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Learn the structure and sure-fire way of producing written work that will hit the mark with your target media and have journalists marvelling at how there are finally communications people who know to write media material properly and professionally. Guaranteed to make that hit rate skyrocket.
Introduction
Media Relations
- What do you want out of media relations?
- What’s in it for the media?
- Writing for the media vs other stakeholder writing
- How has social and new media impacted corporate communications?
- Is writing for new media different to writing for (traditional) heritage media?
The Media has Changed
Traditional vs Online
Traditional Media
- News
- Website (Media Centre)
- Other
Online Media
- Blogs
- Tweets
- Facebook Fan Page/Posts
- Podcasts
- Videos/Webinars
- TMZ
Characteristics and Style of Writing for Various Media Tools – traditional and online
Citizen Journalism
- What is it?
- Is the media release redundant?
- Is writing still important?
Know the basics or be binned! – The tools of writing
- 8 Parts of Speech/Writing
- Basic elements of grammar and punctuation (relevant for media writing)
- Interactive exercises
The Media Release
Case Study – Australia Post
The Moment of Truth – Writing a media release
- Format of a media release – letterhead, date, contact details, length, ends etc…
- Structure of a media release – the inverted pyramid
- Style and language
- Active vs Passive
- Breaking it down – headline, paragraphs (one idea, one sentence), lead paragraph (W,W,W,W,H), body paragraphs, quotes, end, background/Editor’s note
- PROOFREADING
- Writing Exercises
Selling the Message – How to get Heard
Newshounds Anonymous – Writing for news
- The composition of a news story – print, radio, TV, online – refer to copies of newspapers and radio news bulletin stories (supplied by MM)
- Finding your nose for news – picking the angles
- Audience analysis – yours and the media’s
- Matching your audience with the right media, angle etc…
- Content – your material vs the news angle – supporting reference material, pictorial, data etc… To use or not to use? The right way to use it
- Contacting the media – when, who and how?
- The 10-15 second/30-45 word rule – scripting for your voice message
Tailoring your Story to the Medium and Audience
The All – Important Follow Up
Assessing your Media Writing Success
Interactive Exercises
- Pick the audience of various media programmes, papers (different sections), magazines or online and pick the angle of product/service supplied.
- Find an angle for a media release, tweet, blog or Facebook post relating to your business
- Using products/services – ‘what’s the angle’ and ‘match the story with the media’. Write a 15 second “sales” introduction to your story for a voice message
Interactive Exercises
Media Liaison
- Sell your story to a journalist’s voice message (speaker phone)
- Sell your story to a journalist on the other end (speaker phone)
- Discussion
Interactive Exercise
- Analysis of media releases
- Good and bad examples of media releases. Spot the differences
- Rewriting (bad) lead paragraphs (time permitting)
- Write your own lead paragraph (time permitting)
Learning Consolidation
Using a media release you have previously written – identify things you would change
- Self review of lead paragraphs against checklist
- Self review of inverted pyramid structure
- Self review of format, style and language
- Self review of punctuation
- Proofreading – by you and then another person
Questions
Close/conclusions/key learnings
This practical, interactive course is conducted in convenient locations around Australia. Contact us to discuss how we can fully customise the programme to you and your organisation’s needs.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]