Media relations glossary
Article: usually published in magazine, internet or newspaper of general circulation. This type of text discusses, analyzes and interprets a problem, issue or trend. One of the characteristics of the article is that it takes more time to research and produce than a news story.Articles are usually opinionated and reflect the idea of a person, company or entity.
Assignment: guidance that reporters receive describing what kind of report will be made, who they should speak with, where and how. It may also be the focus on any fact.
Assignment suggestion: written message to introduce a source or an idea of the story to one or more reporters.
Boilerplate: short paragraph showing who you are, what you do and how you do it, normally used as the first paragraph in a biography or as the last paragraph in a press release.
Briefing: document containing the description of the situation of a brand or company, their problems, opportunities, objectives, goals and resources to achieve them. It may be organized as questions and answers or topics or just a text with directions on the product or service.
Caused media: publications broadcasted in any media outlet promoted by the press office, through press releases, story suggestions, or other public relations actions taken.
Clipping office: specialized company in searching and reporting the results of a PR office obtained in newspapers, magazines and websites.
Clipping: newspaper or magazine clipping, it can also be a computer screen shot when an online publication or a part of a video or audio, to measure the results.
Column inches: the way of measuring advertisements or articles results in newspapers and magazines. The measure used is cm/column.
Communication plan: the strategy which is elaborated to reach a target audience using corporate communication channels such as: advertising, public relations, experiences, events, actions, etc.
Corporate fact sheet: also known as fact sheet, it is a document with only a page that describes the principles of a company, service, overall numbers and incomes (if public). It includes address, phone, and e-mail and map to allow potential clients or reporters to easily find the business.
Column: article written by an expert, usually published in newspapers or magazine, in which the columnist writes weekly or every day.
Deadline: the final date to submit materials, closing reports, interviews, etc.
Editorial: a publisher’s opinion statement about you and your business. Besides that, it is a term for the media coverage generated by the news team. Editorial is also a text, made by the publisher, which summarizes and comments on the issues of a publication (usually in magazines).
Exclusive: news, interview or feature article that only a newspaper, magazine, radio, television or website can publish/present. Typically, this kind of highlight is previously negotiated by the interviewee’s PR agency.
Exposure: as the audience becomes aware of a person, message, activity, theme or organization through the efforts of the PR agency or press office.
Follow up: it is the communication that involves monitoring objectives and targets, after a pre-established contact.
Ghostwriter: person who writes articles or speeches to another person who claims authorship.
Hard news: story that is truly interesting, factual and objective. Something that have just happened on that day or at that time.
Integrated communication: multidisciplinary approach, which uses a number of techniques and communication tools in order to deliver a consistent set of messages. The goal is to have a direct communication with the public. And regardless of how it is done, the messages and the communication will be aligned with the company’s strategies.
Interview: conversation between two or more people (the interviewer and the interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information needed by the interviewee.
Key Message: keyword or phrase that the PR agency, the company itself or the communication department are intended to be held by the public.
Mailing list: list of editors and journalists from each publication in circulation. It includes phone number, address, job title, publishing and e-mail.
Media relations: the practice of dealing with journalists/bloggers/members of the media to build good working relationships and generate media coverage and favorable editorials. It is the working basis of a PR agency or the press office.
Media training: simulations with the professional who is a spokesperson, so that he/she has an effectiveness as a communication manager, despite being leader in another area. It concerns about how the media works and information that journalists look for and who are these professionals.
Meet and greet: also known by some professionals as goodwill, it is a kind of meeting, usually quickly between source, press secretary and journalist to propose stories, discuss the source and present ideas or views on possible articles.
Official announcement: a written or spoken comment prepared for the purpose of responding consistently to certain issues which relate to a large group of people. In many cases used only by heads of state or ministers.
Official statement: direct text that reports the official position of the company, person or entity on a given subject.
Off-the-record: or just off are information provided by a source to a reporter which — when previously agreed with the journalists — cannot be published or used in any way.
Opinion survey: measures the response of a question on a topic.
Photo caption: explanatory text on a photo, sent to specific mailing list of journalists.
Position Paper: note presenting a opinion, usually from the author or from other specific entity, about a subject which is sent to the press.
Press conference: an event to disseminate data and news from a source, company or entity to several journalists at once. It is usually a presentation of the information held by the organization’s spokesperson, followed by a session of questions and answers. In many cases, it occurs in situations of crisis or releases and has a predetermined time to end.
Press kit: kit with specific information given to the media by a company. Typically contains base material, photographs, illustrations, press releases, and in some cases, gifts from the promoting company.
Press office: its main job is to deal with the relationship management between an individual, organization, company or government agency and the press.
Press release: or News Release, or only release is the most common written form, used in public relations to announce news and information about products, services, companies, etc.
Press request: request that the journalist makes to the company through the press office. It may be an interview, assignment coverage, etc.
Q&A: this document, often confidential, contains possible questions and also likely answers to many issues related to a company, service or product. The spokesperson is based on this document to know how to answer certain questions.
Range: geographical area of the audience and the number of readers, listeners or viewers that the media in the region can achieve.
Schedule of actions: planning and control instrument similar to a diagram, in which the activities to be carried out over an estimated period are defined in detail.
Source suggestion: is a PR tool in which you offer your spokesperson for certain mailing list of journalists.
Spokesperson: representative of an organization who is an expert source willing to comment to the press on a specific issue.
Spontaneous Media: news published spontaneously in any media outlet, without the action plan by the press office.
Stakeholder: also known as public of interest, it is the part that affects or may be affected by the actions of an organization.
Talking Point: succinct statements which address crucial issues about the topic.