module 6 - amazon s3 · module 6 how to write and use pr in this module, well cover: the master...

Module 6 How To Write And

Use PR

In this module, well cover:

The Master Formula for PR

How to build a database of people with who you’d like

to do business

How to create a standard personal introduction to

every new name as it comes on your list

How to regularly communicate with every single

person on that list

How to get your name in the news

How to write media releases

How to present media releases

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Introduction:

This module shows you how to write PR for a client as well as write PR for your own

business. If you are self-employed copywriter it is essential to be continually finding new

business. If you are able to find new business for your client’s business, you will never, ever

be out of work. You’ll be what are known as ‘the rainmaker’. Every business owner hopes

and prays to find a rainmaker.

To become a rainmaker you need to know how to create and carry out a simple system

which could feasibly double your, or your client’s turnover in less than two years. Unlike

advertising, you can’t ‘buy’ PR nor can you dictate when and where it appears. That’s why PR

takes planning and time. You have to have a system for PR to work. This module shows you

how to create that system.

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The PR Hand #1

1. The thumb is database

marketing

2. The index is telemarketing

3. The middle finger is corporate

relations

4. The ring finger is

advertising

5. And the pinky is publicity

Let’s change some of those fancy

titles into things that we

understand.

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The PR Hand #2

1. Change database marketing to making a list

of everyone to whom you can sell and to

whom you will write letters.

2. Change telemarketing to phoning them up.

3. Corporate relations are the brochure and

newsletters.

4. Advertising becomes your string of flyers,

leaflets, and other follow-up

communications.

5. Publicity becomes getting your name in the

papers.

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Do all these things and keep doing them and you will establish a system that will market your

goods or services, raise your personal profile and enhance your reputation.

It will work as well for a politician or a butcher as for a firm of lawyers or engineers.

It works because it offers you a SYSTEM that is consistent and which follows a proven plan.

For most businesses, mass media promotions like TV, radio, large-scale ads in newspapers and

magazines is out of the question and indeed quite unsuitable for some businesses. What’s often

needed is a series of well-aimed rifle shots rather than a shot-gun blast.

But even better than a rifle shot is a blast of machine-gun fire because it can deliver a large

number of well-aimed shots in one burst.

The essence of PR is to tell as many prospective customers as possible:

1. That you exist

2. What you can do for them

3. How good you are

That’s basically what all PR is about.

The effect of impacting large numbers of prospects over an extended period of time is to keep

your window of opportunity open for as long as possible.

Most people give up on winning a new piece of business too soon. After their first one or two

attempts to make a sale or even to contact their prospect, they move on to another target

never to return.

By doing that they fail to keep their window of opportunity open ajar, far less open!

Sometimes it takes years for someone to be in the right frame of mind to listen to you, to have

a need to listen to you, to be even inclined to listen to you.

If you only make one phone call or write only one letter to someone you would like to do

business with, you are gambling, taking a punt at a sale instead of marketing.

By definition, marketing is all the preparatory work that goes into actually making a sale.

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PR is a plan – a long-term plan for you to put relentlessly and unfailingly into effect for the rest

of your business career. But you must DO it. Reading about it is but the beginning. The rest is up

to you.

The Master Formula

Here is the PR master formula and how to make it work for you:

1. Make a list of all the people with whom you would like to do business. 2. Create a standard personal introduction to every new name as it comes on your list.

‘Standard’ is important because it means you don’t need to create a completely new

message every time.

3. Create a way to regularly communicate with every single person on that list.

4. Have a printed brochure about your company and its products.

5. Try to get your name in the news.

Do all these things and keep doing them and you will have success? There is no mystery to

building a business. This is how you do it. Your growth will come from:

Improving your relationship with existing and past clients

Attracting many new clients

Enhancing demand for your services thus raising their market value

Now let’s talk about how you create the individual components of our master formula. They all

seem easy enough, understandable enough. But it’s the DOING of them that brings in the

dollars not just the nodding of heads in understanding.

The Master Formula explained

1. Make a list of all the people with whom you would like to do business.

Making a list is the first step to creating your database. This is No.1 on your TO DO list for

creating your campaign:

Begin your list with all the people with whom you already do business. Then add the names

of as many people as you can think of whom you would like to do business with. This list is

your starting point, the point which you will leave far behind as your list grows, as you use

it, as your turnover gradually increases as a result.

The fancy name for writing out such a list is creating a database. Creating it is the very

foundation of your campaign to win more business.

This business of defining your market by listing its component members is important

because before you can sell anything it is important to know who your likely customers

are.

a) Who goes on that list?

1. Your existing customers

2. Former customers

3. New prospects

Existing customers are important because you want them to REMAIN existing.

You should cut them in on any news about your new business activity so they can see how

active you are.

Next most important are your former customers; people who have done business with you

in the past. You may be surprised at how pleased they are to hear from you again.

People with whom you do business also includes suppliers. They too should be put on your

database. The more successful you become, the more work you can send their way. Tell

them this, treat them like clients and encourage them to give you leads and to recommend

you to their clients.

New prospects eventually take over your database. One needs to be looking for them

constantly and having found them adding them to your list so you can pull them into your

communications net.

