1) How can I tie my company into current events and other popular news stories? 2) Is there a new angle on an old story? 3) Do I have any well- known, respected customers or clients whom I can quote ? 4) Has anyone in the company received a special award ? 5) Are we using any innovative processes or technologies that make us stand out? 6) What industry trends can be commented on? Do we have any interesting statistics or case studies ?
1- Answer the above questions as if you were preparing a news release for the following situations:
a. A new play is opening at the city’s professional repertory theater.
b. A food company is introducing a completely fat-free potato chip.
c. The local Red Cross chapter is kicking off its annual drive for blood donations.
2- Electronic distribution services post hundreds of news releases every day. Go to BusinessWire (www.businesswire.com) or PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) and scroll through the news releases posted on a particular day. What is your impression?
3- Write a standard news release for your college newspaper about the upcoming meeting of a student organization that has invited a well-known author to speak on campus. Follow the guidelines in the chapter regarding the seven basic elements of a news release. At the end of the release, include a brief descriiption of the organization.
Convert the news release written in Activity 5 to the format of (1) an online news release, and (2) a multimedia news release.