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Name:__________

COMM 2042
Packet 2
Prof Autumn Miller
Fall 2023
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Ch 4 Research
PR Research

II. Applied Research-

III. When do we do It?

R esearch (situational analysis) P lanning

1) Initial Client Interview

O bjectives
2) Archival Research
Informational
Motivational
Reputational
3) Secondary Research

4) SWOT Analysis

5) Primary Research

6) Target Publics Analysis

P rogramming I mplementation
Target Audiences
Key Messages 1) Goals
Strategy 2) Strategies
Tactics 3) Objectives
Timetable 4) Tactics
Budget 5) Timetable
6) Budget

E valuation E valuation

S tewardship

IV. What are three kinds of research that happen during the PR process?
-
-
-
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V. How do we do it? Types of Research Methods:

A. Quantitative-after precise results expressed in numbers or statistics; observe effects, test
relationships and generate numerical data that is considered “objective”; can do computerized
statistical analysis and can be projected onto a larger population than just those studied

1) Survey
One of the most common research methods + -
Self report bias
Qualities of a good survey:
-answers the questions you need to know
-right place, right time
-good length
-explains its purpose
-includes the right sample
-Thanks people for their time
-Offers an incentive

2) Content Analysis
Method of examining and categorizing + -
existing communication (i.e., “texts”) and
involves a structured coding system

Code coverage as:

__________________ _________________ ____________________
(e.g., Brandwatch, Meltwater, Cision, BurrellesLuce)

3) Digital Analytics
Tools that allow you to collect, organize and analyze online date (e.g. websites and social media
platforms about customer and use conversations, activities, trends and patterns)

Programs such as:

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4) Experiments-
A/B Testing:

B. Qualitative-after general information or meaning; expressed in words; useful for exploring attitudes,
perceptions, values, and opinions; descriptive and interpretive—cannot be generalized to a larger
population

1) Observation –when the researcher

+ -
“participates” in an activity to better
understand those involved and their POVS Hawthorne Effect
a. complete observation
b. participant observation
b. going native
f. social listening

3) Depth Interviews –probing, one-on-one conversation that typically uses a semi-structured interview
guide
+ -

+ -
4) Focus Groups –Very common in PR and
advertising; a collective depth interview
conducted with 6-12 participants
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C. Mixed Methods –When you combine insights from both quant and qual
D. Multiple Methods-When you combine insights from multiple kinds of qualitative data or
quantitative data together

+ -

Kinds of mixing:
a. Surveys with open- ended questions
b. Surveys with interviews
c. Focus Groups and Surveys
d. Observation or Social Listening and Web Analytics
e. Social Listening and website audit

Homework:
Use Chat GPT to learn more about the following. Be prepared to share with the class.

1) What is a website audit? How do you conduct a website audit?

2) What is a brand audit? How do you conduct a brand audit?

3) What is social listening? What is involved in the process of social listening? What is the
goal of social listening? What programs can help with social listening?
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CH. 5 Begin News Release Process Here

Directions:
Use your group number to find the organization/problem you will be working on using the
guide below. Keep in mind that the problem you work on here will help set you up for the news
release you will write later.

1-2
Problem: The CDC wants college students to get their COVID booster shots this fall.

3-4
Problem: The organization Fight Colorectal Cancer wants to Gen Z to take proper care of their colons.

5
Problem: Robert F Kennedy Jr. wants to be the next President of the United States.

6
Problem: Residents of Lahaina Hawaii need help recovering from recent fires.

7
Problem: Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher want to regain the mainstream public/s trust.

8
Problem: the AFL-CIO wants more millennials to get involved in the labor movement.
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Organization:
What is the problem/Situation?

What should be the goal of your campaign?

1) Informational/Awareness
2) Motivational/Behavioral/Sales

3) Reputational

(P)lanning/Research
What kind of questions would you want to ask the client? (Initial Client Interview)

Archival Research (What kind of documents or items would you want to see from their archive?
What would items of documents would be helpful if they had them already?)

Do some secondary research about the problem—what do you learn (i.e., about the situation,
potential publics, etc.)?

