Jaffe In The News

Public Relations

Public Relations Strategy

Media Relations

Communications Audit

Crisis Planning & Support

Litigation Public Relations

Community Relations

Competitive Analysis

PR Creative Support

WritersForLawyers™

RankingsForLawyers™

Business Development

Strategic Planning

Marketing Planning

Branding & Positioning

Client Relationship Management

Business Development

Marketing Organization Development

Community Relations

Event Planning and Support

Outsourced Staffing

Retreat Programs

Training and Workshops

Merger Planning

Creative & Web Services

Editorial Services

Identity Packages

New Firm Marketing Kit

New Media Design

Brochures & Collateral Material

Video Production

Creative Gallery

New Media / Internet Design

New Media Solutions

Free Tools

Media Relations Glossary

By Jaffe Associates, Inc.

This glossary contains definitions of the specialized terms used by publicists and other public relations experts to communicate effectively with reporters and clients.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Account Team	The public relations or advertising agency staff assigned to a specific client, generally consisting of various members, and often including an account director, account manager, senior account executive/account executive, and account assistants.
Advertising	Presenting persuasive material to the public by means of paid space or broadcast time to promote a product, idea, or service.
Angle	The particular approach a reporter takes in writing a story.
AP Style	Standardized rules of grammar and writing style, issued by the Associated Press.
Area of Dominant Influence (ADI)	Geographic area reached by radio stations.
Article Guidelines	Requirements and procedures used to standardize bylined articles for submission to a specific publication.
Audiovisuals (AV)	Presentation methods that use sight and sound in order to enhance the understanding of a topic. AV includes the use of electronic devices, usually involving screen and visual images, as contrasted with printed material.

B

Backgrounder	Any briefing or report intended only for the purpose of providing background information to a reporter.
Biographer	A person who gives vital facts and history of a person's life.
Brainstorming	The creative method for producing a multitude of ideas on a given subject or problem, generally recorded for future evaluation and use.
Broadcast	The dissemination of programs or messages through the media of radio, Internet, or television.
B-roll	Video with natural sound that does not include a reporter's voiceover.
Brochure	A printed piece created for informational purposes or promotion.
Business Newswire	A distribution service that delivers breaking business news and multimedia content to traditional and online newsrooms and to targeted journalists.
Byline	Name of the writer positioned under the headline at the beginning of a story.
Bylined Article	Article written by a non-media person, usually an expert in a certain field, and submitted for publication.

C

Callback	Telephone follow-up to a printed invitation or advisory.
Client	The organization or person who employs the services of a public relations or advertising firm.
Consumer Publication	Printed matter intended for a general reader.
Content Analysis	The technique of reading publications, advertisements, or other messages to find references to an organization or an idea, then coding and analyzing the content to determine trends and opinions.
Contract	A formal agreement made between the service provider and the client, covering agreed objectives, timing, and price.
Copy	Written text.
Corporate Communications	Public relations for a corporation, integrated as part of the company's overall strategic objectives, rather than activities designed for its individual segments.
Crisis Management	The practice of preparing a communications plan that can be effectively put into action in the event of a potentially negative issue for a company or organization.
Cue Sheet	A piece of written material containing messages about the client or its products, or an extract from a paper or magazine. Also referred to as clipping.

D

Dateline	Place and date of an article's origin that appears at the beginning of the first paragraph of an article.
Daybook	Daily schedules of upcoming news events, published by the Associated Press and other wire services.
Deadline	A time limit for the completion of an article or other assignment by a reporter or other contributor.
Delayed Lead	Writing style where the specific subject of a story doesn't come into clear focus until some time after the first paragraph(s), usually in an attempt to set the background and tone before getting to the main point.
Designated Market Area (DMA)	Area reached by television stations.
Direct Mail	The use of letters or personalized advertising, targeted to carefully selected lists of people, in order to promote a specific product, idea, or service.

