Public relations is more than just pitching stories to the media or mailing out press releases. The PR umbrella covers a number of related activities, all of which are concerned with communicating specific messages to specific target audiences. In today's fast-paced, high-tech society, the need to present a clear and effective message becomes even greater. For the next few months, the PR Hints are going to focus on how we as libraries can benefit from incorporating public relations into our strategic plans.
Many of us often confuse good public relations with advertising. According to FINEMAN PR, one of the preeminent public relations firms in the nation, all too often companies wait until after misinformation is released to the public to embrace the value of a strong public relations component to their strategic plan.
As FINEMAN explains, "Public Relations is often dismissed as just the dissemination of news releases, the communication of fluff or spin, or it is confused with advertising and sales promotions.
Additionally, many executives fail to understand and recognize how their actions and reactions may be fully perceived by their various audiences."
Typically, it is the blunders that make headlines, or catch the reader's attention. Rarely will a patron call to tell us they saw something positive about our library, but patrons seldom miss an opportunity to point out when something was reported inaccurately.
Each year FINEMAN PR publishes a list of the best of the worst public relations blunders of the year, "In selecting the blunders, our intent is not to degrade or defame, but to uphold widely reported incidents as case studies to educate companies and the public on the value of good public relations. Organizations must understand how their interests must be synchronized with the needs and sensibilities of the marketplace in which they conduct business. In the vast majority of cases, public relations blunders point to the need for the incorporation of public relations perspectives in management, policy, marketing, and in the education of employees. Good public relations is about promoting and safeguarding credibility and the potential for long-term success."
Who hasn''t inadvertently sent out information that had errors in it, or had the media misprint information supplied to them that was accurate? Such mistakes can often be costly, not only financially but in the number of people the mistake prevents from coming to a program at our library. So how do we avoid those mistakes?
PRFree, an online press release distribution services provides easy to follow advice on how we can all avoid the pitfalls of a public relations blunder.
Press Release Blunders
From PRFree.com Communicate News
Nothing discourages a journalist from reading your release more quickly than errors, either typographical or grammatical. You will want to proof
- and proof again - and then ask someone else for assistance.
When writing your release, keep the following pointers in mind:
Write headlines and content directed to journalists, not consumers.
Press releases that address the end-users of your product or service are inappropriate and will most likely be disregarded by the media.
Addressing your audience in the third-person - which means eliminating the use of the word "you" from your vocabulary - can be a challenge. A well-written press release encourages the media to take note of the information you are communicating, and it increase the likelihood the media will be encouraged to follow-up for more. While your ultimate goal is to increase business, a press release forum is not the medium to disseminate advertising or to sell.
Don't be flagrant.
Aside from sounding like a sales or marketing piece, using characters outside the standard alphabet to emphasize certain points in your headline or in the body of your release will likely be caught by spam filters, preventing your release from reaching the intended recipients.
Exclamation points (!) and asterisks (*) do much to detract from the message you are trying to convey - aside from damaging the credibility of your press release.
Overuse of words like "exciting" and "unique" have jaded the media - use alternate vocabulary to make your product or service stand apart from your competitors. Be sure if you make claims about your company that the claims can stand up against the intense scrutiny of journalists.
Avoid using UPPER CASE characters.
Studies have identified that text written in all upper case characters is not only significantly more difficult to read, it evokes an emotional response from readers, as if you are screaming at them. Headlines and content releases must be provided in mixed case - upper and lower case.
Clean up grammatical errors - alone or with professional assistance.
While you may be working against a deadline to submit your release, note that the extra time allocated to ensure your release is error-proof will pay off in the long run - by appearing professional and polished.
Using a spell-checker is not enough. Words like "from" are easily missed when spelled "form."
A time-proven method for error-checking is to start at the bottom, and read from RIGHT to LEFT, moving UP the release. We have a tendency to read quickly when proofing - using this method ensures you take the time to actually read each word and check each punctuation mark.
If you are tempted to write your release during the submission process
- don't. Prepare a rough draft, and edit several times prior to sending out the release.
Use industry lingo sparingly.
Using a lofty vocabulary to impress the reader with your written prowess doesn't - and doesn't make it easier for journalists on a tight deadline to use your release because they then must translate it into layman's terms.
Communicate your information in terms that are easy to understand - many people write they way they speak, ensuring a larger population grasps the concepts or ideas. If however, there are industry-specific terms that will be lost if translated, or they are accepted in the industry, use them. Don't, however, make up words in an effort to catch journalists' attention - those kinds of things interrupt the reader's train of thought. And if it's confusing, more likely than not, you've lost the reader.
Address content issues.
Releases that either communicate an offensive message or don't provide enough detail about the subject will be rejected. You may be tempted to believe your release will be effective at enticing a journalist to visit a website for additional detail if your release only contains a few words - you would be mistaken.
Although it is important to be concise in conveying your message, leaving out pertinent information that addresses the: who, what, where, when, why and how can do as much harm as submitting a 2,000 word release. A good rule of thumb is to keep your release around 500 words when possible.
Include contact information.
Incorrect or incomplete contact information for a release is discouraging to the media. Be sure to include current information for at least one person designated at your company to field inquiries from journalists who receive your release.
Make product/service detail available online.
It's important to make additional information available online - and to include that reference either in your release or contact information.
The industry also recognizes the value of including multimedia elements
- photos, charts, graphics - and journalists are always looking for these
Patricia C. Spencer
Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator
Lewis and Clark Library
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