What kind of Primary Research could you do? Circle: QUANT QUAL MULTI MIXED

What would you gather?

What would you hope to learn?

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(I)mplementation
a. In addition to your event and news release, what other strategies/tactics could you use to
solve problem/accomplish goals?
Think: PESO
Circle or highlight the ones you think would be helpful in accomplishing your goals:
A. Paid media advertising (commercials on TV, radio, ads in magazines, newspapers,
outdoor marketing/billboards)
B. Earned media (e.g., Media Relations, mainstream news on TV, Radio, Magazines,
news release, news conference, media tours, media kits)
C. Shared Social Media (social media)
D. Owned Media (newsletter, website, blogs, social media)
E. Publicity Stunts
F. Specialized Media (e.g. internal publications, specialized magazines or list servs)
G. Influencer Marketing
H. Events/Experiential Marketing
I. Printed Materials
J. Email Marketing
K. Direct mail
L. Annual Report
M. Video Marketing
N. Sales Promotions
O. Others??

Think: PR Theory (which theory seems applicable here?)

Think: Which PR Model seems to be at play here? (e.g., press agentry, public information, two
way asymmetrical, two way symmetrical)—How can you tell?

(E)valuation
How will you know your strategies and tactics are successful (i.e. , what evidence will be proof of your
success?)
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Chapter 6: PR Writing
Recipe for SUCCESS for sharpening your writing and increasing its effectiveness

S imple

U nexpected

C oncrete

C redible

E motional

S torytelling

S trategic

What kind of writing styles/documents could you write in PR?

What is AP style? When do we use it?

What is the purpose of a news release?

What is inverted Pyramid Style?

Identify the following :

Headline

Inverted pyramid

Dateline

Lead

Quotes
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Boilerplate

Contact Info
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Chapter 7: Media Relations in a Digital World

News Values Exercise

Homework:

Pick two news outlets 

 Find three stories from each outlet

to read and analyze, 6 stories total
 Detail the who, what when where
why
 Read the stories and headlines &
decide which of the news values it
demonstrates
 Be prepared to discuss in class

Ask ChatGPT: What are the best

alternative news sources on the internet
specifically unaffiliated with major media
outlets?
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Example:

Outlet: Huffington Post

Headline: Biden appoints new education secretary

News values: prominence, impact

W5: Who: Biden What: new education secretary When: this week; Where: Washington, DC Why: Because he gets to appoint this person
into office and doesn’t want the former person to be in the position

Outlet 1

A. Headline:

News Value(s) in story:

W5:

B. Headline:

News Value(s) in story:

W5:

C.Headline:

News Value(s) in story:

W5:
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Outlet 2

A.Headline:

News Value(s) in story:

W5:

B.Headline:

News Value(s) in story:

W5:

C.Headline:

News Value(s) in story:

W5:
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In class: USE ChatGPT to find these answers:

-How do you build relationships with journalists?

-What is a pitch?

-What are components of a good pitch?

-What is news jacking? What are some examples of newsjacking?

HW: What outlets and/or journalists would be interested in your event/news release? List at list 3 points of contact and explain why each is
a good fit

HW: Write a brief pitch for your news release targeted at one of the outlets above.
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News Release & Pitch Rubric

Criteria Pts

Appropriateness of event
The event you write about makes sense for the problem you are trying to address, the company you are writing about, and the 2 pts
audience you are trying to attract.

Effectiveness of headline
10 words or fewer, captures the essence of the story, contains newsworthy element, is catchy yet not promotional 2 pts

Use of inverted pyramid style

The most important info is included in the lead paragraph and additional paragraphs elaborate and expand upon the lead, with 2 pts
more important details higher in the document and less important details coming later

Strong Lead paragraph that covers the W5 (who, what, when where, why and possibly how)
The first 1-2 sentences capture the essence/importance of the story, reflects what’s previewed in the headline, and can stand 2 pts
alone and still capture the overall the story.

