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MEJO 332-002: Public Relations Writing

Instructor: Elizabeth Troutman Adamsetadams@unc.edu

Website: http://troutmanadams.web.unc.edu/Class meeting: TBD, T/TR 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Office hours: T/TR 1-3 p.m.Office location: 371 Carroll Hall

My philosophy on writing instruction: The purpose of this course is to produce strong writers for the public relations and strategic communications professions. Writing is a lifelong pursuit – a skill acquired through a cyclical process of creativity, strategy, self-scrutiny, humility, and persistence. Just when you think you’ve mastered writing, you learn something new about the process, come across an overbearing editor whose eye catches errors you never detected, or pivot to a new style or form, which requires learning all over again. Daunting and discouraging? Of course. Fun and rewarding – absolutely! I am excited to see how we grow together as writers throughout the semester.

Writing for PR and marketing: In the PR and marketing professions, we write for multiple audiences and stakeholders with the mission of disseminating positive messages and generating a favorable public image on behalf of our company, institution or client. Generally, we are externally focused, meaning we produce content for mass audiences or media representatives. In other cases, we must write for internal audiences, including stakeholders such as members of a board of directors or our company’s employees. The trick with PR writing is to learn to adapt your writing style to the purpose and target audience receiving your message, which increases the likelihood of the desired outcome, whether that’s a media hit, a buzz-generating editorial, a social media post gone viral or a media advisory that results in a standing-room-only press conference.

I approach this class in three phases. First, we will revisit the question, what is good writing? During this phase of the course, we will polish our writing skills and refresh our knowledge of basic punctuation, grammar and style by reading classic works on writing well. In the second phase of the course we will develop essential skills for PR writing, including practicing writing press releases, media advisories, press packets, blogs, bios, facts sheets, headlines, captions, and pitches. In the third phase of the course, we will learn other relevant writing skills for PR, including crafting a story the exemplifies your brand and writing media reports for internal stakeholders. The remainder of the course is dedicated to developing a professional portfolio and an online newsroom for an organization of your choice. The online newsroom project represents your final grade.

ACEJMC Core Competencies: The School of Media and Journalism’s accrediting body outlines a number of values you should be aware of and competencies you should be able to demonstrate by the time you graduate from our program. Learn more about them here. MEJO 332 PR Writing aligns with the following values of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) and expects students to:

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Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity;

Think critically, creatively and independently; Conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the

communications professions in which they work; Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications

professions, audiences and purposes they serve; Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity,

appropriate style and grammatical correctness; Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which

they work.

Prerequisites: To take this course as an undergraduate, you must have successfully completed MEJO 153: News Writing and MEJO 137: Principles of Advertising and Public Relations. No exceptions.

UNC Honor Code: All work submitted for this course must be your work. All sources used for information must be properly cited. Students should adhere to the University’s Honor Code: honor.unc.edu. The ideas and content within your materials must be original and not copied from others. In our industry, we are expected to be original and creative all of the time. All written content submitted for this course will be processed by plagiarism detection software. My policy is to investigate all documents having greater than 15% of content from other sources as measured by TurnItIn.com. Documents that appear to have content from other than the author will be turned over to the University.

Diversity and Inclusion: The School of Media and Journalism adopted Diversity and Inclusion Mission and Vision statements in spring 2016 with accompanying goals: http://www.mj.unc.edu/diversity-and-inclusion. UNC is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our community and does not discriminate in offering access to its educational programs and activities based on age, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Harassment: We all have the right to our opinions. In the classroom, everyone should feel comfortable expressing his or her opinions. We do not need to agree but we do need to respect others’ thoughts. The University does not tolerate harassment. Please support your classmates’ and others’ right to worship, act, look and think, in their own way. Originality is valued in our industry; we should always appreciate everyone’s originality. Harassment is a violation of the Honor Code, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964), and Title IX. If you are harassed or feel threatened, please bring it to my attention at an appropriate time or contact the Dean of Students (dos@unc.edu, 919-966-4042).

Special Needs Policy: If you need accommodations based upon a disability, under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, please email me your needs by the end of the first week of classes. This includes physical needs as well as less apparent needs such as testing anxiety. If you need information about

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disabilities, please visit the Learning Center website at http://learningcenter.unc.edu/ldadhd-services/

Required Texts: All assigned readings should be completed before the appropriate class sessions for which they are assigned to generate class discussion and ensure you’re prepared to write.

