5 tipsfor writing effectivenews briefs

5 tipsfor writing effectivenews briefs

Office of Marketing & Public Relations / Sherry Fletcher

Monday, Jan. 7, 2013

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Target your audience

Know what news is

Understand 2 basis tenets of journalism

Composing a news brief

Publish once, reprint often

TODAY’S TIPS

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TIP #1

TARGET YOUR AUDIENCE

TIP #1

TARGET YOUR AUDIENCE

ASK YOURSELF

Who are you writing for?

What do they care about?

What are they facing?

What can you tell them?

Does it address the City’s mission?

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POSSIBLE AUDIENCESStillwater City Council

Administration Team

Operations Group

City of Stillwater Employees

Stillwater Residents

Media, Professional Groups, etc.

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REMEMBERAnything that is shared

by email can and will be forwarded.

Is this information ready to be shared with the all

of the possible audiences?

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TIP #2

KNOW WHATNEWS IS

TIP #2

KNOW WHATNEWS IS

What’s the point?

NEW Factual INTERESTING

Conflict CURRENT Impact

PROMINENCE Proximity

Timeliness HUMAN INTEREST

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BE USEFUL

Our readers race through the News Briefs looking

for something interesting.

Convey a sense of benefit or value.

Be specific.

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NEWS FOR EMPLOYEES

Organizational culture and value

How to get things done

Roles and responsibilities

Where to find information

Expectations

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TIP #3

UNDERSTAND2 BASIC TENETSOF JOURNALISM

TIP #3

UNDERSTAND2 BASIC TENETSOF JOURNALISM

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OBJECTIVITYExpressing or dealing with facts

or conditions as perceived without distortions by personal feelings,

prejudices or interpretations.

Let the facts speak for themselves.

Limit fluff or puffery.

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Must Have Information

Not Crucial Information

BackgroundInformation

Niceto Have

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INVERTED PYRAMID

INVERTED PYRAMIDNewsroom standard for writing.

Summarize first. Explain later.

Helps readers grasp facts quickly.

Helps writers arrange facts quickly and efficiently.

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TIP #4

COMPOSINGA NEWS BRIEF

TIP #4

COMPOSINGA NEWS BRIEF

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“I have to make this letter longer

than usual, because I lack the time to make it short.”

~ Blaise Pascal

“Not that the story need be long,

but it will take a long while to make it short.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

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3 Csof Powerful Content

BeClear

Be Concise

Be Compelling

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BeClear

• Did you answer the 5 Ws?Who, what, when, where, why and how

• Use inverted pyramid.

• Write active voice rather than passive.

• Use everyday language.

• Use strong verbs.

• Suggest subject heading One of the Ps).

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Be Concise

• Make your point and be done.

• Omit needless words. Do a word count. Go back and cut by 10 percent. Don’t take out useful information or detail; instead, remove extra words.

• Avoid redundant phrases, jargon (words only your profession uses) and clichés.

• Use adjectives, adverbs, pronouns sparingly.

• Avoid flattery and puffery. Instead, use facts to make your point.

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afford an opportunity allow, let

as a means of to

at this point in time now

due to the fact that because

during the period during

has a requirement for needs

in a timely manner quickly, promptly

in accordance with by, following, per, under

in advance of before

in regard to about, concerning,

in the event that if in the near future shortly, soon

no later than June 1 by June 1

Avoid redundant phrases4

Be Compelling

• What do you want to happen as a result of this News Brief?

• Ask yourself: “What's the point of this News Brief.”

• Be an advocate for your department or division. Use the News Briefs to further explain issues. What can you tell your audiences that they don’t know but should?

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The Stillwater Public Library family suffered a loss last week with the death of one of its strongest advocates, board member Linda Rodgers. During her tenure that began in 2007, the Library accomplished many milestones including the dedication of the Dr. Angie Debo statue; the receipt of an estimated $93,000 federal broadband grant; and the establishment of the Oklahoma Virtual Library consortium. Linda’s leadership and her support of the Library will have an impact on the Stillwater Public Library for many years. She will be missed by those who were privileged to have known and worked with her.

News Brief Sample 4

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Patty Evans, Paula Dennison and Jason Peek met with

Oklahoma Department of Transportation to review

Stillwater’s Urban Area Boundary Map. After each

census, the Federal Highway Administration proposes

adjustments to each map depicting urban areas. The

City Council will be acting on the adjusted map at

its Dec. 17 meeting. The map will be used for

transportation planning purposes until after the

next census in 2020.

News Brief Sample

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TIP #5

PUBLISH ONCE,REPRINT OFTEN

TIP #5

PUBLISH ONCE,REPRINT OFTEN

Media Releases Web Pages

Video/YouTube Facebook/Twitter

PowerPoints/SlideShare Utility Newsletter

Public Presentations Blog Topics

Interviews with Media Print Materials

Public Presentations Intranet

OPPORTUNITIES5

AND REMEMBER…

Don’t be afraidto break the rules.

Communications is art,

not science.

•How often to publish?

Bi-weekly? Once a month?

•How many briefs from your

department? Are all divisions

represented?

•Other improvements?

Discussion Topics

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