I will be updating this page as often as I can, however I invite you to contribute to the following topics if you have anything you'd like to add or edit. Simply send me an email and I will post for you, or give you authoring permission to add to this page yourself!
Sincerely,
Danielle Loebs
Topics on This Page Include:
- Press Release
- Fact Sheet
- Backgrounder
- Biographies
- Stock Photos and Captions
- Position or White Paper
- Case Histories
- Resource List
- Pitch Letter
- Media Advisory
- Save-The-Date Notice
- Teasers
- Five Things You Should NEVER do in Your Media Materials
Press Release
Press releases announce something timely and newsworthy with information that should be current and designed to be reported ASAP. A strong lead paragraph will answer the questions of who, what, where, why, when and how. Include a quote from the client or spokesperson, contact information for you and your client and links to relevant websites. Most releases do not need to be more than two pages.
Check list for a Press Release:
- Who is/was involved?
- What is happening/ what happened?
- Where is it happening/ where did it happen?
- Why is this important to the reader/target audience?
- When did this happen OR when will this happen?
- How did/will it happen?
- Did you get a quote from a key person involved and get the proper spelling of their name and title?
- Did you get a quote from someone responding to the event/issue and get the proper spelling of their name and title?
- Did you include links to relevant websites and/or necessary contact information?
- Do you have a high resolution photo that goes with this story? Did you get the proper photo release forms signed by the individuals in the photo?
E-mailing Media Contacts:
When e-mailing your press release to a media contact (like the editor of the Placer Herald) be sure to include a brief explanation of your attachment (if you are attaching the press release as a separate document--- which I recommend in order to preserve your formatting) as well as information about any photographs you’ve included for possible publication. All names of those present in the photos should be spelled correctly, listed as they appear in the photo from left to right and the photographer should be credited (unless you are the photographer).
To view or download a Press Release Template for RHS, click here.
Fact Sheet
Fact Sheets provide an at-a-glance summary of key facts about the product, service or issue. They grab the media's attention with quick, interesting points in an easy-to-read format. A fact sheet also answers pertinent questions such as product specifications and price or company facts such as number of employees, plants, names of key officers, etc.
- An online example of a Fact Sheet may appear in an organization's "About" page, provided it is detailed.
- Sample RHS Fact Sheet Coming Soon
Backgrounder
A backgrounder typically includes information that was not newsworthy enough to fit into the press release. It can include things like company history, reasons a new product was developed, description of services, history of industry, etc. This can be helpful when a journalist wants more information for an article or feature story about RHS.
Biographies
Extending from the Fact Sheet, biographies detail the professional and educational background of anyone the media may be interested in interviewing, including company spokespeople and representatives. Include a photo on bio pages, if appropriate.
For the monthly meetings, Jean Sippola usually provides biographies of speakers. These would be excellent to archive for this section. The Quarry Quarterly also provides biographies for docents in Gay Morgans column, “Know Your Docents” which would be valuable to collect.
Bios with at least basic information should be written about:
· RHS Officers and Board Members
· All Current Docents
· Committee or Project Heads
· Contacts at Partnering Organizations (ie. Randy Peters Catering)
A biography should include the following information:
1. Title, Full Name and Nickname of Member
2. Year they started working with RHS, how long they lived in the area
3. Something specific they contributed or worked on with RHS
4. A personal quote about what they think of RHS, history or Rocklin.
5. Contact information/ what they can be contacted about
6. Optional: Educational and Professional Background
Note: Photos should be approved by the individual and photographer should be credited in italics under the bio.
Stock Photos and Captions
Photos of relevant landmarks, special events and of the Historical Society in action should be saved in their raw, highest resolution format. This will make it easier for publications to edit photographs as needed. If you are able to save photos as a .JPG file without losing the resolution, do so. Lesser-used file types might not be compatible with programs used by journalists and publishers. Generally .PNG files are acceptable, but ask media contact for preferred file type in order to be sure.
- I would very much like to see a database of RHS stock photos appear in the near future. We have thousands archived by Jean Day, and Ronna Davis is amassing a large supply of recent photos. These could be provided on a password protected website available to members, or even open to the general public.
Always, always, always credit your photographers in the captions. Include this information in your e-mail text to the media contact if necessary, otherwise they will credit the photo to you and not the photographer. This upsets the photographers who generally are working for free to help RHS. Good volunteer photographers are extremely valuable and the quality of their work is often the deciding factor for how prominently your story will appear in a publication.
Position or White Paper
Different from other media materials, a position or white paper provides the media with a point of view from the author, which is typically your client or spokesperson. This allows the media to know someone's stance in advance of interviewing them or using the information as part of an opinion piece or editorial.
- A good example of positions from RHS include Gene Johnson's recent presentation about Big Gun Quarry.
Case Histories
Case histories are commonly used by trade publications to develop feature stories that illustrate how a product or service is successfully used in the field. However, they're also very good tools to help other historical organizations (or future members of RHS) learn from your successes. I would recommend recording the case histories for the following topics:
- The Creation of the Rocklin History Museum
- The Restoration of Old St. Mary's Chapel
- The Establishment of the Heritage Fund with the Placer Community Foundation
Case histories like these could also be adapted into fascinating documentary films.
Resource List: Who to Call For...
A resource list consists of a phone and e-mail address list for thought-leaders, spokespersons or information clearinghouses that can provide media with additional information on the story at hand. For best use, this list should be updated when new projects arise, contact information changes, etc. Numbers should be checked by publicist before they are released to the media.
Pitch Letter
Pitch letters are the best way to get the media's attention and are becoming more and more important with e-pitching. A great subject line in your e-mail can separate you from the hundreds of other emails journalists receive in a day. Your information should be persuasive and contain information and facts that support the newsworthiness of the story idea. Often the pitch indicates a follow-up call will come at a designated time but includes your contact information in case the reporter wants to call you first.
- Sample Pitch Letter Coming Soon.
Media Advisory
These one-page alerts provide the media with advance notice of upcoming news or serve as an invitation to the media to cover an upcoming event, such as a grand opening, an editor's event or a news conference. Media advisories are concise and to the point, answering questions the media may be asking. Their timing is determined by the media outlet. For example, a photo editor at a daily newspaper may get an advisory that morning for an event later in the day. An editor at a long-lead magazine may want to get an alert several weeks before the event. Mostly, advisories are emailed or faxed.
Save-The-Date-Notice
An eye-catching postcard or email invitation alerting media to an event for coverage or a listing is a good way to get reporters to mark their calendars for your event. These are also great to send to the general public to get them to attend future events. Tip: make the postcard pretty enough for people to want on their fridge.
- Sample Save the Date Notice Coming Soon
Teasers
These are postcards or one-page notices designed to pique the media's interest in an upcoming event. Teasers are usually sent out one to two weeks before an event to generate excitement and anticipation.
- Sample Teaser Coming Soon.
Do you have something you'd like to add to this page? Please suggest edits, corrections or additions by e-mailing Dani at danielle.loebs@gmail.com. I will not be offended, and we will all benefit by pooling our knowledge.
