Public relations kit for dummies / by Eric Yaverbaum, with Bob Bly.

By:

Yaverbaum, Eric

Contributor(s):

Bly, Robert W

Material type: Text

TextSeries: --For dummiesPublication details: Foster City, CA : IDG Books Worldwide, c2001.Description: xxviii, 346 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. + 1 computer laser optical disc (4 3/4 in.)ISBN:

0764552775 (pbk.)

Subject(s):

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Standard Loan	Thurles Library Main Collection	659.2 YAV (Browse shelf(Opens below))	1	Available		30026000008465

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

When it comes to marketing, nothing beats good word of mouth. But how do you get your customers talking? This friendly guide shows you step-by-step how to create and implement an effective public relations strategy for pennies on the dollar compared to the cost of advertising. Public Relations Kit For Dummies gives you all the tools you need to spread the word about your product or service, without a PR agency. All it takes is effort and the straightforward guidelines you'll find in this helpful guide.

If you're a small business owner or manager or an entrepreneur, good PR will give you an advantage over your competition. If you're a corporate manager or executive, you need an effective public relations program to communicate with your target market without increasing ad spending. In Public Relations Kit For Dummies, you'll discover how to:

Map a winning PR strategy Grab attention with press releases, interviews, and events Cultivate good media relations Get print, TV, radio, and Internet coverage Manage crises

This book is packed with successful ideas, techniques, and campaigns that really worked - and you can customize them to fit your clientele, product, or service. This friendly guide shows you how PR works, how to brainstorm for creative ideas, how to deliver your message to the media, and how to create buzz. And there's more:

Developing and stick to a budget Building an in-house PR department Specific PR tactics like contests, surveys, and tie-ins Company newsletters Writing query letters and pitch letters Handling yourself in interviews Turning bad press into good publicity Developing a contact list Specific strategies for radio, TV, newspapers, and new media Handling crises Measuring PR results

The book also includes a CD-ROM full of helpful PR forms, checklists, and templates; lists of resources like PR firms and media outlets; and software programs that makes PR simple. If you want people to notice your product or service, Public Relations Kit For Dummies is the only resource you need.

Includes index.

System requirements: PC with a Pentium (or faster) processor, or a Mac OS computer with a 68040 (or faster) processor; Microsoft Windows 95 (or later), or Mac OS 7.5.5 (or later); at least 16MB of RAM (32 MB recommended); at least 50 MB hard drive space; CD-ROM drive (double speed or faster); sound card for PCs; 256 color monitor or grayscale; modem with at least 14,400 bps.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

