In this week’s Public Relations Applications class, we are discussing communication for PR practitioners. Here are the slides I will use:
Public Relations Research :: The Basics
In my PR Applications class, we are discussing basics of public relations research this week. Here are the slides I’ll use:
To see some of the notes I used for the presentation, visit SlideShare and download the presentation.
Spring 2009 PRCA 2330 Blogroll
Looking for the blogs of my students from Introduction to Public Relations, Spring 2009? I moved the list from a page to this blog post.
- Addison, Lindsay
- Agee, Beth
- Arnwine, Kristen
- Barlow, Nicole
- Bivins, Antonio
- Bowers, Lindsey
- Brewington, Erika
- Burch, Tico
- Callahan, Meghan
- Cameron, Jessica
- Childs, Whitney
- Cook, Matt
- Coonrod, Lindsay
- Crawford, Katie
- Daies, Natalia
- Dietrich, Amy
- Drury, Sara Jane
- Farmer, Sarah
- Floyd, Evan
- Gemmel, Amy
- Greene, Victoria
- Gunnels, Leigh
- Gxashe, Biso
- Hankerson, Meshae
- Henry, Jacqueline
- Herrington, Brittany
- Hinkley, Lauren
- Huger, Brooke
- Hyter, Lynndsey
- Joiner, Trey
- Jones, Carter
- Jurgensen, Justin
- Keith, John
- Kemp, Sarah
- Kicklighter, James
- Kupcewicz, Ally
- Lawhead, Ansley
- Le, An
- Lee, Lauren
- Lindsay, Brittney
- Lintel, Marilyn
- Mardar, Stefanie
- Martin, Ashleigh
- Mauney, Matt
- McCullough, Happy
- Monahan, Sarah
- Mosa, Hozan
- O’Dowd, Whitner
- Odubanjo, Femi
- Olesen, Line
- Pascall, Michelle
- Pilgrim, Justin
- Pittman, Samone
- Pond, Eryn
- Redmond, Kristen Haley
- Renfroe, Ashley
- Robinson, Hillary
- Robinson, Jaylynne
- Roper, Emily
- Runyan, Sean
- Sage, Katrina
- Schlumper, Allie
- Scott, W. Clay
- Sherwin, Casey
- Smathers, Lauren
- Smith, Meghan
- Spillers, Meghan
- Starr, Keenan
- Stratton, Mackenzie
- Sullivan, Sarah Beth
- Taylor, Katelyn
- Thomas, Becca
- Tidmore, Meg
- Turner, Jaren
- Walker, Marie
- Whigham, Kacie
- Wigley, Kenneth
- Williams, Emily
- Wright, Kati Ann
- Zaremba, David
What PR Writers REALLY Need to Know About AP Style
In the public relations courses that I’ve taught over the years, it seems as though one of the biggest struggles for the students is writing using Associated Press style.
Why is learning AP style so important? PR practitioner Sandra Hernandez offers this:
PR writers really need to know the things that make them effective. I learned to write in AP in college, because it was necessary to pass the class. I continued to write in AP because I found that what I send to media had a better response rate when written in AP.
To help students learn more about AP style, I sought feedback from a variety of public relations practitioners and faculty members, trying to come up with a list of what PR writers REALLY need to know (cold, without even looking in the AP Stylebook) about AP style.
The most helpful advice came from colleagues on PR OpenMic, a social network for PR students, faculty and practitioners. (See the individual responses I received in the PR OpenMic PR Writing Discussion Forum.) Additional helpful advice came from colleagues on Twitter, including Kristie Aylett and Claire Celsi.
The most important (and sometimes confusing) parts of AP Style for PR writers are:
- dates (especially when to abbreviate)
- addresses (especially when to abbreviate)
- names (when to use titles, etc.)
- numerals (when to spell out, when to use digits)
- datelines (which cities need to be identified with their states)
Many PR writers can also benefit from brushing up on standard grammar. My favorite site for general grammar advice is Mignon Fogarty’s Grammar Girl. Consider subscribing to Grammar Girl’s podcast through iTunes.
Additionally, I found several websites that help my students with AP Style see my Delicious bookmarks on AP style, and I posted a Quick Guide to Associated Press Style.
A Baker’s Dozen :: The Anatomy of a News Release
Regardless what company you are working with or which newspaper outlets you are sending a news release to, there are a baker’s dozen items that should appear in most news releases.
PRCA 2330 :: Final Blog Checklist & Rubric
As we discussed in PRCA 2330, I will begin evaluating your blogs as of midnight on Thursday, April 30. Here’s a copy of the rubric (grading form) I’ll use when I review your blogs: Blog Rubric (Grading Form).
Please complete this final blog checklist to be sure you’re on track and have all the required elements in your blog. (It’s fine to complete the form more than one time.)
All I Ever Needed to Know About Promotions I Learned From WKRP in Cincinnati
In today’s Introduction to Public Relations class, we watched a classic episode of the classic 1970s TV show “WKRP in Cincinnati” :: “Turkeys Away.” Though I paid to download the episode from iTunes, I just discovered it’s also available for free through Hulu.
In this episode, which was based on a botched promotion from a radio station in Atlanta, live turkeys dropped from a helicopter. Chaos ensues.
What can we learn about how NOT to do a promotion from Mr. Carlson’s fiasco? I’ll get the list started:
- Communicate with your entire team before launching a promotional campaign (or a turkey).
- Do your research! It’s best to learn ahead of time that turkeys don’t fly.
- Get permission before doing a stunt.
- Know what is considered news in your local market. Giving away turkeys for Thanskgiving wasn’t news. (But watching live turkeys plummet from a helicopter probably would be news.)
- Brainstorm for what could possibly go wrong before you proceed with a promotion.
What would you add to this list?
Getting into the News
In Monday’s Introduction to Public Relations course, we will discuss getting into the news via news releases, media kits and more. Here are the slides I’ll use:
There are some notes to go along with several of the slides. To see these notes, please download the presentation from SlideShare.