Inclusion of Meaningful Quotes & Details

Quotes are made up and fictitious, but make sense and add depth to the story/include people important or close to the 2 pts
story/organization; background info further down the pyramid makes sense and supports the lead paragraph

Avoidance of promotional language

(i.e., written in third person objective, avoids personal pronouns unless in quotes; doesn't sounds like you are heavily promoting 2 pts
or selling the organization/“cheerleading”; focus on the news/event, not the organization

Proofreading and attention to detail (e.g., avoidance of typos, adherence to formatting, longer than 1 page, no more than 2
2 pts
pages to allow for some depth and detail)
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Criteria Pts

Written from third person objective point of view (i.e., avoids use of personal pronouns unless in quotes, written factually)
2 pts

Includes brief explanation of what news values your release makes use of
3 pts

Includes 3 potential outlets/contacts where your release/pitch could be sent

3 pt

Properly executes standard template format

8 pts

Correctly executes email template format 3 pts

Pitch
Executed with no spelling or grammar errors; written and tailored to a specific journalist or blogger; significance/newsworthiness
7 pts
of story highlighted; what happens next or is expected is explained, short, concise and to the point; includes catchy email subject
line, includes sign off from sender & contact info; makes the reader want to learn more
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Ch. 7 (continued) PR in the Digital World

AP Style, SEO, & Content Marketing

AP Style

1. What does AP stand for?

2. Why is understanding how to use AP style in PR writing in important?

3. How do you learn AP style?

4. How do you write headlines?

5. Does Cincinnati require a state in the dateline?

6. What is a dateline

7. How do you write the numbers 1-9 in AP? 10 and up?

8. How do you write dates?

9. How do you write months in AP?

10. How do you write times in AP?

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SEO, SEM & Content Marketing

1. What is SEO? What are the goals of SEO?

2. What are the components of good SEO?

3. What is SEM?

4. Why is it important to understand and get experience with SEO, SEM and Content Marketing if
you are considering a career in PR?

5. What is a conversion? Provide examples.

6. How are the SEO and SEM similar? Different?

7. What is content marketing? Provide examples.

8. What are some way you can learn more about SEO?
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Chapter 8: Social Media

Recall Your Organization’s Goal/Problem:_____________________________ Platform:______________

Followers:________________

Use this sheet to guide your social listening to your organization’s social media feed for 10—15 minutes.
Take note of the frequency of these good social media posting habits in your feed. After you have filled
this table out, answer the accompanying questions.

Social Listening Sheet

Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always Notes:
Images used
Videos used
GIFs used
Hashtags used
Simple Questions asked
Attempted
interaction/Relationship
Building
Valuable information offered
Links are used
There is a positive tone
There are emotional appeals
There are uses of clear calls to
action
There are contests/giveaways
There is limited use of “that”
Posts are reader /audience
focused (e.g., they answer
”what’s in it for me”)
Entertaining content
Inspiring content
Short sentences/fragments
There is
self-promotion/broadcasting
They engage with followers
Likes
Reshares
Notes:
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1) What stood out to you most about this feed? Any themes or patterns?

2) What was the best part about this feed?

3) How could this feed be improved?

4) What posting strategy does it seem to be using? (4:1:1, 80/20; Golden rule) Explain your
response.

5) Develop 2-3 hashtags that could be used in this feed.

6) Develop 1 contest or giveaway that could be used in this feed.

7) Based on your social listening & analysis, create 2 original posts for this feed.

8) Input your posts into the Excel content calendar template in the weekly module to get some
practice. Turn in one per group into canvas.

Research a PR job:
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Search for PR jobs using some of the key words we discussed in the Chapter 1
PowerPoint on a site such as Indeed.com, Monster or LinkedIn. You can also find
a job posting through a company you already have an interest in or look into an
internship through Handshake. Then, answer the prompts below.

1. Job Title:

2. Location of job

3. Is this position entry-level or no?

4. Requirements:

5. Duties & Responsibilities

6. Special Programs you will use/they want you skilled in (if not present, put

N/A)

7. Salary or Benefits (if not present, put N/A)

8. Could you see yourself doing this job? Why or why not?