Foreword (p. xxvii)
Introduction (p. 1)
About This Book (p. 1)
Who Needs This Book (p. 2)
How to Use This Book (p. 2)
How This Book Is Organized (p. 3)
Icons Used in This Book (p. 5)
Where to Go from Here (p. 6)
Part I PR: What It Is, How It Works (p. 7)
Chapter 1 The Power of PR (p. 9)
PR Defined: Publicity Plus (p. 10)
What PR Is Not (p. 12)
Marketing: The four Ps (p. 12)
Advertising--you pay; PR is (practically) free (p. 12)
Publicity Is News (p. 14)
PR-media partnership (p. 15)
Fire safety story, for example (p. 16)
The Changing Role of PR in the Marketing Mix Today (p. 17)
Chapter 2 Who Needs PR Anyway? (p. 19)
How to Tell When PR Is the Missing Ingredient (p. 20)
Think about PR Solutions (p. 21)
Beyond Stunts: The Real Value of PR (p. 22)
Key audiences PR can reach (p. 23)
More things PR can do for you (p. 24)
Separating PR Myth from Reality (p. 25)
Myth: Press releases don't work anymore (p. 26)
Myth: "Legitimate" media snub PR (p. 26)
Myth: Printed PR doesn't work without follow-up (p. 28)
Myth: You need "contacts" to get publicity (p. 30)
Myth: Editors want to be wined and dined (p. 31)
Myth: Snail mail is awful; overnight delivery services and fax work great (p. 31)
Myth: You can't buy PR with advertising (p. 32)
Myth: Every fact reported in the media is checked and verified (p. 33)
Myth: Getting publicity is a matter of luck and timing (p. 34)
Controlling Time and Chance (p. 34)
Chapter 3 X-Raying the PR Process (p. 37)
Using Research to Shape the Process (p. 37)
Defining Your Goals and Objectives (p. 38)
Putting Together the PR Plan (p. 39)
Budgeting What You Need to Do the Job (p. 39)
The Four Essential Elements of Winning PR Concepts (p. 40)
The newsmaking element (p. 40)
The commercial message element (p. 41)
Media target element (p. 42)
Audience target element (p. 42)
Ten Steps Toward Creative Promotions (p. 43)
Assessing PR Ideas: Will It Work? (p. 45)
Chapter 4 Hiring Professional PR Help (p. 47)
Getting Help (p. 48)
Advertising agencies (p. 49)
Public relations agencies (p. 50)
Graphic design studios (p. 54)
Freelancers (p. 54)
Working with Professional Help (p. 55)
Part II Brainstorming and Thinking Creatively (p. 57)
Chapter 5 Setting Up Your PR Department and Program (p. 59)
Picking the PR Team (p. 59)
Defining the Scope of Your Authority (p. 60)
Integrating PR with the Rest of Your Business (p. 61)
Setting Up the PR Command and Control Center (p. 62)
Targeting Your PR Efforts (p. 66)
Industry (p. 66)
Size of company (p. 67)
Location (p. 69)
Job function or title of prospect within the company (p. 70)
Application or use of your product (p. 70)
Channels of distribution (p. 71)
Affinity groups (p. 72)
Users of specific devices, products, machines, systems, or technologies (p. 73)
Buying habits (p. 74)
Chapter 6 Formulating Ideas (p. 75)
Creating Profitable PR Ideas (p. 75)
Step 1 Identify the problem (p. 76)
Step 2 Assemble pertinent facts (p. 76)
Step 3 Gather general knowledge (p. 76)
Step 4 Look for combinations (p. 77)
Step 5 Sleep on it (p. 77)
Step 6 Use a checklist (p. 78)
Step 7 Get feedback (p. 78)
Step 8 Team up (p. 79)
Finding Other Ways to Come Up with Good Ideas (p. 80)
Giving New Ideas a Chance (p. 80)
Chapter 7 Using PR Tactics (p. 83)
Find a Tie-in to the News (p. 83)
Create a Tie-in to a TV Show or Movie (p. 84)
Spotlight the Product (p. 84)
Stage a Contest (p. 85)
Work for a Worthy Cause (p. 85)
Tie In to a Holiday (p. 85)
Conduct a Survey (p. 87)
Stage an Event (p. 87)
Make Them Laugh (p. 89)
Wage a Trade-in Campaign (p. 89)
Create a Character (p. 90)
Part III Laying the Groundwork (p. 91)
Chapter 8 Creating a Company Newsletter (p. 93)
Staying in Touch with Your Audience (p. 94)
Deciding on Size and Frequency (p. 95)
Creating a Mailing List (p. 95)
Using the Company Newsletter as a Marketing Tool (p. 96)
Designing Your Company Newsletter (p. 97)
Putting your newsletter together (p. 98)
Checking out a sample newsletter (p. 100)
Chapter 9 Putting Your Message on Paper: The Press Release (p. 103)
How to Write a Press Release That Gets Picked Up by Media (p. 103)
At the top (p. 104)
The headline act and the lead role (p. 105)
Body building (p. 106)
Putting News in Your News Releases (p. 108)
Chapter 10 Writing and Placing Feature Articles (p. 113)