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b) What information goes on the database?

At the very least you need the company name, the name of your contact there, the email

address and phone numbers.

You need the physical address too so that if you get a meeting with them you know where

to go.

Next on your list you need a column showing when you last contacted each person and the

nature of your contact e.g. New product newsletter No. 1; Xmas card etc.

Finally, you need to note and keep updated your opinion on whether the names on your

list are or are likely to become good customers. This is your status column where you mark

them as prospects, hot prospects, long-term prospects or time-wasters.

c) The practicalities of your database

It’s important to decide where you are going to keep it.

The difference between a list and a real database is that a database is a list that can be

asked questions to which it will give a quick and accurate reply.

So a drawer full of business cards is not a database. Nor is a phone book.

To be serious about making money using PR, you need to be very serious about how you

are going to keep the foundation of your growth. This means you’ll need a computer to

hold all this data and a computer programmeme to manage the database.

Choices of software include ACT, Access or FileMaker Pro. ACT is very popular and easy to

use.

Screenshot

from the ACT!

Database

programme.

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d) Your list

Begin your database list using Assignment 1. Jot down actual names and also categories of

people e.g. Former clients, current clients, football club contacts, personal friends etc.

Then transfer your notes to your computer database as soon as possible.

The difference between a database and an address book is that a database can give you back

more than you put into it. Let’s look again at what information you need to put into your list or

database:

Business name:

Contact:

Phone no.

Email:

Web:

Physical address:

What they do:

Last contact:

What next:

It also needs to include information on when you last spoke to each person on your list, the

outcome of the discussion, and what needs to be done next.

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The Master Formula explained (cont.)

2. Create a standard personal introduction to every new name as it comes on your list.

Standard’ is important because it means you don’t need to create a completely new message

every time.

Before we look at how to create a standard introductory letter, we need to find a way to find,

collect, and hold all those names. You need a database.

a) How to use your database

We’ve now created a list of all the people with whom you would like to do business.

There are lots of ways to contact your prospects – visit them, ring them up etc – but the best

way to ensure a good result is to WRITE to them.

b) Written messages and PR

A well-written preliminary letter is an ice-breaker that no phone calls, door knock, or even

email can beat. Email definitely has its place and you could substitute the letter with an email,

but a letter is so much harder to ignore.

It’s also quite rare to receive a letter these days so a letter will have that novelty factor that

email doesn’t have. If you’re deadly serious about making serious money, you will send a hard

copy letter.

If you’re promoting your own copywriting business, it may be difficult to explain the concept

of what you do over the phone so a letter really is the best medium to use at this stage.

There’s the ordinary type of letter that begins Dear Mr. Smith and there is the extraordinary

variety, one of which won an advertising prize in New York some years back. It’s author

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simply scribbled his message on a post-it note and sent a copy to all his clients who hadn’t

been using his services recently. It said:

“Give me work or I’ll burn your bloody building down. – Harry”

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Another, less inflammatory letter could read:

Hi Harry,

This is to remind you that I’m still in business and look forward to working with you again.

We are about to publish a regular newsletter so that you and all my other friends and clients can be

kept up-to-date with what we’re doing. I will be sending you the first edition soon

Kind regards

Katie Smith

Katie Smith

Copywriter

PO Box 123

Armadale

VIC 3183

Mobile: 0412 555 555

Fax: (03) 9387 6678

Email:

[email protected]

Web:

www.kateskopy.com.au

ABN 89 107 286 700

Harry Quin

123 Sample Rd

Sample City, Vic, 3000

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You might ask: “Why bother to write to him at all at this stage? He’ll get his newsletter soon

enough and it will be self-explanatory and save me postage and an envelope into the bargain.”

All that’s valid enough but it comes back to getting your name and profile in front of as many

people as possible as often as possible. You need a good reason to contact people and this is as

good a reason as any.

Send a letter to your suppliers too. Ask them if there is anyone they know who would like to use

your services. Too many people treat suppliers as subservients. In fact, they can be a wonderful

source of recommendations because the more work you have, the more work you are likely to

give them!

Please note that in the introductory letter we do NOT try to sell our product.

What we’re selling is the chance for us to meet. In some ways we’re not even doing that. We’re

selling only the chance for us to talk and become ‘friends’.

This introductory letter is important because it:

Visually presents the name of your business

It visually presents your own name in a non-threatening way

You get a chance to explain what you are about in terms that need no mental gymnastics by

your prospect

Having written to them, make sure you note it on your database. That way they won’t get the

same letter twice and you won’t spend twice as much on envelopes, letterhead and stamps either.

A significant consideration once you really get into all this.

c) Creating your communications

There are four main ways to use your database to communicate in this programme:

1. The introductory letter from you to one of your prospects.

2. Your follow-up phone call that aims for a meeting.

3. A newsletter that goes out to all your prospects.

4. A brochure or leaflet that you leave behind you after you’ve been to see one of your

prospects for the first time.

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Let’s look at each in turn.

1. The introductory letter from you to one of your prospects.

This letter seeks to introduce yourself to a prospective client, so what must it contain?

The traditional AIDA formula for making a sale applies equally well to composing a letter.

A Attention What is it?

