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Public RelationsStaying Visible: Getting in the NewsPromotionWays to Generate Public RelationsTie-insHow to Write News ReleasesA Word of AdviceA Word about AppearanceWriting TipsDos and Don’tsSample Press Release: Chapter DonationSample Press Release: Student AchievementSample Press Release: Calendar/Precoverage FundraisingWe Want to Hear What You’ve Been Up To!Spread the Word about FBLA–PBL WeekSample Press Release: FBLA–PBL WeekSample Proclamation: FBLA-PBL WeekPublic Relations Lesson PlanFBLA-PBL Newspaper Ad Grading SheetCHAPTERMANAGEMENTHANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version)
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Public RelationsSTAYING VISIBLE:GETTING IN THE NEWSFBLA-ML chapters work hard to achieve results. Nowit is time to get recognition. Here are many ways to approach publicity from promotions, to public relations, totie-in, and press release. Select 10 publicity activities foryour chapter each year and you are well on your way toputting your chapter in the spotlight!PromotionRecognition is built on familiarity. Take every opportunityto let your school know about FBLA-PBL and its activities. Use established channels and techniques to get theword out. For example: Newspapers – prepare press releases and articles forlocal and school newspapers; buy (or get sponsors tobuy) ads. Print material – write and distribute brochures, news-letters, fact sheets, and flyers. Graphics material – mount posters; make your ownor use the covers from FBLA-PBL publications. Audio material – create Public Service Announce-Promotional items are available from MarketPlace.See the MarketPlace catalog in this CMH.Here is a list of promotional items to get you started. Calendars Bookmarks Patches Buttons Decals Stationery Bumper stickers Placards Shoppers Score boards Pencils Concession stands T-shirts Post-it notes Brochures Mugs Placemats Badges Bulletin boards Balloons Business cards Directories Banners Tent cards Sweatsuits Posters Ribbons Programs Billboards Marquee boards Welcome signs Stickers Trinkets Fliersments for your school’s PA system or your campusradio station. Audiovisual material – Announce upcoming eventsincluding meetings on your school television station.Dress in FBLA-ML T-shirts or polo shirts. Or preparea videotape using your own materials or FBLA-PBLmaterials. Visual displays – design an exhibit for communityand school events; maintain one or several bulletinboards; design a homecoming float.CHAPTERMANAGEMENTHANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version)IV-3
PUBLICRELATIONSWAYS TO GENERATEPUBLIC RELATIONSTIE-INS Use name tags, pins, T-shirts, blazers, or sweaters toidentify FBLA-ML members. Develop a listing of local news media. Develop and distribute literature about FBLA-PBLand the business program to local schools, businesses,and government. Present business programs about FBLA-ML to civicand service groups in the community. Develop promotional exhibits around schools and thecommunity. Display material about FBLA-ML in and out ofschools – superintendent’s office, chamber of commerce, local businesses, etc. Set up bulletin boards and showcase displays of chap-ter awards and projects. Develop spot announcements, interviews, and ques-tion/answer discussions for local radio and television. Provide photographs, news releases, editorials, featurestories, and letters to the editor for the school andcommunity newspapers. Make short announcements about FBLA-ML andthe business program in the daily bulletins to studentbody. Invite community resource people to FBLA-ML chap-ter meetings, banquets, and business education classes. Invite community resource people to participate insteering or advisory committees.Promotional tie-ins are a way of plugging your chapterinto the goodwill, excitement, and enthusiasm generatedby an event or undertaking. This can be: A holiday – your chapter can participate in a goodwillactivity during the winter holiday season or a patrioticactivity on President’s Day. A designated time of recognition – you can do anactivity or project to commemorate American Enterprise Day (November 15), FBLA-PBL Week (2ndweek of February). FBLA-PBL Community ServiceDay (Saturday of FBLA-PBL Week). A charity – activities undertaken by the March ofDimes, Salvation Army, Red Cross, and UNICEF, toname a few, always need volunteers and attract muchpublicity. A community event – neighborhoods take pride inand turn out for their own local events and commemorations.The following are examples of attention-getting projectsand events undertaken by FBLA-ML chapters in previousyears. Use these publicity tie-ins to make a splash in yourlocal community; don’t forget to follow the promotiontips above.Tie-in with American Enterprise Day Purchase space on a billboard for the month of No-vember to publicize American Enterprise Day. Feature a panel of speakers on aspects of Americanenterprise. Videotape