Avoid Beginners' Mistakes (p. 114)
Coming Up with Ideas for Articles (p. 115)
Selecting the Right Magazine (p. 117)
Avoid puffery (p. 118)
Approach editors one at a time--offer an "exclusive" (p. 118)
Make the initial contact (p. 119)
Writing a Query Letter (p. 119)
Must you query? (p. 123)
What about illustrations? (p. 125)
Follow up your query (p. 125)
Get the Editor's Go-Ahead (p. 127)
The Best Target for Articles: A Place Where They Know You (p. 128)
The Other Approach: Writing a Pitch Letter (p. 130)
Chapter 11 Delivering Your Message in Person (p. 133)
Meeting the Press (p. 133)
Analyst meetings (p. 134)
Media tours (p. 135)
Press conferences (p. 135)
Deskside briefings (p. 136)
Handling Media Interviews Like a Pro (p. 136)
Have you been framed? (p. 138)
Turning bad press into favorable coverage: The 15-10-15 formula (p. 139)
When Mike Wallace calls: Handling hostile interviewers (p. 140)
On the air: Special tips for broadcast interviews (p. 142)
Promoting Yourself through Public Speaking (p. 145)
Finding speaking opportunities (p. 146)
Screening speaking invitations (p. 148)
Negotiating your promotional deal with the event sponsor (p. 149)
Preparing and delivering your presentation (p. 151)
Mastering the three parts of a talk (p. 152)
Matters of length and timing (p. 153)
Think twice about using audiovisual aids (p. 155)
Giving your audience a handout (p. 157)
Capturing attendee names for your prospect database (p. 159)
Part IV Implementing Your PR Strategy (p. 161)
Chapter 12 Media Relations: Getting Your Message Out (p. 163)
Compiling a Personal Contact List (p. 163)
Developing a Mass Media List (p. 164)
Distributing Materials to the Media (p. 165)
Selecting PR Media (p. 166)
Turning the Press into a Client (p. 167)
Techniques for Breaking Through the PR Clutter (p. 168)
Surround sound (p. 168)
Have a go-to guy (p. 169)
Offer an exclusive (p. 169)
Go where the cameras are (p. 170)
Use timing in your favor (p. 170)
Following Up: The Media Blitz (p. 170)
Working Your ABC Lists (p. 171)
Sticky Situations in Media Relations (p. 172)
Chapter 13 Tuning In to Radio (p. 173)
Looking at the Advantages of Radio over Other Media (p. 174)
Who Do You Call? Getting on the Radio (p. 176)
Making a pitch for yourself (p. 176)
Being an accessible expert (p. 177)
Preparing for Airtime (p. 178)
Boning up on your topic (p. 179)
Putting together a tip sheet (p. 180)
Being interviewed at home (p. 181)
Making a Good Impression during the Interview (p. 181)
Defining the limits of your expertise (p. 182)
Handling surprise gracefully (p. 183)
Don't make product pitches on the air (p. 184)
Getting a Tape of Your Guest Appearance (p. 185)
Chapter 14 Getting PR on the Tube (p. 187)
Understanding How TV PR Differs from Print (p. 188)
Sorting Out the TV Shows (p. 190)
Targeting a Specific Show for Your PR Campaign (p. 191)
Preparing Your TV Media Kit (p. 192)
Article reprints (p. 192)
Media alerts (p. 193)
Pitch letters (p. 193)
B-rolls (p. 198)
Satellite feed services (p. 199)
VNRs (p. 200)
Pitching Your Story to Producers (p. 200)
Doing TV PR on a Shoestring (p. 202)
Chapter 15 Getting More Ink (Print Isn't Dead Yet) (p. 203)
Cracking the Journalists' Secret (p. 203)
Knowing What Not to Do (p. 204)
Catching an Editor's Eye with a "Creative" Press Release (p. 206)
Using a "Hook" to Snare Attention (p. 207)
Free booklet press release (p. 208)
Special event, gimmick, or timely issue (p. 214)
Telephone hotline press release (p. 217)
New product press release (p. 222)
New literature press release (p. 224)
Tie-in with current fad, event, or news (p. 226)
Survey results press release (p. 228)
Trade-in press release (p. 228)
Call to action press release (p. 228)
High-visibility advertising (p. 230)
Chapter 16 Employing New Media: Web Sites and E-Mail (p. 231)
Designing a Media-Friendly Web Site (p. 232)
Company background/history (p. 232)
Key management (p. 232)
Press release archive (p. 233)
Financial information (p. 234)
Product/service catalog (p. 234)
Article/white paper library (p. 235)
Trade show list (p. 235)
Locations/facility information (p. 235)
Avoiding "Speed Traps" on Your Web Site (p. 236)
The Three C's of E-Success (p. 236)
Designing a "Sticky" Web Site (p. 238)
Brainstorming More Ways to Make Profit Online (p. 239)
