Public Relations Writing Skills Course

March 5, 2008 - PRLog -- The Public Relations Writing Skills Course is aimed at those working in the public relations or communications fields, who have to produce press releases/news releases on a regular basis and anyone who has to get either hard or soft news articles printed in the media, as well as get the attention of radio and television producers.

The content will be as follows:
•   How to make the media read a press release
•   Newsworthiness
•   Newswriting - hard and soft news style
•   The difference between hard and soft news and when to use them.
•   Understanding just what the media wants and how to give it to them – finding creative ideas for media campaigns.
•   Obtaining effective  briefs from clients
•   Just when do we send a press release and when do we send a news article?
•   Who to send it to and timing?
•   The breakdown of a hard news piece.  How to take the 5 w’s and an h (who, what, where, why, when and how) and put these into one paragraph without losing the story.
•   Editing your work and producing a ‘ready to print’ piece.
•   How to reach the electronic media with your release.
•   Writing headlines and leads

•   Effective Interviewing - getting the sound bite

•   Tightening up language

•   Making your writing flow

•   Common grammar mistakes
The course will take place on Wednesday 2nd April 2008 at a cost of R1 500 per person, 50% deposit required to secure place on course.  Only eight delegates are taken per course. Venue: Greenside – Jhb

The facilitator is award winning journalist and author Marion Scher who been one of South Africa's top freelance journalists for the last 20 years, writing for most of South Africa's leading publications such as Fair Lady, True Love, Cosmopolitan, Style, Men's Health, Longevity, Saturday Star and Sunday Times Lifestyle to name a few.  Until 2008 she was Head of Journalism Studies at Allenby Campus, Bramley (now Damelin) and was an editorial trainer for the Magazine Publisher's Association.   She holds a Rosalyn Carter Journalism Fellowship for mental health writing 2005/6. She runs courses both in the media and public relations industry as well as in the corporate field, tailoring courses to meet the client's needs.  Her corporate clients include Unilever and Telkom.

# # #

Media Mentors does media training, consulting, writing, editing - in short anything to do with media and the written word.

Website: www.mediamentors.co.za