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Personality Profiles :: More than Pre-Obituaries

Photo Credit: "REBOOT!" by Mark Magnusson

In reviewing the Personality Profiles written by my PR Writing students over the last several semesters, I’ve discovered that there are several common errors that seem to show up. Avoiding these common errors will help ensure that someone might actually want to read the story you have written.

  • Treating the story as if it’s a pre-obituary… you know, the obituaries that newspapers and TV stations have waiting, just in case someone famous dies. They tend to simply recite a few key facts from the person’s life. These pre-obituaries, posing as personality profiles for my class, are flat and fail to engage the readers. Yawn.
  • Telling the story in chronological order.Just because we live our lives in chronological order doesn’t mean that is how the stories should be told.
  • Writing a snoozer of a headline. Something like “A True Leader in Our Community!” is not something that would entice someone to read the story.
  • Not reading well-done personality profiles before starting out to write one. People magazine and Sports Illustrated always have numerous profiles in each issue.
  • Not interviewing the person you’re writing about. You can typically learn more about your subject in a face-to-face interview in 30 minutes than you can by reading things others have written for three hours. (Okay, I made up those numbers, but you get my point.) Spend some time learning who the person IS, and then you can better write about what the person DOES.
  • Lack of quotations. Using the words of the subject of the story and those who know the person well can bring the story to life. Aim to incorporate quotations in every three to four paragraphs. They don’t need to be long ones, just ones that punctuate the point you are trying to make.
  • Using the first paragraph or two to recite the subject’s job description. Try leading off with something that might be interesting to the readers instead. You can add in bits and pieces of the job description throughout the story if needed, but please don’t lead with them.
  • Focusing on only one part of the subject’s life. In addition to describing the subject’s connection with the client organization, it’s smart to also sprinkle in some details about outside interests.
  • Making the subject seem superhuman or saccharine. Even if the story is for your internal company newsletter, it’s important to make the subject seem like a real person that others can aspire to becoming like. If you put the subject too high on a pedestal, there’s the danger of creating a persona that is not likable.
  • Failing to use standard news release format. Remember that a personality profile is just a specific type of news release. Datelines, contact information, -MORE-, slugs, end signs and perhaps even boilerplate information are still needed.
  • Neglecting AP Style. See my post on 8 Common Errors for more details on this.

What other tips would you add for creating an effective personality profile?

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8 Common Errors in News Releases

Photo Credit: Untitled, by PotatoJunkie

After reviewing all the first news releases in PRCA 3330 & COMM 4333, I am generally pleased with what I saw, considering it is the first news release that many of you have written. The best stories were ones that passed the “So What?” test; they were newsworthy to those outside your client’s organization. They were well organized and clearly written. You must have remembered what you learned in your Intro to Journalism class!

Here are some common errors I saw:

  1. Using “we” or “our” when it’s not part of a quotation (a news release needs to sound like a story one would read in an impartial newspaper, not in a company newsletter). News releases need to be written in third person, not first.
  2. Improper use of commas (either too many or not enough)
  3. Puffery (making statements in the news release that don’t seem newsworthy. Some of these would be okay as part of a quotation, however.)
  4. Calling women “girls” or “ladies” (even though it’s common in sororities to do this, AP Style calls for the use of the word “women” when you are writing about female adults)
  5. Abbreviating the word Georgia as GA (rather than Ga.) or Florida as FL (rather than Fla.).
  6. Improper formatting on dates, times, numerals, etc.
  7. Format (forgetting to put an embargo date or For Immediate Release, end sign, page slugs, letterhead with mailing address, etc.). Check BlackBoard or GeorgiaVIEW for the template I provided to you; this will help with basic formatting.
  8. Including a headline that is not compelling. Your headline should be active and entice the reader to dive right into your story, not bore him or her to sleep.

Be sure to avoid these errors when writing future news releases. And you might want a quick refresher of how to flag your AP Stylebook for easy reference, if you haven’t flagged it yet. It’s a real time-saver; I promise. I’ve been using AP Style for all of my adult life, and I still need to look some things up.