the seminar, arrange for professional photos, place an article in the newspaper. Distribute certificates of appreciation to individuals Purchase a half-page ad in the local newspaper and Provide tokens of appreciation for school and com- Host a “Free Enterprise Feud,” featuring competi-who contribute to FBLA-ML and the business program.munity secretaries. Communicate with public officials by writing and vis-iting your elected officials. This is a good opportunityto take pictures and write news stories.sell parts of the ad to local businesses in support ofthe American enterprise system.tion with another school and a speed round with theschool administration. Celebrate “July Fourth in November,” an Ameri-can Enterprise Day with a patriotic theme. Featurespeeches by recently naturalized U.S. citizens and aflag trivia contest. Design and distribute special booklets to introduce thefree enterprise concept to children: coloring booksfor elementary school students and word searchgames for older students.IV-4CHAPTERMANAGEMENTHANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version)
PUBLICTie-in with Community Issues/Events Participate in community projects aimed at increasingand promoting tourism. Serve as volunteers at Annual Community NoveltyMarathon. Operate a mini “shopping mall” at the communitySpring Festival; this may include an academic arcade(computer demos), gift shop (fundraising items forsale), and movie palace (FBLA-PBL video).RELATIONSTie-in with Career andTechnical Education Participate at school/community Career and Tech-nical Education Festivals; hold speed keyboardinggames, demonstrate software packages like MicrosoftOffice including Word , Access , Excel andPowerPoint , serve as co-hosts of the event. Participate in a city job fair. Sponsor a community blood drive.Tie-in with National/Local Charities Offer a computer class teaching seniors how to use Coordinate a holiday food and toy collection for thethe Internet. Conduct a telephone survey to ask questions about alocal project like remodeling the community hall. Participate in a graffiti paint-out coordinated by thelocal police department. Solicit funds from local patrons, churches, and busi-nesses to restore a vandalized sign marquee on thetown’s main street.Tie-in with National/Local Businessesneedy; arrange to have items distributed through alocal TV station. Host a March of Dimes WalkAmerica or representyour school at the local event. Conduct a “Fine and Dine” project for the March ofDimes: community and school members are chargedwith humorous violations and fines that are thendonated to charity. All fined participants are treated toa complimentary lunch sponsored by local businesses. Hold a keyboard-a-thon for leukemia. Save register receipts to encourage shopping at localstores. Sponsor breakfast for local businesspeople in recogni-tion of the state’s Business and Industry AppreciationWeek. Form a partnership with a local franchise of a nationalfast-food chain: the chapter provides the busboys inexchange for a percentage of the profits and publicity.CHAPTERMANAGEMENTHANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version)IV-5
PUBLICRELATIONSHOW TO WRITE NEWSRELEASES Winning is news; losing is not. The fifth, tenth, 20th , 25th, 50th (etc.) anniversariesIn addition to writing articles for publication in yourschool newspaper, your local newspaper, and FBLA-PBLpublications, your chapter will need to write news releases.News isn’t news until it’s communicated. Don’t hideyour light under a bushel: Get your message out there!Do it with a well-crafted news release.A news release is a brief summary of a newsworthyevent. You send this summary to representatives of yourlocal print (newspaper, magazine) and broadcast (radio,TV, cable TV) media in the hope that they will turn yoursummary into an actual news story. Newsworthy meansthat someone outside your chapter would be interested inhearing about the event. In general, the following rules ofthumb can be applied: Participation in a service is news; participation in asocial event is not. Notification before an event is news; notification afterare news; the 12th is not.Journalists look for a hook when they write: whatmakes this story different from a hundred others just likeit? That’s why they need – and you need to provide inyour news release – words like “first-ever,” “best,” “largest,” “shortest,” “fastest,” etc. If you can’t think of thehook, the journalists probably can’t either, and your storymight go untold.A news release is written in inverted pyramid style.That means that all the most important facts are loadedinto the first paragraph. The journalist should be ableto read only the first paragraph of your release and stillknow everything relevant about your project. The firstparagraph should contain the five Ws – WHO, WHAT,WHERE, WHEN, WHY (you might also include HOW).Each subsequent paragraph should expand upon information presented in the first