Implement These Four Effective Tips To Write An Impressive Public Relations Assignment

Remember that supernatural horror film ‘The Ring’ directed by Gore Verbinski which revolves around a videotape that kills everyone who watches it within a week’s time? Paramount Pictures planned a publicity stunt where the protagonist scared people in a real-life scenario. The video of this stunt received over 10 million views on Facebook. This is a simple example of how public relations can help a brand achieve a positive reputation among a wider set of audience.

Public Relations is the science and art of establishing relationships between an organization and its key audiences. It helps different industries create a strong relationship with customers through advertisements, local stories, current affairs, etc. it sets up a two-way flow of information and understanding for organization. From content manager to media director, Public Relations encompasses a wide variety of careers. The average salary in this field ranges between $54, 652 to $226, 918.

You can make the most of these lucrative careers only if you have higher grades in your public relations assignments at the university. So, keep these top four tips in mind to write an impressive PR assignment with the utmost precision.

1. Identify all the writing tasks associated with PR

In the book ‘Effective Public Relations’, Glen. M. Broom defines Public Relations as a discipline that looks after reputation and is also responsible for influencing opinion and behavior. It involves a lot of print work. You may have to write press releases, news stories or design print materials for publicity, advertising, marketing and broadcasting. Writing is the hinge around which effective and successful PR rotates.

The different types of writing tasks associated with PR are:

PR Functions

• Mutually beneficial relations with the public
• Image building
• The link between organization and publics
• Evaluating public attitude
• Value building
• Promoting public acceptance

Media Functions

• Advertising
• Entertaining
• Educating
• Information giving

Media Interest

• Local stories
• Social gossip
• Sports
• Conflict
• Education
• Health
• Current affairs
• Human interests
• Environment

A successful PRO is expected to write great stories about the organization he/she is working for. Each type of task caters to a specific purpose. Value building, for instance, requires you to increase the visibility of the products or services, personalize the brand, raise the profile, etc. Understand what each task asks of you and then proceed accordingly. You can also get public relations assignment help if you find it hard to understand any of these tasks.

2. Choose an appropriate news story format

New stories are one of the most popular tasks that PR students are often asked to write. There are three main types of new stories. Read your question carefully and pick the right format accordingly. Even most PR employers tend to hire candidates who have a fair knowledge of all the different formats of news stories. So, take your time to understand each format and implement the guidelines. You can always go ahead and talk to your professors if you still feel confused.

The different types of news stories are:

• Hard news stories

This deals with something that has just happened or is still happening. For example, let’s assume you are writing about an accident that had just killed an important person in your organization. So, write about the facts related to it like where were they going, who were the eyewitnesses, etc. Stick to the point and include only graspable details.

• Soft news stories

These deal with speculation, opinions, proposals and plans. At times, you can also be asked to get a soft story from certain hard news stories. For example, let’s say you have encountered hard news that says ‘accidents kill people.’ So, you can write about the common causes and frequency of these accidents as your soft news story.

• Human interest news stories

This news story is literally about people. Human interest news stories should seize the attention of your readers and your PR should be able to squeeze emotional reaction from them. From anger to sympathy, it is up to you which emotion you want your readers to feel after reading your news story. Your aim should be to compel the reader to identify with the affected through this news story.

You have to start all these news stories with an intro. The intro is not short for introduction here. The intro is rather the first sentence of your news story that communicates with your readers. Most people don’t lack the time to read the entire thing. So, they focus on the first line or the intro of your news stories. You must know what you are communicating and write the intro accordingly.

3. Follow the inverted pyramid

 PR writing indicates strong storytelling techniques. You must follow the inverted pyramid style while writing your PR assignments to arrange all your details in the descending order of importance. That means you have to start with the most important information and end your paper with the least important information. The motive of writing, according to an inverted style, is to hold the attention of your readers till the end of your write-up.

The inverted pyramid consists of 5Ws and H, such as:

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
• How

Let’s say you are writing about a fight between the Kardashian sisters. So, your story should discuss who said what, when did that person say so, where were they and why did the fight take place. You can also begin with a proverb and some relevant background information. Journalists should claim the stories as their own while writing them.

4. Include factual background information

Unlike in other disciplines, the background information in PR shouldn’t only be relevant but also completely factual. Background information is not a part of the story. But, it sets your story in the right perspective. Remember, background information is not a mere comment in PR. It determines the quality, credibility and authenticity of your story. Talk to your professors if you aren’t able to get hold of proper background information related to your topic.

Here’s an example of writing proper background information:

• This year’s felicitation celebrations are similar to other celebrations we have been holding- This is the right way of writing background information in PR assignments.
• ‘This year’s felicitation celebrations indicate how hardworking we are and our previous celebrations prove our ability.’- This is a comment.

Check if your background information is factual enough to enhance the credibility of your write-up. The past details help you get your message across clearly. Also, try to use background information that your readers need to understand the whole story but cannot use otherwise. Your readers will use this information to formulate your story and ask further questions.

Wrapping Up,

Writing a Public Relations assignment involves assessing public attitudes, maintaining mutual relations and understanding between the public and an organization. It takes a great deal of hard work and time to write a perfect PR assignment. Don’t worry; these tips have got your back. Implement them and get your paper ready easily. At times, you may have to write how the PR theory influences consumer behavior. You can opt for consumer behavior assignment help to understand the type of details you should include for this topic.