct marketing ever.
There are many software programs available that will help you set up a database, create a message template and then work with you to craft an effective campaign.
campaigns to customers are known to be about 10 to 20 times more effective than standard direct mail, and the results vary according to the strategy, frequency and professional level of the campaign.

24. E-mail Newsletters – author’s own example

25. E-mail Newsletters – author’s own sample cont.

26. Publicity Material – Key Points to Remember
Effective publicity material will be factual and newsworthy.
Press releases often result in useful publicity for the company issuing the release.
Online news releases often include hyperlinks to stories or sites of interest.
Company newsletters are a good way of communicating with all staff or customers and keeping them up-to-date.
When writing news releases or articles, use reported speech, third person.
Write in an interesting, sharp style, using short sentences.
Do not write like an advertisement or invitation.

27. Publicity Material – Key Points to Remember
Write as though you are the editor of the newspaper or newsletter, talking about your company as an outsider.
Include a quotation from a key person if possible.
Remember to answer the questions ‘Who? What? Where? When? Why?’