paragraph; these should beordered from most to least important.an event is not.Writing Tips:It is not at all easy to write well. And yet we all have to do it. We all have to stare at the blank page or the blinking cursor,waiting for inspiration. We all have to translate our colorful thoughts, ideas, and emotions into little blocks of black andwhite. And we generally have to do it on tight deadlines and with strict limitation on length and style.But when done right, it’s all worth it. Make it worth the time it takes to write with care. Here’s how: Decide on a theme or hook. Why are you writing? What is your story, your message? State this theme clearly in bothyour headline (title) and your lead (topic) sentence. Decide on a tone; keep it simple. Tone comes from the words you choose, the length of the sentences you puttogether, the complexity of the thoughts you present, and the order in which you organize your information. Makesure your tone is appropriate to your audience. Big words will make you sound pompous and stiff at best, ridiculous at worst. Cliches will make you sound trite and unimaginative. Jargon can make your writing inaccessible. Convoluted constructions will make your writing incomprehensible. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax. Use a topic sentence in each paragraph; these sentences should tell the story. Use simple and clear language. Proof everything twice; read your prose aloud to catch hidden errors. Then have someoneelse look at it as well. When in doubt about a word’s use or spelling, look it up. Go to www.merriam-webster.comfor guidance on correct spelling. Use multiple drafts; writing gets better and better the more it is polished. Let at least two other people proofread your press release.IV-6CHAPTERMANAGEMENTHANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version)
PUBLICThe last paragraph of the release should describeFBLA-PBL: Future Business Leaders of America-PhiBeta Lambda is an organization for middle, secondary,postsecondary, and college students pursuing careers inbusiness. There are nearly 250,000 members in 13,000chartered chapters throughout the United States, PuertoRico, the Virgin Islands, and various foreign countries.The journalist then uses the details that appeal tohim or her.DO:A Word of Advice Keep an up-to-date media mailing list with the nameof the appropriate contact at each of your local mediaoutlets. Don’t be discouraged if your releases aren’t used.Instead, call your contact to schedule a briefing as to howyou can improve your releases.A Word about AppearanceBe sure that any materials you produce or develop foryour promotional campaigns look professional. Professional does not mean expensive. Rather, it means thatsentences are logical, words are spelled right, and theformat is clean and consistent. None of your materialsneed to be elaborate, but two examples will illustrate theconcept.Chapter X produces a widely distributed report onits free enterprise project. The report is word processed,printed in color, supplemented with clip art, and wellwritten and produced. A lot of time went into this project– and it shows.Chapter Y thanks participants in a large-scale, expensive project by sending each a personalized certificateof appreciation. The certificates are word processed andprinted out on a high-quality paper with good resolution.However, there is a glaring typo in the middle of thecertificate.Which project leaves you with a better impression?The moral is to take time with all the details of production. The coloring books, instruction forms, surveys,thank you letters, pamphlets, fact sheets, and brochuresthat you produce for your projects should all be checkedand double checked to make sure they’re correct, coherent, and presentable.CHAPTERMANAGEMENTRELATIONS Keep submission deadlines in mind. Use the proper format for materials submitted. (Seeexamples later in this section) Be professional and business-like in dealing with your contacts.Meet with and call your contacts on a regular basis.Record contact name, address, and phone numberchanges.Ask questions about deadlines, submission criteria,etc.Make your submissions accurate, timely, informative,and complete.Include a contact name and phone number with everysubmission.Be sure what you’re sending is something your mediacontact can use.Be sure you have a newsworthy story to tell.Look for the angle in your story. Why should others inyour community care about what you’re saying?DON’T: Ask for clippings or for a final review. Complain if your material isn’t used. Be a pest to your contacts. Send a video to a radio station or a public service an nouncement to a newspaper.Tell old news.Disguise publicity as news.Confuse an announcement of an event (before it occurs) with reporting on it (after it occurs).Confuse an announcement of an event (before it occurs) with reporting on it (after it occurs).HANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version)IV-7