E

Editor	The supervisor of a department of a newspaper, magazine, etc.
Editorial	Expression of opinion, as opposed to a news article which presents facts without opinion, that often appears on the editorial page separate from news stories.
Email Pitch	A pitch sent via email instead of presented to the media by phone, mail, or fax.
Embargo Date	A heading on a news release indicating that the news is not to be reported before that date.
Exclusive	An interview or story opportunity presented solely to one reporter or publication and not to others.
Exposure	The extent to which the target audience becomes aware of a person, activity, theme, or organization from the efforts of PR or advertising.

F

Fact Sheet	A list of facts or statistics about a particular topic that allows media quickly to grasp a particular issue or situation.
Feature Article	A newspaper or magazine article that discusses and interprets an event or trend, as opposed to spot reporting.
Fees	The pre-negotiated price, usually based on hourly billable rates, for the time of the staff working on client projects, generally invoiced in regular monthly installments and monitored through daily time records.
Freelance Writer	A person who sells his or her articles to a publication without a long-term commitment.
Full Service	A one-stop PR company that serves clients from many different industry sectors. Generally, full-service agencies offer a range of PR disciplines, in-house design, and other services.

G

Ghostwriting	Writing generated without published credit to its author and often credited to another.
Graf	Paragraph.

H

Hard News	A story that is truly newsworthy, presented factually and objectively.
Healthcare PR	Specialist PR discipline that communicates about healthcare products or issues to medical groups, interested third parties, and specialist media.

I

Institutional Advertising	Paid advertising that promotes a company and its ideas or policies rather than specific products and services.
Integrated Campaign	A multidisciplinary approach that uses a number of marketing communications techniques in order to deliver a consistent set of messages.
Internal Communications	Communicating with employees and shareholders to inform them of change or to further corporate objectives.
Interview Alert	Similar to a media alert, a means of presenting an expert source willing to comment on a timely issue, including contact information to set up an interview.
Inverted Pyramid	Style of writing in which the most important information is put in the lead, followed by less and less important information, constructed so an editor can cut after any paragraph and have a complete story that meets space limitations.

J

JLNS	Jaffe Legal News Service, a weekly, electronic news feed created and distributed by Jaffe Associates, Inc., composed of timely, newsworthy events and available experts within the legal industry.

L

Lead	Beginning of a news story, generally containing the who, what, when, where, and why.
Lead Story	Dominant article that is given primary attention and prominent placement on the first page of a publication.
Lead Time	The deadline for submission of articles, set by reporters or publications, which allows enough time to for a piece to be written, edited, and sent to print.
Letter to the Editor	Letter written and submitted by a non-publication staff member, usually complimenting or criticizing the coverage of an issue by the publication.
Libel	Printing or broadcasting false or defamatory statements that injure a person's reputation.

M

Media Advisory	A brief summary of a recent news event, followed by the background and credentials of an expert willing to comment upon it. Also known as an "interview alert."
Media Alert	A brief summary of the basic facts surrounding an event or offering an expert available for comment on a particular topic, often used when time is too short, or the occasion does not warrant a printed invitation. Also referred to as a news advisory or tip sheet.
Media Call Report	A log recording the media sent a release or contacted for a specific pitch, which details when the contact was made, with whom, and to what result.
Media Kit	Organized package of information that includes background information on a general topic or special events.
Media List	A list of reporters and/or editors strategically chosen to reach a specific audience relevant to the person or story being pitched.
Media Relations	Dealing with journalists in an attempt to build a good working relationships with the broadcast, print, and online media.
Media Training	Providing people with guidelines, strategies, and skills to work effectively with media for public relations purposes.
Messages	Agreed words or statements that a client wants to convey to third parties, such as the media or shareholders.

N

Natural Sound	The audio portion of a broadcast tape that is recorded naturally by the camera or microphone.
News	Information that is new, unusual, unexpected, controversial, of wide significance or interest to audience of a publication or program.
News Angle	That which is new, important, different, or unusual about a specific event, situation, or person.
News Conference	Prearranged gathering of media representatives to announce and explain a significant and newsworthy subject or event.
News Hole	Space reserved for material other than advertising.
News Peg	A particular angle of a story that ties in with current events or something newsworthy.
News Release	The most common written form used in public relations, announcing a client's news and information. Also referred to as a press release.
Newswire	An electronic service providing late-breaking news stories or other up-to-the-minute information.

