Using the media to get out your message.

Understanding Publicity

We now have to think about how we publicize information for our client.

An important aspect of PR is to develop materials that intrigue the media and entices them to tell your "story". 

We need to develop multiple story lines for our Title I students to have in our/their arsenal.

Like looking at client audiences we need to look at the variety of media outlets that play to our targets for the benefit of the client.

Take a look at the email I sent you so that you can get an idea of some of the types of writing required in PR and how they function. 

Starting your proposal

Let me lead you through the template that you need to develop a proposal.

First you need an introduction.
This might be a narrative paragraph that gives a vivid picture of the situation.
Next you have a the problem statement.
Here is how you think through a problem statement.

• What is the problem?
• Who has the problem?
• Where does the problem occur?
• When does the problem occur?
• What does the problem impact?

A good problem statement should be:

• Concise. The essence of your problem needs to be condensed down to a single sentence. A reader of the project statement should be able to say “Aha!! Now I now understand the problem.”
• Specific. The problems statement should focus your thinking, research, and solutions toward a single population or issue.
• Measurable. Problems can be measured in terms of degree and frequency. The strongest problem statements incorporate measurable aspects of both the degree and frequency of the problem as it exists.
• Specify what is Impacted. The problem statement should identify the population affected by the problem.

Let’s examine the steps for creating a good problem statement.

• Write down your problem or current state. Don’t worry too much about quality at this point – simply making a start is significant.
• Expand on the problem by asking the following questions:
• Who does it affect / does not affect?
• What does it effect / does not affect?
• How does it effect / does not affect?
• When is it a problem / is not a problem?
• Where is it a problem / is not a problem?
• Re-write your problem statement based on those answers. It may consist of several sentences or a set of bulleted items.
• Try to revise the bulleted list or initial problem statement into a single clear sentence. This might take a couple of attempts but stick with it. Finally, review your new problem statement against the following criteria:
• Focused on only one Problem.
• One or two sentences long.
• Does not suggest a Solution.

You should now have a concise and well balanced Problem Statement ready for a brainstorming session. It should be unambiguous and devoid of assumptions. It will enable you or your group to focus in on the problem and provide the foundation for the team to begin work toward solutions that truly fit.

So by now you have about two or three sentences. 

Now you move into each section of the proposal.

The Objective(s)

• Here you will make three bullet points
• Each point is a different objective
• Each objective will likely lead into the next 

The paragraphs below will explain these objectives and how they address the problem statement. See how easy this is to read. A person can glance and get an idea of what is in this section or move on. Get it?

The Strategy 

• This is where you will discuss your key public and who they are
• This is where you will say "Because this - we believe the best way to reach parents is this . . . "
• Again there are one or two paragraph here justifying why we are choosing this direction. 

 The strategy is general. We get specific in tactics. For example if we plan to use social media you will say that in the strategy. "We find that this target audience uses social media over other forms of communication. We know this through research and interviews with parents and discussion with the translation director." We get specific as to what that is 

The Tactics

• We will create a reading kit that will help parents work with students on their reading.
• We will create an event that will interest parents and engage them more in their child's daily reading activities. 
• We will contact parents through social media on a weekly basis to measure engagement.
• The semester will end with an event to introduce parents to teachers, helpers, interpreters based around the reading of a book.

The Measurement 

The semester will end with an event to introduce parents to teachers, helpers, interpreters based around the reading of a book. Success will be measure through the following:

1.

2.

3.

The So What (the conclusion)

By developing this plan we hope to  .............................. because reading is ............

The Mid Term

Okay. Answer these three questions in a long-form essay.
Talk to me.
Imagine that we are sitting at a Starbucks and I don't know anything about PR so I ask you :)

These will not be answered with just one paragraph. You have to show me that you can talk about this with some confidence.

1. What is the benefit of me doing PR?

2. How do we even begin?

3. How will I know if it worked?


Talk me through these so I can get an idea of how you understand the concepts. You will need to to able to answer any of these questions in a job interview so think of it that way, too.

Thinking through "The Problem"

Problem Statement Template
  
If you're having trouble writing a problem statement, try brainstorm ways to fill in the blanks. These are only guidelines; you don't need to use them, and you probably shouldn't use exactly this wording in your final project.
  
Stable Context

Describe unchanging facts about the topic/problem.
  
For many years, people have debated about ______________________.

or

____________________ has been controversial because

_____________________________________________________________. 

or

______________________ has dominated discussions of _____________.
  
Status Quo

State common but incorrect or incomplete assumptions.
  
Many people think ________________________________________________________.

or

At first glance, it may seem like ______________________________________________.
  
Destabilizing Moment

Describe something that reveals the status quo assumptions to be incomplete or inaccurate.
  
This initial perception fails to take into account __________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________. 

or 

This theory can't explain ___________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________. 

or

People have failed to notice, however, _________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________________. 
  
Consequences

Show readers why they should care: what bad things will happen if people continue to believe the status quo? what good things will happen once they stop believing it?
  
If we continue to believe _______________, we'll never understand the larger question of ______________________________________________________________________. 

or

Unless we change _____________________, we will continue to have trouble with ______________________________________________________________________. 

or

Once we understand ___________________, we'll begin to see the answer to the problem ______________________________________________________________________. 

or

By rethinking our approach to ___________________, we can fix ________________.
  
Resolution

Provide a better theory/explanation to replace the status quo. State your claim.
_______________________________________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________________. 
  
  
__________________________________________________________________________