The Associated Press Stylebook (2018 edition) Wilcox, D., & Reber, B. (2013). Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques 7th

Ed. Pearson: NJ. Other materials and handouts are posted on Sakai.

Course Schedule:

Class meeting

Concepts Reading What we’re doing Section

Jan. 10 What is GOOD writing, anyway? Back to the basics of composition

None. IntroductionsYour goals for this classMy expectations and grades

Lecture: What is good writing, anyway?

Core writing skills

Jan. 15 Back to basics, cont. Elements of Style: Chapters 1-4 (PDF on Sakai)

In-class writing: Your personal boilerplate

Lecture: Elements of Style

Jan. 17 Back to basics, cont. Eats, Shoots and Leaves: Chapters 1-3 (posted Sakai)

Quiz #1: Elements of style

Lecture: Grammar

Jan. 22 AP Style: Day 1 Bring you AP Style Book to class. Read:https://www.thebrandonagency.com/blog/why-the-ap-style-is-still-the-benchmark-for-writing-

Lecture: The AP Style Book: A Quick Tour

In-class exercise: AP style scavenger hunt

Due: Boilerplate for client

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professionals/

Jan. 24 AP Style: Day 2 AP Style Book: Skimmed Completed scavenger hunt exercise

In-class exercise: Practicing AP style

Jan. 29 News Writing: Structure and form

Wilcox and Reber: Chapters 1-2 (skimmed)

Quiz #2: AP Style Lecture: News structure

Jan. 31 The anatomy of a press release

Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 5

Lecture: The press release In-class writing: Persuasion exercise

PR essentials: Writing with uptake in mind Feb. 5 News briefs/media

advisories/facts sheets

Wilcox and Reber:Chapters 3

Lecture: Briefs, advisories, and facts sheets

Quiz #3: News writing structure Due: Final press release

Feb. 7 Press packets and events

Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 6

Lecture: Press packets and event planning

In-class exercise: Press conference catastrophes

Feb. 12 Writing bios Read CEO bios posted on Sakai

Lecture: Organization bios Quiz #4: Press releases

Feb. 14 Photos, videos, and other multimedia

Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 8

Lecture: Writing for visualization

In-class exercise: Captioning photos Due: Final talking points

Feb. 19 Rules of pitching to the media

Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 4

In-class exercise: Quick pitches

Feb. 21 Online newsrooms Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 9 and Chapter 12

In-class exercise: Reviewing online newsrooms

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Quiz #5: Rules of pitching

Feb. 26 Content marketing/storytelling

Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 7

Due: Final media pitch Internal communications

Feb. 28 Newsletter writing Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 13

In-class exercise: Outline for newsletter

March 5 Writing a communications plan

Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 17-18

In-class exercise: Outline drafting

Due: Final narrative/testimonial

March 7 Midterm Online – No class meeting

March 8-16

Spring Break

March 19 Editorial writing Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 7 (review)

In-class exercise: Editorial reviews

Writing on behalf of stakeholders

March 21 Script/speech writing Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 15

Lecture: Speech and scripts

March 26 Ghost writing Chapter TBDMarch 28 Social media writing

and management Lecture: Social mediaIn-class exercise: Writing for different social media

April 2 The news cycle and distribution

Wilcox and Reber: Chapter 3 (review)

Due: Final communications plan

Distribution

April 4 Ethical considerations for PR writing and pitching

Reading TBD Lecture: Ethics

April 9 Compiling a portfolio None. LectureApril 11 Portfolio critiques None. In-class exercise:

CritiquesApril 16 Group consultations April 18 Make-up day April 23 Presentations Day 1April 25 Presentations Day 2APRIL 30

FINAL FINAL EXAM MEETING AT 4 P.M.

Grading Scale

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Letter grades of A, A-, B+, B- C, D, and F are administered. For more information on the UNC grading system, visit this link: https://registrar.unc.edu/academic-services/grades/explanation-of-grading-system/. Final grades will be rounded up to the nearest tenth digit.

Assignments

Assignment Points Total Quizzes 10 (x5) 40 (-lowest grade)Writing assignments

Boilerplate Press ReleaseTalking PointsPitchContent marketingCommunications Plan

25 (X6) 150

Midterm 25 25Participation 10 10Final Project: Online Press Room

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Quizzes

I will administer five quizzes during the first half of the semester. The quizzes will cover material covered in course lectures and the course readings. You will have 15 minutes at the start of each class period to complete the quizzes. Quizzes are closed book/note and must be completed independently.