PUBLICRELATIONSSample Press ReleaseChapter Donation(Use school or chapter letterhead.)For Immediate ReleaseDate:Contact: (Name)Phone:Student Organization Raises Anytown, VA – Students from FBLA-PBL chapter raised to benefit(School)and chapter activities today. The group held a(Charity)(Activity)to raise funds as well as create community awareness of the needs of .(Name of Charity)“We were really pleased with the turnout and support of the local community for this event,” said, “while developing our own experience in community service.”(Charity)(Local Chapter Spokesperson)supplies for underprivileged families that are trying to .(Service)(Kind of Improvement)The FBLA-PBL Chapter was able to generate donations of(School)(Name Donation Types)from the business community for this .(Activity)For more than 65 years, FBLA-PBL, Inc. has helped high school, middle level, and postsecondary students successfully make the school-to-career transition. FBLA-PBL produces results, including: Character and leadership, goodcitizenship, financial management skills, and global marketing knowledge. Each year, more than 250,000 students aregaining ability today for their personal and professional development. For more informationcontact at .(Contact Name)(Phone, E-mail)###IV-8CHAPTERMANAGEMENTHANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version)
PUBLICRELATIONSSample Press ReleaseStudent Achievement(Use school or chapter letterhead.)For Immediate ReleaseDate:Contact: (Name)Phone:Wins High Recognition at(Student Name)(NFLC, SLC, NLC)Anytown, VA – FBLA-ML member took first place in at the(Event/Office)(School)held in today. The competition was part of a -day program for(City, State)(NFLC, SLC, NLC)FBLA-PBL members from around the .(Region/Country)“We were really proud of all our chapter representatives this year at ,” said ,(Event)(Local Chapter Spokesperson)“and we are thrilled that our community could be so well represented by and other local winners.”(Student Name)Describe the event (e.g., Desktop Publishing Applications, Web Page Creation, Spreadsheet, CareerExploration).For more than 65 years, FBLA-PBL, Inc. has helped high school, middle level, and postsecondary students successfully make the school-to-career transition. FBLA-PBL produces results, including: Character and leadership, goodcitizenship, financial management skills, and global marketing knowledge. Each year, more than 250,000 students aregaining ability today for their personal and professional development. For more informationcontact at .(Contact Name)(Phone, E-mail)###CHAPTERMANAGEMENTHANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version)IV-9
PUBLICRELATIONSSample Press ReleaseCalendar/Precoverage Fundraising(Use school or chapter letterhead.)For Immediate ReleaseDate:Contact: (Name)Phone:to Benefit Charity and Student Organization(Activity)Anytown, VA – Students from FBLA-ML chapter will host a(School)(Activity)to benefit and chapter activities. The group hopes to raise as well as(Charity)create community awareness of the needs of .(Name of Charity)“We look forward to while making a strong contribution to our area,” said(Briefly Describe Activity). “It should be a rewarding experience as well as helpful.”(Local Chapter Spokesperson)supplies for underprivileged families that are trying to(Charity)(Service).(Kind of Improvement)The FBLA-ML Chapter was able to generate donations of(School)from the business community for this .(Name Donation Types)(Activity)For more than 65 years, FBLA-PBL, Inc. has helped high school, middle level, and postsecondary studentssuccessfully make the school-to-career transition. FBLA-ML produces results, including: Character and leadership, goodcitizenship. Each year, more than 250,000 students are gaining ability today for their personal development. For moreinformation contact at .(Contact Name)(Phone, E-mail)###IV-10CHAPTERMANAGEMENTHANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version)
PUBLICRELATIONSWe Want to Hear What You’ve Been Up To!Take a minute to tell us what you’ve been doing. We know you’re busy, but we want to share some of your chapter activities success stories with other members.Here are some tips. Please be specific. Give details of the steps taken to develop your project, how success wasachieved, how much money was raised. Write it as an electronic file and e-mail it to the FBLA-PBL CommunicationsDepartment at communications@fbla.org. Be sure to submit your story in a timely manner. Attach any photographs asseparate image files in jpg, tiff, or eps format. Photos imbedded in stories cannot be used. Stories will be published innat
IV-4 PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAPTER MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK(2011–12 ML Version) WAYS TO GENERATE PUBLIC RELATIONS Use name tags, pins, T-shirts, blazers, or sweaters to identify FBLA-ML members. Develop a listing of local news media. Develop and distribute literature about FBLA-P