Driving Traffic to Your Web Site (p. 242)
Should You E-Mail Press Releases? (p. 244)
Part V Creating Buzz (p. 245)
Chapter 17 Staging Publicity Events (p. 247)
Drawing Crowds and Gaining Publicity (p. 248)
Figuring the Cost and Setting a Budget (p. 250)
Controlling Event Costs (p. 250)
Determining Your Event's Theme and Concept (p. 251)
Planning the Event and Logistics (p. 253)
Publicizing Your Event (p. 254)
Measuring Event Results (p. 255)
Chapter 18 Spotting and Seizing Opportunities (p. 257)
Remembering the Importance of Timing (p. 257)
Reacting to Current News and Events (p. 258)
Taking Advantage of Changing Conditions (p. 259)
Looking for an Opening (p. 259)
Getting Messages Noticed Quickly (p. 262)
Chapter 19 Knowing What to Do in a Crisis (p. 263)
Remembering the Rules in a Crisis (p. 264)
Demonstrating Care, Compassion, and Commitment (p. 265)
Thinking of Every Crisis as a Red Alert (p. 266)
More Tips for Successful Crisis Management (p. 267)
Chapter 20 Evaluating PR Results (p. 269)
Measuring by "Advertising Equivalency" (p. 269)
Making "Media Impressions" (p. 271)
Using "Key Message Points" (p. 272)
Zooming In on Market Research (p. 273)
Measuring Inquiries and Sales (p. 274)
Taking the Long View of PR Success (p. 276)
Positioning a NY attorney as an expert (p. 276)
Courier service (p. 277)
Part VI The Part of Tens (p. 279)
Chapter 21 The Ten Greatest PR Coups of All Time (p. 281)
Lucky Strike (p. 281)
John D. Rockefeller (p. 282)
Tylenol (p. 282)
Bill Clinton's 1992 Presidential Campaign (p. 283)
The New VW Beetle (p. 283)
Cabbage Patch Kids (p. 284)
Domino's Pizza Meter (p. 285)
IBM Big Blue versus Gary Kasparov (p. 285)
Gillette Sensor Razor (p. 286)
Jack in the Box (p. 286)
Chapter 22 Ten Reasons to Do PR (p. 289)
You're a Little Fish in a Big Pond (p. 289)
Your Product or Service Is the Best--and Nobody Knows about It (p. 290)
Your Product or Service Isn't Better than Anyone Else's (p. 290)
Management Cuts Your Marketing Communications Budget (p. 291)
Management Demands Tangible Results from Marketing Expenditures (p. 292)
Traditional Marketing Isn't Working as Well as It Used To (p. 292)
Your Competitors Get All the Good Press (p. 293)
You Need Venture Capital or Are Planning an IPO--and Nobody Knows Your Name (p. 293)
You Are Media-Genic (p. 294)
You Really Enjoy Working with the Media (p. 294)
More Benefits of Doing PR (p. 295)
Chapter 23 Ten Tips for Coming Off as a PR Pro (p. 297)
Become a Media Maven (p. 297)
Keep Current with Trends and Fads (p. 298)
Know Who Covers What (p. 299)
Blanket Your Industry (p. 299)
Listen (p. 299)
Impress the CEO (p. 300)
Join a PR Club (p. 301)
Blow Your Own Horn (p. 301)
Speak Up for Yourself and Your Business (p. 301)
Have a Positive Attitude (p. 301)
Chapter 24 Ten Things You Should Never Do in the Name of PR (p. 303)
Lie or Mislead (p. 303)
Stonewall (p. 303)
Procrastinate (p. 304)
Be Inaccessible (p. 304)
Offer a Bribe (p. 304)
Turn Up Your Nose (p. 305)
Bore People (p. 305)
Be a "No Man" (p. 306)
Sacrifice Long-Term Relationships for Short-Term Results (p. 307)
Behave Unethically (p. 308)
Chapter 25 Ten Steps to Better PR Writing (p. 311)
1. Organize! (p. 311)
2. Know Your Reader (p. 313)
3. Shun "Corporatese" (p. 313)
4. Avoid Long Sentences (p. 315)
5. Use Short, Simple Words (p. 316)
6. Sidestep "Writer's Block" (p. 318)
7. Define the Topic (p. 318)
8. Gather Lots of Information (p. 319)
9. Write, then Rewrite, Rewrite (p. 319)
10. Be Consistent (p. 320)
Appendix About the CD (p. 321)
System Requirements (p. 321)
Using the CD with Microsoft Windows (p. 322)
Using the CD with Mac OS (p. 323)
What You'll Find on the CD (p. 323)
Business software (p. 324)
CD Files (p. 325)
If You've Got Problems (Of the CD Kind) (p. 326)
Index (p. 327)
IDG Books Worldwide End-User License Agreement (p. 353)
Installation Instructions (p. 355)
Book Registration Information

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Eric Yaverbaum's PR firm, Jericho Communications, has represented IKEA Home Furnishings, Domino's Pizza, Progressive Auto Insurance, The Hain Cellestial Group, United Distillers & Vintners North America, and many others. He is coauthor of I'll Get Back to You. Bob Bly is a seasoned business writer.