Public Relations Guide for Rural Housing Organizations (manual

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AS THE OCCASION ARISESSpecial occasions will employ the written materials you have previously prepared. Use thefollowing tools at your discretion.Letters to the EditorLetters to the editor can be a surprisingly easy way to get your message out. This is a publicrelations tool that is well-suited to a smaller community, since the chances of your lettergetting into print are much greater than in large city newspapers. Many local newspapersprint every letter they get.Letters to the editor have a wide readership. Especially in smaller communities, they reflectcurrent community opinions and usually serve to identify community leaders. A letter to theeditor is an immediate connection to the people in the community who follow importantissues; as such it carries the same importance as meeting people face to face. Pay attention tothe tone of your writing. Do not create enemies; err on the side of fairness and openmindedness.If getting your letter published seems tough, some easy guidelines will help your letter rise tothe top:- Make your letter timely, well-written, and well-reasoned.- Be concise and follow the length limit the paper states.Generally the length should be restricted to 100-200 words. It is worth a call to the“letters-to-the-editor” department to find out the length restrictions for your letter, howto address it, and other formatting or topical constraints. Include a cover letter andyour business card.- Make the first sentence catchy and strong.- When responding to a recent article, state the title, date, and section or author of thearticle to which you are responding and your position. Do not attack the author or theeditors.- Offer expert information about something that has already been said.- Be persuasive. This is not the place to water down your argument.- Include your address and phone number so the paper can verify authorship or ask youto approve edits. Anonymous letters are usually not printed.- Check spelling and grammar.22 Public Relations Guide
- Type the letter if possible, on letterhead if it is an official letter from your organization.Your organization may consider coordinating a letter-writing campaign about a very hot topic.Ten letters from ten individuals are often more effective than one letter signed by tenindividuals. The writers should vary their points and provide personal perspectives, and theyshould not identify themselves as members of your organization.Do not write a letter to the editor if you do not have a point to make. Stating public thanks ina letter to the editor aids public relations; however, letters are read with more attention if theyinclude provocative perspectives. “Being provocative does not necessarily mean beingconfrontational or outrageous. It can also mean finding the part of our work or issue thatprovokes people to shake their heads and take note” (Center for Community Change 1997, 22).The need for affordable housing may be severe in your community; however, this in itself is nolonger provocative news. “The fact that tax subsidies for mostly well-off homeowners areseveral times more costly than direct federal aid for low-income families, for example, is veryprovocative and needs to penetrate into people’s thinking about government assistanceprograms” (Center for Community Change 1997, 23).A letter to the editor takes on validity when it is a response to a recent story in the samenewspaper, magazine, etc., if submitted shortly after the original story appeared in print.Again, be careful not to overdo this; use creativity and imagination to follow up a story thatgenerates a lot of interest and tie the story to your housing issues, if pertinent. Learn to reactin this way to all community news. The possibilities are endless for helping the public put acontext to a particular story – not manipulating how they respond but rather providing themwith more background information or educating them about a response from the point of viewof someone working hard to help solve the community’s housing needs.If you are writing on behalf of your organization, its board of directors, or staff, first get thepermission of the people you state you are representing (National Migrant Resource Program1995). Avoid establishing a personal reputation as someone who is going against the grain ofopinion within an organization and using a letter to the editor to express a gripe.Check and double-check any factual material you present. A letter to the editor establishesyour credibility in the community, not just with the media. One of your primary goals in publicrelations work is establishing yourself as a reliable source. Do not guess or manufactureinformation.Do not overdo writing letters to the editor, as this is a sure way of guaranteeing that youropinions will not be listened to. Choose your battles carefully. If something has beencontroversial in your community, an educated opinion will be valued if it is presented withoutmalice.Housing Assistance Council 23
Page 1 and 2: Housing Assistance CouncilPUBLIC RE
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction .....
Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTIONThis guide is aimed at
Page 7 and 8: A 1999 news article notes the impor
Page 9 and 10: Sharon made every endeavor to stren
Page 11 and 12: For example, at Lee County Communit
Page 13 and 14: - “We help local organizations in
Page 15 and 16: Get the names, titles, addresses, a
Page 17 and 18: “Media relations can make or brea
Page 20 and 21: current community issues, and new m
Page 22 and 23: A headline that grabs attention is
Page 24 and 25: Media AdvisoryA media advisory tell
Page 28 and 29: Op-Ed PieceThe term “op-ed” com
Page 30 and 31: second PSAs as well (LWV 1994). The
Page 32 and 33: You might be fortunate enough to ha
Page 34 and 35: - Keep your energy level up and be
Page 36 and 37: to be thorough in your coverage, at
Page 38 and 39: Try to choose something that reflec
Page 40 and 41: The Day of the Event- Station one s
Page 42 and 43: How to Announce Your EventLarge cit
Page 44 and 45: address, using the “http://www”
Page 46 and 47: Laszlo & Associates. 2001. Getting
Page 48 and 49: APPENDIX A: TEMPLATESThe following
Page 50 and 51: Photo Release Template[Use your org
Page 52 and 53: PSA Samples[Use your organization
Page 54 and 55: Media Advisory SampleMEDIA ADVISORY
Page 56 and 57: Media Contact Card/Database Entry[I
Page 58 and 59: Fact Sheet Sample #1COMMUNITY ACTIO
Page 60 and 61: Fact Sheet Sample #2 (continued)Met
Page 62 and 63: Fact Sheet Sample #3 (continued)i S
Page 64 and 65: - Free online donations: (Free for
Page 66 and 67: APPENDIX C: CASE STUDIESThe six cas
Page 68 and 69: press events, as when a TV reporter
Page 70 and 71: Housing Development Corporation, Hi
Page 72 and 73: HOUSING ASSISTANCE COUNCILBOARD OF
Page 74: This guide is aimed at organization

Public Relations Guide for Rural Housing Organizations (manual

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