I Interest What’s in it for me?

D Desire Why must I have it?

A Action How do I get it?

Whenever you are preparing a written communication as part of this programme you should write

down and list everything you want to say in it. That includes pictures, graphs, picture captions, all

topics to be covered. Making that list enables you to visualize a complete document.

Contents lists are the blueprint of every successful written communication from novels to

speech notes.

Here’s a suggested contents list.

a. The name and address of the person to whom you are writing

b. The date

c. The salutation

d. Statement of what you want and what is in that for her. (It must attract her ATTENTION and

arouse her INTEREST).

e. Offer of a benefit (DESIRE)

f. Independent testimonial

g. A Call to Action (ACTION)

h. Signing off

Let’s work through that list:

a) Your prospect’s full name and address

When making follow-up phone calls, always have a copy of the letter in front of you. You’d be

surprised how easy it is to forget who you are calling if you are phoning 10 to 12 people at a time.

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Besides, it’s worth having the address in front of you so that when you do achieve an appointment

you know where you need to go.

b) The date

If you’re going to do this right, you must intend to follow up this letter with a phone call.

The ideal interval between posting and phoning is two working days.

Post on a Friday, phone on a Tuesday, then post again on a Wednesday and phone on a Friday.

c) The salutation

Dear Sir/Madam shows you’ve done no research whatsoever into the person you’re approaching.

Dear David isn’t quite right either for someone with whom you’re not familiar.

Dear Mr. Hill is probably best for the first letter. After you’ve spoken to each other and assessed

the relationship level, then think again whether the time is right to move closer to being on first

name terms.

d) A statement of what you want.

Ask yourself what your letter is trying to say. What do you want?

Are you trying to say “Hello” or are you trying to say “I’d like to meet you”?

e) Offer of benefit – What is in it for her?

You need to list all the benefits she’ll get by working with you.

f) Independent testimonial

Just saying you’re good at something is not PR. It’s propaganda. Its better if you can list four or five

well known clients, then mention that they are people with whom you’ve worked.

g) A Call to Action

In this case, the offer could be to follow up the phone call in a couple of days, or you could be

more dynamic and offer a free report on the power of PR and how it works.

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h) Signing off

Keep it proactive with a Kind Regards or a Yours Sincerely. Yours Faithfully and Yours Sincerely are

too stiff and formal for a letter of this nature.

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2. Your follow-up phone call

This can be the biggest stumbling block for any new business searcher. If you’re shy or can’t

handle rejection it can be a nightmare. Rest assured. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Try not

to take it personally. In fact, making just one or two calls is harder than making ten. Why? Because

if you know you have another nine calls to make, you don’t spend as much time deliberating on

what went wrong with the last phone call.

So get your list out before you start ringing and commit to ringing at least 20 people at one sitting.

It’s much easier because you’ll get into the routine and rhythm of it and it won’t seem so

daunting.

Here is a list of things to do when you sit down for a phone session:

a. Make your phone call no more than two days after your original letter.

b. Make your calls in a group. A solid half-hour or an hour on the phone produces a much better

result than 10 calls scattered throughout the day. You need focus for phoning.

c. Have your letter in front of you before you begin to dial.

d. Have any background information about the person you’re calling in front of you too.

e. Re-read both it and your letter before you touch the dial.

f. Be alone.

g. Note the date and time of every attempt on the letter to your target.

h. Make a note of everything that happens during your call including atmosphere and attitudes eg.

Friendly/abrupt/call again in three months.

i. Keep phoning until the call is resolved. At the very least that means having spoken to someone

responsible in your target’s office or been told to go away.

j. Be unafraid. But don’t let yourself become aggressive either. This is a friend you’re calling so

look forward to being nice.

Of all these Do and don’t suggestions the one thing to remember above all is that you are phoning

to arrange a friendly and informal getting-to-know-you meeting. This is not a sales call.

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The Master Formula explained (cont.) 3. “Create a way to regularly communicate with every single person on the list”

Newsletters and brochures are excellent ways to communicate with everyone on your list, especially when the list grows and you can’t physically meet with everyone.

a.) How to create your own newsletter

The first thing to bear in mind about a newsletter is that publishing only one is useless. You must commit yourself to a programme of newsletters that go out to everyone on your database at regular intervals.

A printed newsletter should go out every 10 weeks without fail.

An electronic newsletter (or ezine) can go out more frequently, say every two to three weeks.

How big should the newsletter be?

The printed copy should be two to four pages. The electronic version should be no more than 400 words.

The best newsletters are those with a “How-To-Do-It” slant. Avoid at all cost trying to sell something. Newsletters are for building credibility, trust and the brand.

If you try to sell something in the newsletter people will see through it and will be annoyed that you’ve breached the ‘newsletter protocol’ i.e. The unspoken agreement that the newsletter is designed to help the customer, not sell to them.

What is going to go into this newsletter?

You need:

a. A masthead

b. The date

c. Things to write about - at least two items for a two-pager, at least four for a four-pager. For an ezine? Two items of 200 words.

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d. Pictures and illustrations

e. A Call To Action

f. Your contact addresses and phone number.

First you need a masthead.