I will not allow re-takes, but will drop your lowest quiz score at the end of the semester. If you are absent on a day of a quiz and do not produce a written excuse, I will assume you have chosen this as your dropped quiz grade. Make-up quizzes will be permitted with documentation of an excused absence and scheduled during office hours.

Writing Assignments

95-100 A90-95 A-85-89 B+80-84 B-75-79 C+70-74 C-60-69 D59 or below F

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You will develop a portfolio demonstrating your ability to write a variety of PR pieces for a client of your choice. You will upload each assignment to Sakai in the designated “assignment” folder.

All written assignments are due before class on the day indicated on the schedule.

Boilerplate (Due: Jan. 22)You must write a 300-word boilerplate that summarizes your organization of choice and includes essential information, including brand identity, background, date established, trademark products/services, accolades, vision, and helpful links. Boilerplates are crisp, comprehensive, concise, and straightforward.

Press Release (Due: Feb. 5)After doing background research on your client of choice, you must re-create a press release for product reveal or announcement appearing in the media. I will work with each group to determine the appropriate product or announcement. You must reach out to a REAL member of the PR team at your organization of choice to obtain the necessary information for crafting the press release. You may cull information sources from the organization’s website and media coverage, but you should take great care not to plagiarize press releases already written on the topic. This assignment must include a headline, lede, a nutgraph, a quote, all essential details, media contact information, and the boilerplate. Should not exceed 500 words.

Talking Points (Due: Feb. 14)You will develop a list of guiding statements to assist your organization’s leader in getting a set of key messages to the media during press conference.

Pitch (Due: Feb. 26)You will write a 200-word email pitch directly to a reporter. This is a practice in packing in a lot of detail and persuasion in a short communication. What are the aspects of the pitch that will be most interesting to the reporter? What type of piece are you proposing? How does this fit with the reporter’s beat or topical interests? What advantage are you offering the reporter?

Content Marketing Piece (Due: March 5)As a PR practitioner, you will do your own reporting and storytelling. This is a practice in writing website content in the form of informational content or developing a narrative that exemplifies the brand. I expect you to be creative in how you develop your original piece. You should generate your own idea of a story or narrative that you want to highlight on a webpage that achieves this purpose for your organization.

Communications Plan (Due: April 2)You will write a communications plan centered on an event or announcement relevant to your organization. You will write a two-page communications plan that plots out the timeline for creation and distribution of written media, including press releases, content marketing pieces, social media posts, internal communication, multimedia, and media pitches. It is important that this document outlines the precise strategic devices and tactics, or actions, that will be employed to carry out the communications plan.

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Midterm

You will complete a multiple choice, take-home midterm that covers good writing basics, Elements of Style rules, punctuation, AP style, news writing structure, press release components, talking points, and pitches. The exam is open-book and must be completed be 11:59 p.m. on March 7.

Final Project

During the first week of class, you will be assigned to a group of 3-4 members. Your team will share the same client throughout the semester and write press releases on similar topics and events. Using WordPress webpage development software, your team will create a digital newsroom containing essential sources, including press releases, photos with captions, media advisories, content marketing, and links to social media pages. We will inspect existing digital newsrooms during the semester, so you will have models to guide your development process and material. You will present your digital newsroom and all its components on the final day of class.

This project does require some coding knowledge, but we will have a class day dedicated to using the WordPress software. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with WordPress and other CMS systems.

Participation

Your participation grade will be calculated based on meaningful contributions to class discussion. I expect you to show respect to your classmates, complete the reading, and contribute to classroom discourse in an intelligent manner. Not showing up, showing up late, not paying attention (e.g., using social media during class) or reckless and rude behavior will result in a deduction of your participation grade. You will receive one warning before points are deducted.

Absence Policy

Life happens, and sometimes we cannot make it to class. I understand. However, I have a strict policy of three “get-out-of-jail-free” excused absences per semester. That said, these three automatic absences include undocumented sick days and special events you might plan to attend that interfere with our class. You cannot make-up a missed quiz or assignment unless you turn in documentation justifying the absence from a legitimate source (e.g., a doctor, another professor, a coach). Only after receiving the written justification/note will I consider allowing you to make up the missed quiz or in-class assignment.

A fourth unexcused/undocumented absence will result in an automatic 10-point deduction in your final grade. Any additional absences thereafter must be reported to the Academic Dean’s Office as you may not be able to complete the course.

Late assignments:

An assignment uploaded even a minute after the start of will receive a deduction of 10 points. I will not accept late assignments one week past the original deadline.