Organizational feature Flashcards
what are organizational features
Journalistic writing that emphasize personalities and human-interest angles rather than hard news
Features go before, behind and beyond the news
how are features andrews reports different
Features and news reports complement each other to give the reader a fuller understanding
Hard News is the who, what, when and where.
Features are the how and why.
Let your lead be flexible
Incident
Question
Direct Address
Allusion
Pun
Description
Staccato
The Nut Graf: Short for Nutshell Paragraph
Transitions out of the lead into the rest of the story
Justifies the story (Why should I care?)
Explains lead and connection to story
Often explains timeliness
Often includes supporting material (Why is this important)
Kicker: The take-away
Features are also different from news stories because they have an ending.
The kicker serves to wrap up the piece.
Providing a link back to the lead
A final quote
A closing scene
Different types of PR organizational features
Writing about people:
Biographical Narrative
Personal Profile
Personal Interview
Writing about Organizations
Organizational History
Organizational Profile
Backgrounder
Writing about Issues How-To Article Question-and-Answer Case Study Information Digest
Let your planning lead you!
Identify key publics
(Analyze wants, needs, and interests)
Determine objectives as they relate to your key publics
Know strengths/weaknesses of each format
Biographical Feature
Often prepared about people important to the organization, cause or event.
Straight forward account of work history, accomplishments, education, etc.
They provide information that can be useful supplements for news releases, speaking engagements, award presentations, etc.
Personal Profile
Goes beyond the biographical narrative. Based on what others say about the individual
Generally include quotes/anecdotes from others about the individual
Interest may lie more in personality than accomplishments
Personal interview
Often used to discover what people know. Go right to the source
If you want to do a story about personal thoughts
In preparing: Identify key publics Identify objectives Identify relevant questions Read bio
Organizational Hitsory
Presents narrative of beginnings and development of organization. Helps to explain what the organization does and what they stand for
Often found in conjunction with mission or vision statement.
Often include overview of mission, purpose, operating practices, philosophy and achievements.
“Corporate backgrounders” are profiles for readers with technical experience
Backgrounder
Provides background of product or service offered OR explains situation affecting organization .
To write, you must research!
Plan well. Understand what your key publics want to know and the message that you wish to convey
Can be used by: reporters, org spokespersons, PR writers, etc.
How to article
Provides step-by-step instructions in addressing an issue .Often overlooked by PR writers
Used primarily by nonprofit groups
How-To: Problem Cause Significance Solution Conclusion
Q&A Feature
Consists of carefully selected questions that address relevant aspects of an issue. Key is to understand the topic and key public well enough to anticipate questions
How-To Topic Reader Interest Questions Responses
Case study
Tells the story of how the program, product , or service has been used by the consumer.
Often associated with product publicity
Permission from consumer is a must
Focus must be clearly on the key public – You want the potential consumers to identify with the story
Information Digest
Takes heavy-duty material and translates it into accessible language. Writers must be able to understand the complex information
Writers must be able to interpret this information
