Reporters shoot down PR quotes What's the least important element in a release — less important even than the dateline or the boilerplate? Quotes, say one in four reporters surveyed in a 2014 study by Greentarget. According to Greentarget's research: 13% of journalists never use quotes from releases. 31% rarely use quotes from releases. 28% use quotes … [Read more...] about Say it ain’t so
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Get a PR-writing workout with Wylie
Learn to get the word out via media relations in this two-day PR-writing workshop in New York Your PR pieces run the approval gauntlet. But getting notes from folks who don't know the art and science of PR writing can hardly be considered feedback. So in the crunch of writing headlines and meeting deadlines, how do you polish your skills and improve your craft? … [Read more...] about Get a PR-writing workout with Wylie
Turn programs into people
Bring stories to life with human interest Stories about organizational programs, policies and procedures can kill reader interest. But bring those stories to life through people, and you can resurrect attention, too. That's what graduates of our most recent Master the Art of the Storyteller Master Class did with these before-and-after leads about HR programs. Let … [Read more...] about Turn programs into people
Use the magic word
'You' gets the story started in media relations pieces It's counterintuitive, but true: The product is never the topic. The program is never the topic. The plan is never the topic. The topic is never the topic. The reader is always the topic. Here's how six PR pros made the reader the topic in their PRSA 2014 Silver Anvil Award-winning campaigns. Use the 'Y … [Read more...] about Use the magic word
Avoid the suitcase lead
Try a bikini lead instead Some folks write "suitcase leads": They try to cram all of the story elements into the top. Instead, make yours a bikini lead, and cover just the most interesting essentials. Remember: It's not the job of the first paragraph to tell the whole story. It's the job of the first paragraph to get people to read the second paragraph. So target … [Read more...] about Avoid the suitcase lead