You can spend a fortune creating a masthead so the simplest thing to do is use your logo. This reinforces the desired image, it communicates all the detail you need (contact details etc) and it’s already in existence so it’s cheap and quick to organize.

The date

Do you need a date or not? If you want to send previous issues to new customers, you may not want to date it as it won’t take long before it’s out of date and therefore unusable.

Why not get a quantity printed (say 2,000) but ask the printer to leave the date off the second 1000? This way you get the advantage of having a bigger print run without being stuck with the wrong dates.

Then every month send the newsletter to the new names on the list with the date handwritten.

It’s important to keep the contents of some of your newsletters timeless if you can. After a year you will have a stock of newsletters which can be sent to new names as they come on to your list.

Things to write about

At least two items for a two-pager, at least four for a four pager. And two items for an electronic version.

We approach this by having a theme for each issue e.g. how to prepare a brochure, a media release, a newsletter, or sometimes just a report of what’s been going on in your world in the last few weeks.

Illustrations

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Having decided on the theme, the choice of illustration falls naturally into place. In the following example, the theme of the letter is ‘how to write newsletters’ so you may want to show examples of different kinds of newsletters.

A Call to Action

Ask the recipient to call you or for them to click onto your website to take advantage of a free offer.

Your contact addresses and phone number

You need to let people know your details so they can follow you up.

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SAMPLE NEWSLETTER (THIS IS THE FIRST PAGE OF A FOUR-PAGE NEWSLETTER)

Katie Smith Copywriter PO Box 123

Armadale VIC 3183

Mobile: 0412 555 555 Fax: (03) 9387 6678

Email: [email protected] Web: www.kateskopy.com.au

ABN 89 107 286 700 Mary Brown Sample Rd. Sample City Sample Town 0000

21 September Dear Mary, This newsletter is all about newsletters and I hope it results in your asking us to write one for you. When business is slow newsletters are very effective introducers of new business and excellent consolidators of existing client relations. Good newsletters are good PR because they remind your targets that you’re thinking about them. Inside are six examples of completely different types of newsletters which we have written, edited and produced. Some secrets of producing good newsletters are:

Make it read like fresh ‘inside’ information. Many successful newsletters look as if they’re just off the author’s typewriter.

Make sure it looks nothing like an advertising leaflet. So avoid full gloss paper, think twice about printing it in full color. A brochure rarely has the credibility of a good newsletter.

Avoid self praise. Not everyone wants a letter saying the sender’s wonderful. They want a wonderful newsletter which makes them think how good you are.

People pictures are more interesting than photographs of things.

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Publish often enough to stay top-of-mind but remember that a rigid publication schedule e.g. Every month, can make life hard.

A four-pager is usually enough. It’s not a magazine! If you’ve lots to say, write shorter articles rather than spill to extra pages. If you can’t fill four whole pages, consider a two-pager – a one-pager even. Or create a layout with just one story per page.

Sound easy enough? I’ll be glad to tell you lots more if you call me on (02) 987 6543. Kind regards

Katie Smith

(For more tips on how to write newsletters, refer to the module How to Write Newsletters for more detail.)

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If you were trying to source new brochure work, you’d send a different type of letter. Here’s a sample where the service offering is the production of corporate brochures.

Katie Smith Copywriter PO Box 123

Armadale VIC 3183

Mobile: 0412 555 555 Fax: (03) 9387 6678

Email: [email protected] Web: www.kateskopy.com.au

ABN 89 107 286 700 Mary Brown Sample Rd. Sample City Sample Town 0000

21 September Dear Mary, The best brochure I ever worked on had a plain cover bearing the company’s name in small type and this message from its chief executive.

“…it’s much more exciting to find a new and creative way to solve a problem than to tell somebody they have a problem that can’t be solved…”

What a way to begin a brochure! And I’m glad to say this original concept was carried on inside by clear, insightful writing and exciting illustrations. This newsletter shows how we can produce such a brochure for you:

a presentation document that’s different

a profile showing your company and its product at their very best

an annual or quarterly report that consolidates your standing with investors…

brochure to inspire your own team as well as the clients it will attract. Our writers, designers and printing experts will create and manage your entire project from conception to completion. To hear how we can do this for your next document, please phone

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me on (02) 987 6543 Kind regards

Katie Smith

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Here’s a template you can use to plan your newsletter mailings. Make plenty of clean copies for future use. MASTER CONTENTS LIST FOR NEWSLETTERS

Mastheads What are you going to call it? Suggestions

Stories What subjects, products, services do you want to promote? 1. 5.

2. 6.

3. 7.

4. 8.

Illustrations What picture or drawings are relevant? 1. 5.

2. 6.

3. 7.

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4. 8.

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Call To Action A coupon Click on website

An offer Reply Paid

envelope

Your contact details Where does your address, phone, email and fax number go? Front page Back page Page #?

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The Master Formula explained (cont.) 4. Have a printed brochure about your company and its products.

The main purpose of a brochure is to have something which: a. Can be left behind at an introductory meeting and will continue to present your strengths

after you’ve left the room. A momento of your visit. b. You can send to people who want to know more about you but don’t want to see you at

this stage. An ambassador. c. Formally explains what you do, how you do it, your terms of business, and some idea of

your track record. A capability document. See the module How To Write Brochures for further detail on this topic.

