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CHAPTER II

Practice Correspondence

Exercise 1

Part of effective PR writing planning is to recognize when something you have written previously can be used or can be quickly adapted to fill another purpose. For example, you typically will have many opportunities to use a boilerplate paragraph: at the end of news releases, as part of a brochure and in the conference program of industry trade fairs.

Write a boilerplate paragraph of any company that you will use again in later assignments.

Exercise 2

Visit the site http://fema.gov/news and prepare a boilerplate paragraph that Federal Emergency Management Agency might use at the end of media releases. (About 100 words).

Exercise 3

Arrange the parts of the press release so that everything is in the correct place. (from www.facebook.com)

Facebook Agrees to Acquire Sharing service FriendFeed

Palo Alto, Calif. – August 10, 2010 – Faceoook today announced that it has agreed to acquire FriendFeed , the innovative service for sharing online.

About Facebook

Founded in February 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment. Facebook is a privately held company and is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.

“As we spend time with Mark and his leadership team, we were impressed by the open, creative culture they’ve built and their desire to have us contribute to it,” said

Paul Buchheit, another FriendFeed co-founder. Buchheit, the Google engineer behind

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Gmail and the originator of Google’s “Don’t be evil” motto, added ,”It was immediately obvious to us how passionate Facebook’s engineers are about creating simple, ground-breaking ways for people to share, and we are extremely excited to join such a like-minded group.”

Taylor and Buchheit founded FriendFeed along with Jim Norris and Sanjeev Singh in October 2007 after all four played key roles at Google for products like Gmail and GoogleMaps. At FriendFeed they have brought together a world-class team of engineers and designers.

“Facebook and FriendFeed share a common vision of giving people tools to share and connect with their friends,” said Bred Taylor, a FriendFeed co-founder and, previously, the group product manager who launched Google Maps. “We can’t wait to join the team and bring many of the innovations we’ve developed at FriendFeed to Facebook’s 250 million users around the world.”

“Since I first tried FriendFeed, I’ve admired their team for creating such a simple and elegant service for people to share information.” Said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO. “As this shows, our culture continues to make Facebook a place where the best engineers come to build things quickly that lots of people will use.”

FriendFeed is based in Mountain View, Calif. And has 12 employees. FriendFeed.com will continue to operate normally for the time being as the teams determine the longer term plans for the product.

# # #

Exercise 4

Write a news release announcing the launch of a new product. Your release should be set out in the correct format.

Exercise 5

On Saturday, July 31, at 11 a.m., the Paperback Power Bookstore at 7777 Main Street, Little Falls, New Jersey, will host an autograph session for Lilian Lockhart, author of the current bestseller, The Office Worker’s Weekday Diet Book. The book, published by Knoll Books was described in The New York Times as “a valuable, mustread book for anyone who works in an office.” Ms. Lockhart, a registered nutritionist, is also author of Eat and Run: A Diet for Joggers, among other books. Emil Lazar, owner of Paperback Power, has said that Ms. Lochart’s appearance at the store will be the first of a series of autographing events at the bookstore. Prepare a news release for the Little Falls Press announcing the event.

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Exercise 6

The following information was printed in “The Washington Post”. Your task is to write a press release that was used as the basis for this information.

By The Associated Press

The Associated Press

Saturday, November 6, 2010; 2:06 PM

Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer has sold about $1.3 billion worth of his company shares recently, the first time he's done so in seven years.

Ballmer confirmed the stock sales Friday and said they were made to diversify his investments and aid his year-end tax planning. He said he plans to sell as many as 75 million shares by year's end. Securities and Exchange Commission filings by Ballmer this week show he sold about 50 million shares.

Ballmer still holds about 350 million shares, worth some $9 billion at Microsoft's current price of around $26. Ballmer issued a statement "to avoid any confusion," saying he was excited about the Microsoft's new products and is fully committed to the company.

In a rare move, Microsoft issued the statement on Ballmer's behalf, likely looking to head off any speculation that the sale of a substantial block of his shares indicated anything negative about the company. Ballmer heads the powerful software giant and is also one of the biggest names in U.S. business.

"Even though this is a personal financial matter, I want to be clear about this to avoid any confusion," Ballmer said in the statement. "I am excited about our new products and the potential for our technology to change people's lives, and I remain fully committed to Microsoft and its success."

In a gathering with technology workers last month, Ballmer dismissed suggestions that Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft needs to take differing approaches to technology for consumers and business users. People want the same technology at work as they do at home, he said. Ballmer also said he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

(from “The Washington Post”)

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Exercise 7

The following information was printed in “The Washington Post”. What documents were used as the basis for this information?

