Four Principles For This Team

Audience First School Positive Deadline Driven Always Professional

System Workflow

Story ideas sub-mitted by writers

All stories posted on the website and pro-moted through social

media

Story options posted by admin

2 stories pitched to the paper by

writers

Stories selected by writers

2 stories select-ed by admin for

paper

Stories researched and written

Finished stories submitted to admin

1 2 3 4

5678

Finding Story Ideas

School Calendar

School Calendar

Finding Story Ideas

You

Finding Story Ideas

Other People

Idea TestDoes it interest me enough to spend time on it?

Does the idea have a focus or angle?

Does the topic appeal to a Redlands-minded audience?

Can you get to the right people as information sources?

Does it tell a positive story about your client?

Thinking caps

School Calendar Interesting Topics Teachers doing interesting things

Students doing interesting things

11 Tips for Interviewing People

11 Tips to Interview

People

1. Ask Questions that only the subject can

answer

2. Be interested

3. Do your homework

4. Know what you want to get out of the

interview

5. Have a conversation. Make

eye contact.

6. Design a beginning, middle, and end to

the interview

7. Record your quotes carefully

8. Review and clean up your notes immediately

after the interview

9. Figure out what interests them

10. Push to get anecdotes

11. Dont be afraid to say, “I don’t

understand.”

Interview Exercise

Pick an Angle (make it “newsie”)

Know what you to get

1 anecdote

1+ quotes

A dash of make believe

Interviewees: play the game

Rules of the game

Writing News Releases

News Releases are like Journalism

Provide key information: who, what, where, why, when

News Releases are like Journalism

Tell a story that interests readers

News Releases are like Journalism

Include characters and quotes

News Releases are like Journalism

Writer must think from multiple vantage points

News Releases are like Journalism

Writer must pitch the story to an editor

News Releases are like Journalism

The topic should be “newsie”

News Releases are NOT like Journalism

You’re working for a client

“Journalism’s first loyalty is to citizens”

News Releases are NOT like Journalism

You may not choose to write about the opposing view.

News Releases are NOT like Journalism

Your goals are tied to the client’s business objectives

Organizing and Outlining

Organizing and

Outlining

1. Lead: Anecdote of 2 mothers’ different shopping methods

2. Introduction of main idea: After learning the basics of consignment shopping, you can save lots of money

3. Body: Benefits of consignment shopping (use quotes)

4. Body: Tips to be a good consignment shopper

5. Body: List of local consignment shops

6. Conclusion: anecdote to tie in with learn

Informal Outlines

Christmas Traditions

Gift Giving

homemade presents

Church service

Family Get-togethers

Secret Santa

Cluster Outlines

Article Leads

Body

Conclusion

Outline Exercise

Writing Exercise

Formatting Guidelines

Pitching or Submitting your Story

1. Know the person to whom you are pitching.

2. Introduce yourself to orient them

3. Get their attention

4. Layout some details

5. Wrap it up by with a what’s included statement

Writing Exercise

Getting Paid

Getting Paid

4 Selected Stories – $50 each

2 Selected for newspaper – additional $25

1. Create a professional services invoice template

2. Submit invoice by email to Program Admin in 1st week of the month

1. Your name and contact info

2. Date of Invoice

3. Invoice #

4. Bill to:

5. Description of service and amount (totaled at the bottom)

6. Instructions on how to pay the invoice

7. Terms of payment

8. Thank you message

Invoice Should Have this Information

Mark LeonardPrincipal ictusmarketing.com

mark@ictusmarketing.com