PR for chapters

Getting PR For Your Chapter: 

Getting PR For Your Chapter Bob Tillman PR Director ARMA International

The Press Release: 

The Press Release The Reason To achieve organizational objectives, in this case, awareness. People start the process of decision-making after awareness has been created.

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Press Releases are cost-effective. In most markets, twenty-five or thirty press releases will inform potential prospects about your cause or event.

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Press releases enjoy a factor of credibility not shared by advertising. They appear as part of a news story or in the news section of publications; and it is widely documented that people consider information in a news story much more believable than an advertisement.

Planning the Press Release: 

Planning the Press Release The Questions

What is the subject of the message?: 

What is the subject of the message? What are you attempting to achieve?

Who are you trying to reach with the message? : 

Who are you trying to reach with the message? If it is aimed at information managers or their superiors, it should be addressed to the business editor of the publication.

What is the benefit for the target audience?: 

What is the benefit for the target audience? Through the press release, what can you do for those you are trying to attract the attention of?

What goal is the chapter pursuing?: 

What goal is the chapter pursuing? Is the purpose of the press release to create interest in the local chapter or an issue?

What does the chapter want to achieve the press release?: 

What does the chapter want to achieve the press release? Is the objective to gain new members or attendance at an event?

What theme should you highlight in the release?: 

What theme should you highlight in the release? How can it be tailored to address the interest of the audience?

Rules of the Game: 

Rules of the Game The Release

The standard release should be on white 8-1/2 x 11 inch, 20 to 24 lb. paper.: 

The standard release should be on white 8-1/2 x 11 inch, 20 to 24 lb. paper.

The release should be double-spaced.: 

The release should be double-spaced.

Standard margins for the release are:: 

Standard margins for the release are: 2 inches at the top 1.5 inches on each side 1.5 inches at the bottom of the page If you use letterhead, begin 2 inches below it.

Don’t get fancy.: 

Don’t get fancy. Use 12-point type. Times Roman or a similar font is a popular choice.

Keep paragraphs to less than six column lines each.: 

Keep paragraphs to less than six column lines each. At the end of the release, write one of the traditional journalistic terms: -30- end ###

Types of Releases: 

Types of Releases The Five Types of News Releases

Announcements: 

Announcements Announcements address such occurrences as chapter meetings, membership drives, events, awards, anniversaries and educational offerings.

Spot Announcements: 

Spot Announcements These are used if an event has to be cancelled or re-scheduled.

Reaction Releases: 

Reaction Releases These releases are used if something is done that may harm an organization. Examples might be that the State of California passes a legal privacy bill that requires all attorneys in the state to retain the records on tort actions for twenty years; thereby placing an undue burden on the record managers and the resources of the firms. In this case, the organizations representing the people most affected would issue a release explaining the harm done by the new law to the public at large such as higher legal bills due to increase storage costs.

Bad News: 

Bad News A release you don’t want to write. Not likely to occur at the chapter level.

“Hometown” Release: 

“Hometown” Release Most news is local news and in the absence of a local angle, most releases do not get published. The best way to get a press release published by any news outlet is to make it local. Use the names of local people and local companies to interest the news editors in your event.

The Written Release: 

The Written Release Six Essential Parts

Organization Name: 

Organization Name Whether you use letterhead or plain white paper, the name of the organization should be one of the first things that the newsperson sees.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The use of the date lets the publication know that the information is timely and while many say it is not necessary today, the use of the term “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” is traditional. If you use plain white paper, this is the recommended style for the release.

The Contact: 

The Contact It is important that the press know who to contact and how to contact them for further information regarding the story.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bob Tillman ARMA International 888-298-8219

The Headline: 

The Headline Most press releases open with a brief headline. The headline appears in boldface type slightly larger than the type used in the body of the release. Since it is recommended that you use 12-point type for the body copy the headline would be in 14-point. It is recommended that you don’t get creative; use the same type font for both the headline and the body copy. Only change to bold and 14-point for the headline. The purpose of the headline is to give the editor or journalist a quick indication of what the press release is about. Make the headline factual and to the point.

Dateline: 

Dateline This begins at the start of the lead paragraph. It contains the city and state where the release originated and the date of release. The location is usually all caps in bold and the date is in lowercase. For example LOS ANGELES, CA, June 19, 2001--Global privacy standards are regarded as a threat to American business interests according to…

Lead: 

Lead The most important part of a news release is the opening paragraph. This paragraph gives the reader the details of the story and motivates them to continue reading.

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LOS ANGELES, CA, June 19, 2001—Global Privacy standards are regarded as a threat to American business interest according to former Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry Irving speaking at the Strategic Information Management Symposium June 4, 2001, in Washington, DC. At issue was how America’s lack of privacy legislation conflicts with the stricter standards enforced by both the European Union and Australia. According to Irving, within five years or less, American companies doing business in Europe will not be allowed to transfer information about customers even to their U.S. based headquarters, since that transfer would violate EU Standards.

Body of Copy: 

Body of Copy The inverted pyramid model is best used for a press release. The first paragraph summarizes the most important point of the story and the following paragraphs provide the details.

Three reasons to use the inverted pyramid.: 

Three reasons to use the inverted pyramid. First, if the editor doesn’t find something interesting quickly, the story won’t be used. Second, when editors cut stories, they usually start at the bottom. Third, the public doesn’t always read the entire story.