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The Master Formula explained (cont.) 5. Try to get your name in the news.

This section looks at how to use the media to make an impact on your market.

This is the ‘Rolls Royce’ section of PR. It is the way to tell thousands, tens of thousands, even

hundreds of thousands of people who you are and what you can do for them.

This is about getting your name in the papers, in magazines, even on radio and TV.

It’s about using the mass media to raise your profile, to make you better known in the market.

Did you know that about 40% of everything you read in the papers and see on TV has been

suggested to the editors by someone with a vested interest in seeing it published or broadcast?

Take the daily political news for example. Almost all of it, certainly all of it that is favorable,

emanates from the politicians involved.

Even the daily reports of murder and mayhem mostly originate from Police Headquarters

issuing a summary of the night’s events to the press, radio and TV.

Many people think they have nothing that’s newsworthy. Invariably they think in terms of the

big time – The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian. But what about the St. George

Leader or the Melbourne Weekly?

You need to plan a campaign that will see your name in the mass media reaching your market

at least once every two months. You need to create a subliminal profile in your market place so

that people eventually become accustomed to reading about you.

Case Study

Let’s take for example Geoff Davis. He owns a lawn mowing business but feels his business is

not ‘PR friendly’, that it’s too dry and mundane to be of interest to anyone.

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When asked “how’s business?” he replied “Not too good, because the long spell of dry weather

we’re having and the water restrictions means the grass is tending to die rather than grow.”

But does he do anything else but cut grass? “Oh yes. I fertilise lawns and trim hedges, and weed

gardens, all the usual lawn care jobs.”

What do these dry, no-grow lawns need done to them to keep them looking good during the

hot spell? “They need regular watering and a good dose of lawn food,” he said.

Suddenly things are looking a little different for Geoff the lawn-mowing man.

He isn’t just a lawn mowing man – he’s an expert on lawns. He knows what to do in a time of

garden crisis. Water and fertilize! Now!

Here’s how the first few paragraphs of a media release for him could look:

Million dollar lawns in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs are dying because their owners

don’t know what to do in the current drought.

Yet lawns expert Geoff Davis says they could easily be saved by following a few

simple rules.

“There is a special watering and fertilizing programme specially designed to deal

with this situation,” he said.

Geoff’s company didn’t just mow lawns, it cared for them instead – kept the weeds down,

controlled insect and pests, made sure that all you had to do was mow and water to have a

garden you’d be proud of.

As a publicist, your next step would be to prepare articles on what to do when lawn turns

brown; what to do when armies of soldier worms are performing man oeuvres on your front

lawn; how not to kill lawn with too much love and so on.

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You’d prepare a whole series of these articles – each only about a dozen paragraphs in length.

You’d then personalize them to match the newspapers you intend to send them to.

Please note here that you wouldn’t aim for TV, radio or the metropolitan dailies. You’d target

areas where the company operated.

Here’s a sample of the kinds of PR that these articles generated.

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a) How to prepare a media release

The first thing you write on your piece of paper is:

1. What?

2. Who?

3. Why?

4. Where?

5. When?

The answers to these questions pretty much give you your media release.

Before you begin, it’s essential to have your target market media clearly in your mind. For whom are you writing? The Sydney Morning Herald? The local paper? Marie Claire?

Case Study

Mosman Public School’s fundraising event:

The Mini‑Mosmarathon

This case study illustrates a whole range of matters to consider when writing a series of media releases to obtain on‑going coverage.

The Mini-Mosmarathon is a fundraising fun-run organized each year by the parents of pupils at Mosman Public School, in Sydney.

It has been going for more than 11 years and has acquired a degree of fame among distance runners because it is always held two weeks before Sydney’s City to Surf run. It is, so to speak, the warm‑up for serious runners in that very much bigger event.

It is also a significant event on the local Mosman community calendar.

Let’s work our way through the Mini-Mosmarathon case study and apply the five critical W’s and see where it ends up in terms of story potential:

Q. WHAT is it all about?

A. The Mini-Mosmarathon, one of the most popular fun runs in NSW, will be held again this year. The year we’re looking at was the 11th race and coincidentally it was Mosman’s

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centenary year as a municipality. Associated events to be held on the day include a 5km run, a 2km junior jog, and – for the first time – a 10km road walk.

Q. WHO is involved?

A. Invitiations have been sent to running clubs all over Sydney and the organisers would like 2000 runners to take part. The race is organized by Mosman Public School as part of its fund-raising activities. A VIP has been invited to be a special guest. In the year we’re talking about it is Keith Connor, Olympic medallist and elite coach at the NSW Academy of Sport. After some years without a financial sponsor, a local health group has agreed to sponsor the main event.

Q. WHY should anyone be interested?

A. The 10km race is widely regarded as the curtain raiser for the City to Surf fun-run a fortnight later; previous Mosman winners have gone on to win the City to Surf; Keith Connor’s presence; it is a major community happening in what was the 100th birthday of Mosman as a municipality.