O

Official Statement	A written comment prepared for the purpose of responding consistently to any question from the media regarding a particular controversial issue.
Op-ed	Opinion and column page usually opposite the editorial page.

P

Pitch	An angle encompassing a unique or interesting aspect of a story or person, used to catch the media's attention and to sell reporters on a particular story or interview.
PR Newswire	An electronic distribution service that provides communications services for public relations and investor relations professionals, such as information distribution and market intelligence.
Press Conference	A meeting at which media reporters ask questions of a specialist, politician, celebrity, or other notable individual.
Press Office	Performed by either an in-house function or outsourced to a PR firm, entity that handles all media inquiries and puts out all messages and press releases to the media on behalf of an organization.
Press Pack/Kit	A collection of promotional materials for distribution to the media, usually at press conferences.
Press Release	An announcement of an event or other newsworthy item issued to the press.
Proactive PR	Aggressive public relations strategies that strive to anticipate events, circumstances, or situations, often through the execution of contingency plans.
ProfNet	A service of PR Newswire that distributes media queries to various audiences to connect writers and reporters with expert sources.
Proposal	Document outlining a proposed PR campaign to an existing or potential client.
Public Affairs	The process of communicating an organization's point of view on issues or causes to political audiences.
Public Service Announcement (PSA)	Advertising with a message in the interest of the public, usually run free of charge.
Publicity/Media Tour	Scheduled publicity appearances in a series of cities or locations.
Publisher	The business head of a newspaper organization or publishing house, commonly the owner or the representative of the owner.

Q

Q&A	An exchange of questions and answers, typically between a single authority and the press.

R

Reactive/Defensive PR	A policy of responding to a given set of circumstances, situations or events after the fact.
Reporter	A writer, investigator, or presenter of news stories, employed to gather and report news for a print publication, wire service, or broadcast station.
Responsive Writing	Correcting or capitalizing on a situation by writing to fill in omitted details or add information that better clarifies a subject, points out an error, or promotes an issue.

S

Sector Press	The media relevant to specific audiences, including special interest magazines and newsletters. Also called Trade Press or Vertical Press.
Sidebar	Feature appearing in tandem with a news article, giving the human interest or historical aspects of a story.
Slug	Short name or title given to a print or broadcast story used for identification purposes.
Server	A machine that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. The term "server" can refer to a particular piece of software or to the machine on which the software is running. A single server can run several different server software packages, providing many different servers to clients on the network.
Sound Bite	A very brief quote excerpted from a person's broadcast interview, used in the media to convey a certain idea or opinion.
Source	A person with information useful to the media.
Speaking Op	Opportunity arranged for a client to speak at a conference, seminar, etc. to a relevant audience in order to heighten awareness or receive favorable press.
Special Event	Activity arranged for the purpose of generating publicity.
Sponsorship	Donating funds to an organization or event in exchange for supportive association in order to generate publicity.
Spot News	Current news, reported immediately.
Stylebook	An organization's printed guide to matters of grammar and style.

T

Target Audience	Selected group of people who share similar needs or demographic characteristics, such as income, age, sex, occupation, or education and best represent the most likely potential recipients of an organization's message.
Tease/ Teaser	An enticing lead to a story that tells just enough about the story to urge the reader or listener to continue. In a public relations context, it is a promotion that is intended to arouse interest in the main PR campaign that follows.
Trade Publication	Publication that focuses on a specific profession or industry.

U

Underwriting	Financial backing of a program or event.

V

Video News Release (VNR)	Broadcast version of a press release; usually includes packaged news story between one minute and 90 seconds that is ready for on-the-air use and b-roll to allow producers to edit and create their own stories.
Voice Over	A reporter's or other talent's recorded script used to run over broadcast news pieces as well as commercials.

W

Wire Copy	Stories supplied to newspapers by news services.
Wire Services	Companies that supply news to various media on a subscription basis.
Word Count	A word limitation placed on a written piece to govern its length.

Adjust Font Size

Marketing Tips

Keep Tabs On Your Competitors
Maximizing your knowledge of your competitors’ overall strategies as well as their marketing and client satisfaction efforts will help you differentiate your firm....