AOL third-quarter earnings more than double last year's after asset sales Network

News

Wednesday, November 3, 2010; 9:21 PM

The sale of assets allowed AOL to more than double its third-quarter earnings compared with last year, despite continued declines in the company's advertising and Internet subscription businesses.

The company's profits rose to $171.6 million, or $1.60 per share, in the third quarter of 2010 largely from to the sale of AOL's investment in the online travel site Kayak and its ICQ instant messaging program. That's a 132 percent climb from $74 million, or 70 cents per share, during the same period last year.

But the company has still lost $848.7 million during the first nine months of the year; chief executive Tim Armstrong repeated during a conference call with analysts that he expects the company's advertising business will rebound in 2011.

The company's balance sheets have been in flux since December of last year, when its split from then-parent corporation Time Warner became official. The company is in the midst of an overhaul as it looks to shake its history as an Internet provider and emerge as one of the Web's primary content creators and advertising platforms.

"This is the first time in a long time AOL has fully focused on playing offense," Armstrong said.

A string of acquisitions, product relaunches and asset sales have kept news coming from AOL every few weeks, most recently that the company had launched a new homepage and agreed to sell the east side of its former Dulles headquarters for $144.5 million.

If the Dulles sale is finalized in mid-November as expected, AOL's cash on hand will climb to $750 million. Armstrong said during the call that some of the money will be used for future acquisitions, particularly those that bring recognizable brands into AOL's suite of Web properties and enhance its technology platforms.

Arthur Minson, the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer, said acquisitions made during the third quarter provide insight into future buys. AOL spent $97.1 million at the end of September to pick up Silicon Valley blog TechCrunch,

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online video distributor 5min Media and small social-media company Thing Labs.

"The types of acquisitions you saw us do in the third quarter, where we brought brands into the company, technology into the company and talent into the company, I think those will continue to be the sweet spots where we focus," Minson said.

(from “The Washington Post”)

Exercise 8

The Reliable Drug store, 120 Franklin street, Roscoe, New York, has been serving the community for over twenty years. On Monday, May 3, the grand opening will take place of a Health Food Annex to be located in what used to be Fred’s Barber Shop, just to the right of Reliable’s main store, at 118 Franklin Street. According to Marie

Mansfield, present owner and daughter of the founder of Reliable Drug, Hiram Mansfield, the expansion was promoted by widespread interest in health foods as well as by increasing demand for top-quality vitamins and minerals. Ms. Mansfield said, “We intend to offer to small-town residents the variety of a big-city health food store and plan to carry everything from powdered yeast and protein to frozen yogurt and dried fruit.” Write a news release to be sent to the local media outlet making the expansion sound as newsworthy as possible.

Exercise 9

Read again the news release of Lego Group and Wood Wood team (Chapter I,

sample 1-3). This time your task is to write a pitch letter attached to the news release. You will write to Mr. Green from THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (230 N. Michigan Avenue Chicago, II, 60601).

Exercise 10

Read the following pitch letter and then write a press release that might be attached to the letter.

September 28, 20__

Ms. Sue Cross

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

230 N. Michigan Avenue

Chicago, II, 60601

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Dear Ms. Cross:

It may have taken the president to give Kennebunkport, Meine, a place on the map, but a 10-year-old boy is literally putting the small hamlet of Parrott, VA., on the map.

Young Chris Muncy from Mishawaka, Inc. wrote a letter to Randy McNally last year asking that Parrott, home of his grandparents and great-grandmother, be added to the company’s top-selling Rand McNally Road Atlas. Muncy often traveled to Parrott (population 800) to visit his grandparents and found planning the route difficult without the small town on the map.

Now, thanks to Chris Muncy’s letter, on October 2, Parrott, Va., takes its place on the map in the Rand McNally Road Atlas. It marks the 67th edition of the nation’s bestselling annual paperback.

The new Rand McNally Road Atlas, updated annually, includes thousands of changes from the 1990 edition. These include additions of towns, highways, state parks, rest areas and other points of interest that are vital to the traveler.

The attached news release provides more information on the Road atlas from Dr.

Michael Dobson, the man who “puts towns on the map” for Rand McNally and leads the company’s year-round effort to keep American motorists from getting lost.

I’ll call you soon to determine your interest in pursuing this story. Should you require additional information, please contact me or Jim Heiniger at 266-4550. We would be happy to arrange an interview for you with Dr. Dobson or Chris Muncy to further discuss making it “on the map”.

