PR Writing Basics:

1. PR Writing Basics: As Much as You Can Cram into a 20-Minute Luncheon Presentation By Geoff Kirsch www.geoffkirsch.com

2. What is Public Relations? Public relations: It’s not just for crooks anymore. PR is how a company interacts with the public, maintains community ties and distributes important information to consumers, press and other interested parties. Not responding to scandal, but developing positive reputation.

3. Basic Principles of PR • Understand your product, customers, and industry • Understand your audience • Determine what forms of communication most effectively at reach that audience • Develop clear, concise messaging geared toward that audience • Provide interesting, accurate, valuable and timely information

4. Forms of Written PR • Press Release, Media Advisory, radio PSA • Newsletter • Website content • Opinion-Editorial or other “authored” piece • Social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, Yelp!, Foursquare (April 16, National Foursquare Day)

5. Do the editors’ work for them. Supply: quotes, high-resolution photos with captions, well-written, well-edited, fact-checked and proofread press materials. Develop good relationships with journalists, editors. Timing: especially when trying to make editorial schedules for summer (get summer stuff out NOW) Ask: What’s the story? (Hints: Tie-in to holidays, tie-in to other items in the news cycle, “Alaska”, “you wouldn’t think it, but…”) Key facts first, inverted-pyramid Include contact information on everything: name, phone numbers, email (if electronic, links to your website) Effective PR Writing

6. Good PR Writing Takes • Patience • Practice • Perseverance • Planning • Possibly, another set of hands.