nnChoose a health issue/topic we have covered in the course this quarter that you believe either the general public or a specific audience needs to know more about. You will assume the role or Director of PR/Public Policy for a nonprofit association with the mission to promote awareness and influence public policy on this issue. Your final project comes in three parts:nnPart 1:nnDevelop a strategic promotional plan (one page ) detailing how you would draw attention and awareness to this issue.nn(it should look like an outline )nnExample :nnGoal: To be a world leader in doggie daycare facilities.nnObjective: Increase the number of canine clients from 50 to 150 within six months.nnStrategy: Reach out to new puppy parents by working with local veterinary clinics.nnTactics: Give each new canine client at area veterinary clinics posh pet kits with a coupon for one free day at our facilities.nnTool: The posh pet kits/coupons.nnPart 2:nnWrite a pitch letter to a reporter about a story concept you would like them to use promoting your organization’s key messages on this issue.nnInstructionsn

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1. Familiarize yourself with the reporter and publication. A big mistake many writers make is to target the wrong audience. Even within a single publication, reporters have different areas of specialization. Some may target health from the business side, others focus on the research and development of new medicines and treatments, while others may focus on healthy lifestyle stories.

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1. Research the reporter’s stated story preferences. This will explain the type of articles he or she writes and very often, how they prefer to be contacted. The publication may also have specific dates during which it accepts submissions. Some magazines will also tell you what they don’t want, based on the mistakes of past submitters.

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2. Address your query to a specific person, if possible. Sometimes you might need to check a media database such as Cision or Burrelle’s for information. Many magazines have specific editors of different departments. If you can’t find the editor’s name, address it to the editor of the department, for example, “Dear Features Editor,” but this is only as a last resort.

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1. Start with your article’s lead. This is a line, or a few lines, that captures the essence of your story, and it should grab the editor’s interest. If you grab the editor, then the editor knows you will grab readers.

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1. Explain what the rest of your article will be about. This should be only one paragraph. Busy editors don’t have much time, but it needs to be specific. Remember: the focus should be on packaging the information in a way that interests the reporter’s readers.

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nPitch Letter Mistakes to AvoidnnDon’t make it easier for targeted media editors to ignore you than to use your material. While it’s impossible to get a positive response for every query you send, there a few simple mistakes you could be making, though, that practically guarantees you’ll be ignored. Things like:nnFailing to have a story conceptn

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• Failing to proofread your query

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• Failing to follow posted instructions

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• Being verbally pushy or implying they should do as you order

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• Implying that they are partnering with you

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• Being wordy without getting to the point

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• Failure to study the targeted publication prior to preparing the query

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nPart 3:nnWrite a two and half pages compelling story that either educates the general public or a specific target audience (identify your audience) about your chosen topic/issue that would be used as part of your strategic plan to achieve your goal.nn