Sincerely,

Signature

Jeff Beckman

PR Manager

Exercise 11

Read the following press release and then prepare a script of the PSA that might be attached to it.

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FEMA Launches Project Impact Disaster Prevention Radio PSA

Americans Encouraged To Take A New Look At Disasters And What They Can Do

To Prevent Damage

Release Date: September 20, 20__

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA)

Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities has launched a combined television and radio public announcement (PSA) campaign encouraging Americans to ask what their community is doing to become disaster resistant. The PSA, whose theme is “you can’t prevent the weather, but you can prevent the damage”, urges community members to ask what their local community is doing to prevent disaster damage.

The PSA follows two recent surveys regarding tornado and hurricane seasons. Survey respondents said they felt well prepared for disasters, but that they had not been taken any prevention measures to prepare for natural disasters. In hurricane-prone states, 76 percent of respondents in northern states and 58 percent in southern states had not taken any prevention measures. In tornado-prone states, 56 percent of respondents had not taken any prevention measures against tornadoes.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which serves and represents

America’s radio and television stations, has taken on FEMA’s Project Impact as a national campaign and will work to promote among its members the importance of prevention measures to reduce disaster damage.

Since its inception in 1997, nearly 250 communities and more than 2,500 business partners have embraced Project Impact. Instead of waiting for disasters to occur, Project Impact communities take action to reduce potentially devastating disasters before they occur. For more information about Project Impact, call (202) 646-4117 or email project.impact@fema.gov.

# # #

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Exercise 12

The following PSA should be sent to the local radio station. Arrange its layout in accordance with standard format.

“WHAT IF A DISASTER STRIKES YOUR FAMILY WITHOUT WARNING?

WHAT IF LIFE AS YOU KNOW IT HAS COMPLETELY TURNED ON ITS HEAD? WHAT IF EVERYTHING FAMILIAR BECOMES ANYTHING BUT?

BEFORE A DISASTER TURNS YOUR FAMILY’S WORLD UPSIDE DOWN, IT’S

UP TO YOU TO BE READY. GET A KIT. MAKE A PLAN. BE INFORMED. TODAY. LEARN HOW AT READY.GOV.”

Exercise 13

Although PSAs by definition promote not-for-profit organizations and causes, companies that sponsor such causes may become involved in producing the PSAs or you may find yourself doing so as a volunteer. PSAs are always good exercises in creating persuasive messages for a range of audiences. Develop a PSA (from identification of the public to creation of the message) with the following purpose:

a.Educate your community on the importance of early childhood education and encourage them to become involved with Jumpstart’s Read by donating a book to a child in need, or creating an online book drive.

b.Help reduce illegal underage drinking and its harmful side effects with resources from the We Don’t Serve Teens Program. The campaign works to limit teens’ access to alcohol in an effort to prevent risky behaviour and injury commonly associated with illegal underage alcohol consumption.

c.Help your community stay informed about the H1N1 flu virus with the Department of Health and Human Services.

d.Help Teens celebrate Smart during graduation season by joining with NAB to help spread life-saving information to high school students and their families.

e.Prepare your community for any type of disaster with important disaster relief and preparedness information

f.Educate your community on the importance of a more eco-friendly environment.

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Exercise 14

The Merchants Insurance Company of Tucson is holding its annual executive banquet on September 8, at 7 p.m. It will be held in the Gold Room of the Barclay Country Club, 7000 Country Club Road, Tucson, Arizona 85726. Design a formal invitation that the company can send to all its executives. Include a request for response by August 24th.

Exercise 15

You are employed by the First National Bank of Dayton, 1742 Broad Street, Dayton, Ohio 45463. You recently opened both a savings and a checking account for Claire Paulsen, a new resident of Dayton. Write a letter to Ms. Paulsen (2222 Elm Street, Dayton, Ohio 45466) to welcome her to the city and to the bank.

Exercise 16

You are administrative assistant to the president of Burton and Doyle, Inc. 355 Bond Street, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901. Your boss Mr. Arthur J. Burton, asks you to write a letter of congratulations, which he will sign, to Theodore Manning, 72 North Eden, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601, a junior executive who has just been named “Father of the Year” by the La Crosse Boy Scouts Council.

Exercise 17

You are employed by American Associates, Inc., 28 North Howard Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122. Your boss, Jacqueline Austin, 4500 Poplar Street, Hanover, Pennsylvania 17331, has not been in the office for several days, and it has just been announced that her mother died. Since Ms. Austin will not be returning to work for a week or two, write a letter to express your condolence.