Q. WHERE is it happening?

A. The 10km race begins and ends at Mosman’s Allan Border Oval. It takes runners through the streets of Mosman along a route that includes Balmoral’s beachside slopes and scenic Clifton Gardens.

Q. WHEN is all this happening?

A. Race day is Sunday July 25, for a 10am start.

Sometimes you may want to change the order depending on the circumstances. Usually

‘When’ is the least important so put it last but there are circumstances that could bring it

right up front.

For example quite an important use of ‘When’ would be your last news release before the

race. Timing is highly relevant then and you could write something like:

“This Sunday’s big race will begin spot on time irrespective of the weather etc, etc…”

At this stage of our Mosman story however, the urgency is several weeks ahead so ‘When’ is

not a priority right now.

Let’s put all the answers together and see what sort of a media release we have:

28

More than 2,000 runners are expected to compete in this year’s Mini‑Mosmarathon, grand

finale on the calendar of the Mosman Centenary celebrations.

Mosman Private Hospital will sponsor the main event, the 10‑kilometre road race.

This event is used by many competitors as a forerunner to the City to Surf. Past winners

include Steve Moneghetti and Tani Ruckle.

This is the 11th year of the Mini‑Mosmarathon and a new event has been added - a

10‑kilometre road walk.

Other events include a five‑kilometre fun‑run and a two‑kilometre junior jog.

Guest of honour for this year’s Mini‑Mosmarathon will be Keith Connor, British Olympic

Bronze medallist and elite coach at the NSW Academy of Sport.

Entries for all events will be accepted on the day from 8:30am at Mosman Public School

adjacent to the starting line at Mosman Oval.

There will be a barbeque and entertainment at Mosman Oval throughout the morning and

all proceeds will go to Mosman Public School.

Race day is Sunday July 25 with a 10am start.

We definitely have a story now. Just a couple of things we need to add before we take it along to the Mosman Daily or the North Shore Times and offer it to the editor:

1) First thing is a headline.

We need a few words to tell the editor when he first scans it what our story is all about.

One thought could be:

MINI-MOSMARATHON ON AGAIN

Or:

DATE FIXED FOR MOSMAN FUN RUN

Or even better:

2000 TO RUN IN MINI-MOSMARATHON

29

2) The second thing we need to complete our release is a contact name and number.

This is very important so the reporter or writer who eventually gets your story ready for publication can ask questions.

These questions can range from checking correct name spellings to checking dates and facts.

So at the very end you write:

For further information, please telephone Katie Smith on 02 987 6543.

Now we have a complete release that should look something like this:

PR headlines are

to summarise the

story and answer

the question

‘What’s this all

about?’ Don’t

expect to see

your PR headlines

used in the

newspaper.

30

But there’s something missing - personalization. The release would benefit by having a few

paragraphs of direct speech from Katie. She could say something like:

Race director, Ms Katie Smith, said yesterday: “Invitations have been sent to the

Australian Institute of Sport, in Canberra, and to all the schools in the Mosman area.

Last year’s winner was an Institute of Sport student who went on to win the City to Surf

race a couple of weeks later.”

Direct speech is a winner and you should write it as such as often as possible. It gives your

story impact and brings the person in it a little bit more alive.

Generally it is a golden rule to ALWAYS have people in your stories, possibly yourself if you

are your business’s spokesperson. Whilst on the topic of people, it’s advisable to include a

photograph or illustration with every story.

The easiest picture to get is simply a photograph of the person who is telling the story. One of

Keith Connor would have been fine. Failing that, one of Katie Smith would have been quite

appropriate.

Over the page are some of the results of this campaign.

Media Release Date

2000 TO RUN IN

MINI-MOSMARATHON

More than 2,000 runners are expected to compete in this year’s Mini-Mosmarathon, grand

finale on the calendar of the Mosman Centenary celebrations.

Mosman Private Hospital will sponsor the main event, the 10-kilometre road race.

This event is used by many competitors as a forerunner to the City to Surf. Past winners include

Steve Moneghetti and Tani Ruckle.

This is the 11th year of the Mini-Mosmarathon and a new event has been added – a 10-kilometre

road walk. Other events include a five-kilometre funrun and a two-kilometre junior jog.

Guest of honour for this year’s Mini-Mosmarathon will be Keith Connor, British Olympic Bronze

medallist and director of the NSW Academy of Sport.

Entries for all events will be accepted on the day from 8:30am at Mosman Public School adjacent to

the starting line at Mosman Oval.

There will be a barbeque and entertainment at Mosman Oval throughout the morning and all

proceeds will go to Mosman Public School.


For further information please telephone:

Katie Smith 02 987 6543.

31

But there’s something missing – personalisation. The release would benefit by having a few paragraphs of direct speech from Katie. She could say something like:

Race director, Ms Katie Smith, said yesterday: “Invitations have been sent to the Australian

Institute of Sport, in Canberra, and to all the schools in the Mosman area.

Last year’s winner was an Institute of Sport student who went on to win the City to Surf race

a couple of weeks later.”

Direct speech is a winner and you should write it as such as often as possible. It gives your story

impact and brings the person in it a little bit more alive.

Generally, it is a golden rule to ALWAYS have people in your stories, possibly yourself if you are

your business’s spokesperson. Whilst on the topic of people, it’s advisable to include a photograph

or illustration with every story.

