In this new column, I'll try to address common issues regarding the business of media relations for architecture firms and AIA components. Got a question or a PR issue you'd like to see discussed? Shoot me an email! I welcome feedback.

Communications professionals are notorious for loosely throwing around PR lingo and terminology not common to average, English-speaking civilians. This month, let's examine the crucial difference between a "press release" and a "media advisory."

Press releases
A press release generally is a one- to two-page communiqué announcing an important—and, hopefully, newsworthy—bit of information from your organization or firm. Often, firms will issue a press release when they've been selected to design a new project, hired a new employee, won a major award, or just discovered they are a million dollars over budget (gotcha!).

A press release is the initial tool that organizations use to disseminate news. It need not be distributed solely to media. Often, you may want to send it to your clients, board members, or other constituents to keep them informed of your activities.

You typically will distribute your press release to a media list, which you should try to keep as up-to-date as possible. (I see a column on "media lists" in my future . . .). But don't stop with the issuing of a press release. Friendly calls to reporters, editorial briefings, and long lunches with local TV producers are all effective ways of following up a press release. My colleague Stephanie Stubbs, managing editor of this news journal, just loves to receive mounds of press releases and is even fonder of follow-up calls! (Ed. Note: I'm telling your wife you ate a Snickers bars before lunch, MMM!)

Media Advisories
Although you don't hear as much about them, media advisories are often as crucial as press releases. The primary difference between the two is that an advisory is typically tied to an event. Those of us in the PR business sometimes call them "alerts"—as in, we need to "alert" the press to something happening this Friday that they'll want to circle on their calendar, attend, and write a great story about.

Unlike press releases, which should be constructed in a "who, what, when, where, why and how" fashion, media alerts are short and to-the-point. As a matter of fact, they can actually read something like this:

Who: Design Stars, Inc.
What: Media reception and roundtable discussion of such-and-such firm project
Where: 1212 Mockingbird Lane
When: February 31, 2002

One last thing: With both press releases and media advisories, don't forget to include a contact name! A phone number and email address are vital, and you might even consider a home or cell-phone number where your marketing/PR consultant can be bothered after hours.

Real, live examples of these and other PR tools can be found on the AIA member-only portal. Check 'em out, and happy media relations!

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.