COMM 2301 Project #2: Writing a Press Release
Project Goal: Students will identify a recent, relevant public relations issue and construct a news release that appropriately addresses the issue from the company’s perspective. Students will construct their news releases while acting in the role as a public relations practitioner within the company. Students can choose to focus on a negative issue a company is looking to recover from or a positive issue that may not be receiving enough media attention.
Project Areas: After identifying your story idea and receiving instructor approval, students will:
- Conduct thorough research to explore the issue from all sides.
- Make sure that your topic has not already thoroughly received media and public relations attention – if it has, choose a different topic
- Explore how the issue affects the organization and its key audience groups
- Research the issue on company pages, news articles, and social media
- Keep in mind Chapter 5 (Research), Chapter 7 (Communication), Chapter 9 (Public Opinion and Persuasion), and Chapter 14 (Preparing Materials for Mass Media) as you research and craft your campaign plan!
- Develop a unique strategy for a public relations campaign based around the issue.
- Write a 500-word press release that puts your strategy in action and includes:
- One quote from a company official regarding the topic
- Reach out to officials via e-mail, social media, or phone asking for a brief statement on the issue to be used in your release.
- You may need to send follow-up messages before you get a response, so plan to send these out as early as possible!
- Comprehensive supporting research and information that thoroughly addresses the issue and the company’s stance on the matter
- One quote from a company official regarding the topic
Crafting a News Release: Students will be expected to:
- Utilize the Parts of a Standard Press Release template on Blackboard in order to develop their release with a consistent writing style and format.
- Use effective writing techniques while operating as a credible and professional public relations representative of the company of your choice.
- Remember your audience! You are writing these releases to pitch the story to reporters and editors, but you want to give them everything they may need to form an article out of it along the way.
- Include an effective boilerplate piece at the end of your release to give context to your organization
- Many companies will have these one-paragraph summaries on their websites, or you can create your own.
Project Rubric (Five scoring areas, 100 points total)
| Points | Partial | Adequate | Strong | |
| Headline and Lead
• Creativity of original headline and lead to clearly identify topic • Coverage of 5 W’s and 1 H • Accuracy to subject and audience |
10 | |||
| News Release
• Utilization of inverted pyramid style • Thorough coverage and format of news release style • Incorporation of source quote (from a company insider) • Inclusion of “boilerplate” company background at end of piece • Accuracy to subject and audience • Creative implementation of course themes |
30 | |||
| Strategy and Research
• Understanding of subject matter and different sides of the issue • Creative solutions to address the issue from a PR perspective • Effective utilization of key public relations concepts (transparency, responsiveness, mutually beneficial, well-performed) • Creative implementation of course themes |
20 | |||
| Content and Rules
• Adherence to 500-word requirement • Coverage of assignment topic, incorporation of course themes • Utilization of the Parts of a Standard Press Release Template (available on Blackboard) • Grammar, spelling, and overall structure |
20 | |||
| Voice
• Style and approach to content • Consistency of tone • General flow and quality |
20 |