The easiest picture to get is simply a photograph of the person who is telling the story. One of

Keith Connor would have been fine. Failing that, one of Katie Smith would have been quite

appropriate.

Over the page are some of the results of this campaign.

33

Please note the difference between what was submitted and what was published. The

changes almost always happen to cut the story down to fit the space allocated to it.

Sometimes it is expanded by interviews with you, a picture perhaps, to fill a larger space

available. Other times your story may be almost unrecognisable as having been prepared by

you due to the extensive editorial treatment it receives.

But it achieved its objective – getting our story in the newspaper.

Getting one story in your local paper is great but the best results come if you can arrange

things so there is a continual flow of news from you. Let’s assume you are responsible for

publicising the race. What are you going to do to sustain media and hence public interest

between now and race day, almost two months off?

Another story is needed. One solution is to focus on the ‘money’ side of the race. Everyone is

interested in money and for the Mosman community fund-raising was the only reason the

race existed.

By this time, the race had scored another sponsor, one of the local private schools – Redlands

– had chipped in with $1,000 to sponsor the 2km junior jog. And one of the local fish retailers

had put up $500 in cash.

These are not large sums of money and the race is not of earth-shaking importance. But what

we’re doing here is turning a small event into a media happening of importance in its own

small community.

The next media release ran as follows:

34

Media Release Date

SPONSORS FOUND FOR

MINI-MOSMARATHON

For the first time in two years the Mini-Mosmarathon has found commercial sponsors.

The premier event, the 10-kilometre road race, will be sponsored by Mosman Private

Hospital, Health Care of Australia.

SCEGGS Redlands will sponsor the 2km junior jog, and Nicholas Seafood of Bridgepoint is

also a sponsor for the day.

Mrs Margot Richardson, a director of nursing at Mosman Private Hospital, said yesterday

that the race was a community event in which everyone should become involved.

“Mosman Private Hospital has been in this area for years and we feel strongly that we have a

role to play in the community,” she said.

“The staff here are very enthusiastic about the Mini-Mosmarathon and we hope to have a

large contingent participating.”

More than 2000 competitors are expected to take part this year and a new event, the 10-

kilometre road walk, has joined the road race, junior jog, and a five-kilometre fun run on the

programme.

Also for the first time there is a specially printed T-shirt for competitors.

The 10-kilometre road race is one of the most highly regarded races of its kind in the country

and is used by many competitors as a warm-up for the City-to-Surf.

Current record holders for the event are Andrew Lloyd with a time of 29min 31sec and

Mosman sporting identity Tani Ruckle at 33min 42sec.

The Mosman Centenary Mini-Mosmarathon will be held Sunday July 25 and entries for all

events will be accepted up until 8:30am at Mosman Public School, adjacent to Mosman Oval.

There will be a barbeque and entertainment at Mosman Oval throughout the morning and all

proceeds will go to Mosman Public School.



Katie Smith 02 987 6543

35

Not long after this it was discovered that one of the Redlands athletic coaches was Melissa

Moore, the Olympic sprinter. So she was asked if she’d like to fire the gun for the junior jog

and she said ‘Yes’. So now there were two stars coming on the day.

This lends itself to another release.

Media Release Date

OLYMPIC STARS TURN OUT

FOR MINI-MOSMARATHON

Two Olympic athletes will be star guests at this Sunday’s Mini-

Mosmarathon.

Keith Connor, British Olympic bronze medallists, and Melissa Moore,

Barcelona Olympian and Commonwealth games semi-finalist, will start the

race and present the prizes.

Andrew Lloyd and Tani Ruckle are the record holders for the 10-kilometre

road race which many runners will be using as a warm-up for the City to Surf

on August 8.

Stanley Johnson, Tani Ruckle’s coach, will be MC for the event which is

expected to attract 2000 runners to the starting line at Mosman’s Allan Border

Oval.



36

Please note that the story is full of ‘Who’. That’s often a sign of a good story because all

stories come back to people. The more people you have doing things the better.

A few words about photographs. Don’t forget to put a caption on them.

The event is now just a day or so away.

It’s easy to think that reporters and photographers just turn up. They don’t.

If you are organising something that you think will make a good picture or story, then you

need to make a point of inviting your target media to attend.

That means an official written invitation, signed by the organiser, and complete with RSVP

name, date and phone number. Chances are that most of your media invitees will fail to

respond or acknowledge your invitation.

That means you must DO something and the thing to do is to phone the day before to remind

your media targets of your event.

In effect you need to repeat your invitation, tell them all the good news they can expect to

gather. You must sell the benefits of their attending.

If you are still in doubt about whether they will turn up you need to hire your own

photographer to take the pictures. Be ready to write your own story and then to deliver it

with the pictures to the paper next day.

Invitations to

the media

must:

1) Make it clear

what news they

can hope to

gather by

attending

2) Be followed

up before the

event

37

Here is the media invitation:

38

In this case, the local paper indicated that their photographer would cover the event, and as

you can see from this cutting, he did just that.

He was provided with details of the main winners and copies of the pre-race media releases

so his reporter could do his part of the job.