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PR Scavenger Hunt for COMM 4333

Image Credit: "Myst Telescope" by Brapke

For our first “real” day of class, we’ll have a short scavenger hunt to find useful sites for public relations writers.

In pairs, look up your assigned site(s) below. (I have intentionally NOT hyperlinked to the sites in this post, to encourage independent searching skills.) Take specific note of the following:

  • Name of site
  • Types/categories of information you found there
  • One specific topic that you found interesting
  • How this site might be useful for PR Writing students

Reply/respond to this blog post with what you have found. Then, if you wish, you can use what you found as the basis for one of your PR Connections on your own blog later.

PR News Sites

  • PR Week
  • PR Tactics
  • Ragan Report
  • PR Daily

Public Relations Organizations

  • Public Relations Society of America
  • International Association of Business Communicators
  • International Public Relations Association
  • Florida Public Relations Association

Public Relations Blogs

  • Communication Overtones by Kami Huyse
  • PR 2.0 by Brian Solis
  • PRos in Training by Kelli Matthews
  • PR Communications by John Cass
  • Bad Pitch Blog by Kevin Dugan and Richard Laermer
  • PR Squared by Todd Defren

Podcasts on Public Relations, Writing and/or Public Speaking

  • For Immediate Release
  • Inside PR
  • Quick & Dirty Tips: Grammar Girl
  • Quick & Dirty Tips: The Public Speaker

Additional Resources

  • AP Stylebook
  • The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.

(Though this post is written specifically for my COMM 4333, PR Writing, students at Southeastern University, others — especially PR professors — might find it useful. Please feel free to adapt as needed for your own use.)

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AP Style Bootcamp :: Flagging Your 2010 AP Stylebook

Get out your 2010 AP Stylebook, Post-It notes and a pen and get ready for a short bootcamp by Barbara Nixon. Learn what the five most important things to know about AP Style are, and even get a bonus at the end. Flag your book as you go along, pausing the Prezi below when you need to.

If you have the 2009 AP Stylebook, then see the Prezi I created earlier this year for the 2009 edition.

AP Style Bootcamp :: 2010 Edition on Prezi

Want a PDF of the 5 Things and their page numbers that I refer to in the Prezi? Here you go:

AP Style Bootcamp 2010

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11 Tips for New Bloggers, from New Bloggers

11 by Leo Reynolds.
"11" by by Leo Reynolds

In my Introduction to Public Relations and Public Relations Writing classes at Georgia Southern this summer, a large portion of the students’ grades came from their blogs. Most of the students in this class had never even read a blog before the beginning of the summer, no less written one of their own. For their final Topic of the Week, I asked them to create a list of tips for PR students new to blogging. Here, I will share some of the best tips:

Alecia Norman

The first thing to remember about blogging is to have patience. At first you will not have many visitors to you page accept you teacher and maybe a few classmates but if you continue on, the readers will come.

Jaclyn Simmons

Don’t Treat the Blog like Homework! I know since this is all for a class, some people dread working on these assignements. Take in consideration that the teacher is not doing it to torture you. This is part of your career!

Amy Green

Make sure to proofread often. I am not an avid blogger but when I would go to a person’s blog and see that every other word was misspelled or their grammar was poor I moved onto someone else’s blog.  One advantage of using Word press is that it offers a proofreading section to make sure you do not have a ton of misspelled words on your blog. 

Kevin Williams

Media. Despite my taste for traditional writing and structure in blogs I can tell you first hand that adding media such as images, videos, and other interactive applications is a great way to keep your blog fun and entertaining. Now this is subject to change depending on your target audience and the purpose of your blog. In general it is a great idea to give some visual content to your writing in any blog.

Casey Corley

Post your blog on other websites you are part of such as Twitter and Facebook. By doing this you will have more followers and interaction with your blog.

Amber Laurin

Try to find videos and pictures that complement your post. Blog posts that are full of text can look bulky.  Use pictures to break up long paragraphs or add a YouTube video that relates to your topic to add variety.

Ryan Keesee

Be organized. Take note of the tips [Prof.] Nixon provides over adding widgets and hyperlinks, as well as her tips on keeping your blog looking clean.

