The document provides guidance on media relations and writing effective press releases. It discusses skills needed for public relations, components of a good press release, types of releases, pitching to media, and content generation. Key tips include writing in a journalistic style, keeping releases concise, believing in the story, and being creative to generate coverage. The overall message is that public relations requires strong writing abilities and interpersonal skills to communicate with journalists and produce attention-grabbing content.

1. Click to edit Master title style
Media Relations
Miki Haines-Sanger, Golden Goose PR
Tuesday 15 October 2013
#CIPRFRESH

2. Click to edit Master title style
Chair’s introduction
Jenna Oxley, Transport for London
Media Relations
#CIPRFRESH

3. Click to edit Master title style
Media relations
#CIPRFRESH

4. Can to learn to be title style
Clickyouedit Master good at PR?
• Strong people skills
• Likeable personality
• Confident on the phone, good at following up with written communication
• News sense
• Creative thinking
• Good at saying thank you
• Keep in touch with your contacts
#CIPRFRESH

5. Click to edit Master title style
The press release
#CIPRFRESH

6. The press release (wrongstyle right)
Click to edit Master title and
#CIPRFRESH

7. A press edit Master title
Click to release isn’t… style
A marketing doctrine
An advert
A letter to journalists communicating a brand’s voice and beliefs to trigger them
to write a proper final article
A brand manifesto
#CIPRFRESH

8. Click brand manifesto style
The to edit Master title
#CIPRFRESH

9. A press edit Master
Click to release is… title style
News
Relevant
Coverage generating
#CIPRFRESH

10. The problem
Click to edit Master title style
#CIPRFRESH

11. The exception
Click to edit Master title style
#CIPRFRESH

12. The risk
Click to edit Master title style
Unless the news is so huge that it sells itself, if the press release is written word-forword the way that a client or your brand manager thinks they want it, you run three
risks:
#CIPRFRESH

13. What to aim for
Click to edit Master title style
• Well thought out release with a real story
• Speak out if in doubt
• Sound out with a friendly journalist
• If you need to take it back a stage and build more into the story, then do
• No one can blame you if you’ve channelled the right content at the right time in
the best and most professional way
• A journalist who receives this first class kind of communication from you is going
to want to work with you and hear from you again
• A client who has seen your efforts result in great coverage will always trust you
#CIPRFRESH

14. Click to edit Master title style
Different types of releases
#CIPRFRESH

15. A few examples…
Click to edit Master title style
• First to market/real news
• Brand launch/new product
• Celebrity alignment/influencer endorsement
• Surveys and stats
• Stunts, activities and photocalls
• Business announcements/figures
• Crisis statements
• Creative content generation
#CIPRFRESH

16. A brand news release
Click to edit Master title style
#CIPRFRESH

17. The potential disaster
Click to edit Master title style
#CIPRFRESH

18. Your to
Click jobedit Master title style
• Write your releases well and have the
conviction to stand by them
• Push back if the person signing off your
releases tries to annihilate them with:
• Long sentences
• Intellectual words
• Unnecessary words
• Fluff
#CIPRFRESH

19. Don’ts
Click to edit Master title style
• Write in the first person
• If the brand isn’t the story, don’t open with the brand
• Throw away the quote with a cliché
• Bulk mail
• Write a long email intro
• Send attachments or PDF’s
• Capitalise job titles
• Capitalise headlines
#CIPRFRESH

20. Click to edit Master title style
How to write a good release
#CIPRFRESH

21. Read the papers
Click to edit Master title style
Use the sentence structure of
real news journalism
#CIPRFRESH

22. Write like a Master title
Click to editjournalist style
Write in one sentence
paragraphs
#CIPRFRESH

23. Remain objective
Click to edit Master title style
Write like a news journalist NOT
like a columnist
#CIPRFRESH

24. A good edit Master title style
Click to release
#CIPRFRESH

25. Keep it edit Master title style
Click to simple
• 200-400 words
• If there’s a simpler word, use it
• Avoid repeating points
• Forget university essay language (moreover, thus, indeed)
• Try to write a headline of no more than six or seven words
- if you can’t do that you don’t have a story
• If you can’t explain it on the phone in two lines is it a story?
#CIPRFRESH

26. Click to edit Master title style
The big question…
#CIPRFRESH

27. ?
Click to edit Master title style
UT I L
I SE
use
#CIPRFRESH

28. ?
Click to edit Master title style
UT I L
I SE
use
#CIPRFRESH

29. Click to edit Master title style
Pitching to the media
#CIPRFRESH

30. When and how to pitch
Click to edit Master title style
• Look on Gorkana (for features, avoid press days)
• For national news every day is a press day – to get on their lists, call before
conferences. Telegraph timings: 7am (mini conference), 8.45am, midday and
4pm
• In your head, get your pitch right in no more than two sentences
• Follow up your initial call with your email, address them personally. Thank them
for their time on the phone just now
• Paste the release
• Reply immediately and professionally even just to say you’re on it
• Don’t call back to check they got the release – wait then call a few hours later
#CIPRFRESH

31. Tips to edit Master title style
Clickand tricks
• It’s worth one third and last call around 8pm (latest)
• You may find the story hasn’t made it which means you can forewarn
• Set your alarm for 6am and pitch to the online teams
• For light news, work with a news agency (news@nationalnews.co.uk)
• Release Sunday for Monday
• Always be prepared for rudeness
• Google your contacts/check their Twitter accounts
• Have a great visual
#CIPRFRESH

32. One to edit Master title style
Clickapproach fits all
• You have to believe in the story
• You have to be able to picture it - even as a nib - in print or a moment on TV
• If you doubt it, brainstorm around it
• You can always target the Sundays if the mid-week publications haven’t used you
• For radio, the same rules apply but you need to pitch in an even more succinct
written way. Sentences so short they are on-air soundbytes
• Press release writing is a skill that can make or break a campaign, it’s important to
get it right
#CIPRFRESH

33. Content generation
Click to edit Master title style
#CIPRFRESH

34. Be creative
Click to edit Master title style
#CIPRFRESH

35. Click to edit Master title style
Thank you
#CIPRFRESH

36. Click to edit Master title style
Thank you for attending, please complete
the online evaluation form.
Find out more at cipr.co.uk/fresh
#CIPRFRESH