39

Having created so much community interest in the event, it was important to keep the

sponsors involved. So the headmaster of the school agreed to hold a special presentation

ceremony to make awards to the sponsors.

The media release looked like this:

Media Release Date

MOSMAN CHILDREN

THANK SUPPORTERS

OF MINI-MOSMARATHON

Sponsors of this year’s Mini-Mosmarathon were presented with medals in a ceremony at

Mosman Public School yesterday morning.

Fiona Levick, of Mosman Private Hospital, sponsor of the 10km race, was presented with a gold

medal by Mr. Ron Matthews, principal of Mosman Public School, to commemorate the hospital’s

support for the highly successful event.

Mrs. Julie Gillick and Ms Jenny Farrell, of SCEGGS Redlands and Mr Mick Kennedy of Mosman

Rugby Club accepted silver medals on behalf of their organisations.

A bronze medal was presented to Mr. and Mrs. Nick Georgouras of Nicholas Seafood for

sponsoring the race certificates.

The Mini-Mosmarathon raised a record amount of $17,000 for Mosman Public School this year.



40

The result?

41

All in all, a surprising amount of media was generated for a reasonably small event.

Please remember that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make news. Your wheel can

have been around for years (like this event, 11 years to be exact) but if you’re the first person

to give it a spin, to show it to anyone, then you’ve got yourself a story.

NB: In addition to the warm fuzzy glow you get by being involved in community projects,

there is commercial value too.

They can do a lot to raise your commercial profile, especially if your business operates in the

community e.g. real estate, law, accountancy etc.

It gets your name out there without any overt commercial axe to grind.

Presentation of Media Release

1. They absolutely must be typed

2. 24-point type size for the headline

3. 16-point size for the body copy

4. Double line spacing between paragraphs

5. A wide left hand margin

6. Don’t forget to number the pages.

If you’re dealing with your local newspaper, wander around with your story and deliver it

in person.

It pays to read a few issues of the paper before you tackle it.

Pay particular attention to that part of the paper which deals with your kind of news. If for

example your story has sporting relevance, speak to the sports editor. Find his byline in

the paper before you go so you can ask for him in particular.

If you can’t target your offering, just speak to one of the reporters when you get there.

42

Tell them what you’re on about, say you’ve got it written down and hand it to them. Ask if

you can come back again or ring to find out what they think about it.

If you can’t deliver it by hand, email it. You don’t need to write a cover letter to accompany

it.

You now have the tools and strategies you need to create outstanding PR either for your own

copywriting business or for your client’s business.

43

Assignments for Module 6: How To Write And Use PR

Task 1: Collecting Names For Your Database

Start building your database. List here all your contacts. Photocopy this page

(overleaf), hole-punch each page, find a ring-binder/folder and call it “Names

for Database.”

Whenever you meet someone new, jot their details down here or at the very

least; throw their business card in here so you can write it up later.

44

YOUR LIST

New prospects

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Existing clients

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

45

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Suppliers

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Former clients

1.

2.

46

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Problem people

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

47

14.

15.

48


Task 2: Draft your own new business letter

It’s time to have a go at drafting your own new business letter.

Their Name

Their Address

Date

Salutation ( Mr | Mrs | Dr |

Ms )

What you want

Benefits to recipient

Your testimonials

Sign off

Signature

Now put it all together in a letter format, ready to be used as your standard introductory letter for

new prospects.

49


Task 3: Plan 3 issues of a newsletter

Plan a series of THREE newsletters using the newsletter formula. You can decide how big the

newsletter/ ezine will be but you have to create at least THREE issues.

Newsletter One

Mastheads

What are you going to call it?

Suggestions

Dates

When will this go in the mail?

Year Month Date Day

(It’s worth noting here how many weeks ahead that is. It helps planning and avoids last-

minute panic).

Weeks

ahead

Working days

ahead

Stories

What subjects, products, and services do you want to promote?

1. 5.

2. 6.

50

3. 7.

4. 8.

Illustrations

What picture or drawings are relevant?

1. 5.

2. 6.

3. 7.

4. 8.

Call To Action

A coupon Click on website

An offer Reply Paid envelope

Your contact details

Where does your address, phone, email and fax number go?

Front page Back page Page?

51

Newsletter Two

Mastheads


Suggestions

Dates


Year Month Date Day


minute panic).

Weeks

ahead

Working days

ahead

Stories


1. 5.

2. 6.

3. 7.

4. 8.

Illustrations


52

1. 5.

2. 6.

3. 7.

4. 8.

Call To Action






53

Newsletter Three

Mastheads


Suggestions

Dates


Year Month Date Day


minute panic).

Weeks

ahead

Working days

ahead

Stories


1. 5.

2. 6.

3. 7.

4. 8.

Illustrations


54

1. 5.

2. 6.

3. 7.

4. 8.

Call To Action






55


Task 4: Write a media release

Write a media release to promote your copywriting business. Follow the Master Formula so that

you follow each step in a systematic way.

Nominate 5 publications you could send it to.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The Australian School of Copywriting would like to sincerely thank Archie Bayvel from

Bayvel Public Relations for allowing us to reproduce his material in this module.

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