Tabatha Amerson

Be creative with your headline. Your blog may be very good and interesting, however if the headline is boring then the viewer may not read past the headline.

Ashley Rich

Link. When blogging, it is important to let your readers know what the source of your information is, if you have one. Be sure to link certain parts of your post in order to guide readers in the direction of more information on what the post is about. This also gives credit where credit is due in order to avoid plagiarism.

Kison Turner

Whenever you are given leverage to choose your own topic [like for your PR Connections], try to relate PR with something you are passionate about.  If you have a strong opinion about a topic, you should have less trouble overcoming potential writer’s block.

Lastly, have fun! It may seem like a task at first, but there is a thrill in having people show interest in your thoughts.  This experience helped me acquire clarity about several issues I once believed myself to be educated on.  That’s it, remember to enjoy.

So that’s what my summer PR students had to say. What other recommendations do you have for PR students starting off with a new blog?

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Overall Feedback on Your First News Releases :: #PRCA3330

A - elisA, boathouse sign, by Eva the Weaver

After reviewing all the first news releases in PRCA 3330, I am generally pleased with what I saw, considering it is the first news release you have written. Many of the news releases were spot-on; they were newsworthy and clearly written. You must have remembered what you learned in your Intro to Journalism class!

Here are some common errors I saw:

  • Improper use of commas (either too many or not enough)
  • Puffery (making statements in the news release that don’t seem newsworthy. Some of these would be okay as part of a quotation, however.)
  • Format (forgetting to put an embargo date or For Immediate Release, end sign, page slugs, letterhead with mailing address, etc.)
  • Calling women “girls” or “ladies” (even though it’s common in sororities to do this, AP Style calls for the use of the word “women” when you are writing about female adults)
  • Abbreviating the word Georgia as GA, rather than Ga. as AP Style calls for
  • Using “we” or “our” when it’s not part of a quotation (a news release needs to sound like a story one would read in an impartial newspaper, not in a company newsletter)
  • Improper formatting on dates, times, numerals, etc.

Be sure to avoid these errors when writing your Personality Profiles that are due next week.

To learn how to see my specific feedback for you in GeorgiaVIEW, see this short video below.

View on screencast.com »

Questions?

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Social Media News Releases :: #PRCA3330 #COMM4333

sf weekly by caffeina.For your final assignment in Public Relations Writing, you have a choice between two projects. You can either prepare a Social Media News Release OR write a detailed blog post about Social Media News Releases.

See GeorgiaVIEW/BlackBoard for the due date.

Option #1: Prepare a Social Media News Release

  • Using either PitchEngine (or PRXbuilder, if you are at Georgia Southern University… it’s blocked at Southeastern University for some reason) OR your WordPress blog create a Social Media News Release for your client.
  • See pages 136-139  in Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques on creating your SMNR (NOTE: Your book calls them Smart Media Releases or Multimedia Releases.)
  • Include one news release (it can be based upon a release you’ve turned in for a previous assignment use your revised Personality Profile), along with
    • at least one photo to accompany the story
    • at least two relevant quotations
    • at least two relevant hyperlinks
    • boilerplate information about your client
    • tags that help describe your release & client
  • If any of the information you are using in the release is not factual, you’ll need to make this very clear with a disclaimer.
  • In GeorgiaVIEW/BlackBoard, submit the URL to your SMNR.

Option #2: Write a Blog Post about Social Media News Releases

  • Blog post should be 500-1000 words. (NOTE: This will be in much more depth than other blog posts you’ve written your Week 15 Topic of the Week.)
  • Include the following in the blog post
    • What is a Social Media News Release?
    • What are the advantages & disadvantages of a SMNR?
    • When should a PR practitioner consider using a SMNR?
    • Offer links to at least two websites that will help one create a SMNR
    • Provide a link to a SMNR that an organization has created
    • Provide 5-10 tips for SMNR creation
  • There should be at least five hyperlinks in your blog post. ALWAYS link to sites where you get your information; not doing so is plagiarism.
  • In GeorgiaVIEW/BlackBoard, submit the URL to your blog post about the SMNR.
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Public Service Announcement Assignment :: #PRCA3330 #COMM4333

Echoes From Another Time by drp.One way that nonprofit and government associations get the word out is through public service announcements.

For our PR Writing class, create a 30-second public service announcement or radio news release for your client. (If you have a nonprofit or gov’t client, write a PSA. If you have a for-profit client, write a radio news release.) Review the information in Chapter 9, especially pages 208-222 for tips on how to write.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Thirty seconds is not very long, approximately 75 words. You’ll need to get to the point quickly.
  • You’re writing information that will be spoken, not read silently. There’s a BIG difference between the two. Ask a friend or two to read your PSA or radio news release aloud. Edit and adjust as needed.
  • Write conversationally.
  • Use the same standard header that you have used on previous news release assignments (for contact information, etc.)
  • Feel free to write on the same topic as you have in previous releases, as long as the topic can fit this assignment.

Additional resources:

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Writing a Personality Profile

For my PRCA 3330 and COMM 4333 classes:

Want to show your publics the human side of your organization?

Write a personality profile.

For this assignment, write a personality profile about someone associated with your client’s organization. It could be about a leader in the organization, a member or maybe even a client. However, it must be about a real person (though not about you).

Chapter 7 in your Public Relations Writing & Media Techniques textbook provides a good overview of a personality profile on pages 173-174. Additionally, see pages 175-179 for more information on writing a feature story in general.

Keep these things in mind:

  • Use letterhead from your client for the personality profile (just like you would for a news release)
  • Include pertinent contact information (just like you would for a news release)
  • Write a catchy headline (just like you would for a news release)
  • Be creative, not mechanical, with your lead (see p. 177 for suggestions)
  • Use AP style and standard English grammar (though you can get away with occasional phrases, rather than complete sentences, for dramatic effect)
  • Your personality profile will be much longer than most news releases. Aim for a story between 750-1000 words.
  • Since you also have an assignment of a photo with caption due when this personality profile is due, why not take a photo of the subject of your personality profile when you are interviewing him or her?
  • Consider posting your personality profile on your blog (not required), after you get your graded assignment back

Check your syllabus for the due date for this assignment.

(NOTE: It’s a good idea to read 8-10 personality profiles from your favorite newspapers and magazines before you write your first one.)

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General Feedback on News Releases for PRCA3330

After reviewing all the first news releases in PRCA 3330, I am generally pleased with what I saw, considering it is the first news release you have written. Many of the news releases were spot-on; they were newsworthy and clearly written. You must have remembered what you learned in your Intro to Journalism class!

Here are some common errors I saw:

  • Improper use of commas (either too many or not enough)
  • Puffery (making statements in the news release that don’t seem newsworthy. Some of these would be okay as part of a quotation, however.)
  • Format (forgetting to put an embargo date or For Immediate Release, end sign, page slugs, etc.)
  • Calling women “girls” or “ladies” (even though it’s common in sororities to do this, AP Style calls for the use of the word “women” when you are writing about female adults)
  • Abbreviating the word Georgia as GA, rather than Ga. as AP Style calls for
  • Using “we” or “our” when it’s not part of a quotation (a news release needs to sound like a story one would read in an impartial newspaper, not in a company newsletter)
  • Improper formatting on dates, times, etc.

And here are two major problems I saw:

  • Turning in a corrupt file or one that is not “openable.” If I cannot open the file, you cannot earn credit on it. Several people turned in files with “LNK” as the format — which is a hyperlink to something on your own hard drive. Others turned in temp files. ALWAYS double-check to ensure a file will open properly before you submit it for a grade, or for another person to receive.
  • FAILING TO TURN IN THE ASSIGNMENT (Yes, I was yelling briefly – nearly 25% of the class did not turn in the assignment at all. That was quite disappointing to see.)

To learn how to see my specific feedback for you in GeorgiaVIEW, see this short video below.

View on screencast.com »

Your News Release #2 should be like a final version of News Release #1. Use the same information you turned in already (or should have turned in!), revise it, and submit it as News Release #2. Whereas NR#1 was critiqued, NR#2 will be graded. Be sure to use the feedback that I provided for you when making your revisions. NOTE: I may not have caught every error the first time I critiqued your news release.