Media Maven Mike | |||||||||||||
Letters to the editor: A PR Pro's Best Friend | |||||||||||||
by Mike Janes Director, Media Relations |
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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. As far as PR tools go, I love the letter-to-the-editor. While some organizations struggle endlessly trying to pen lengthy, time-consuming editorials (that newspapers like the New York Times publish once in a blue moon), a truly well-crafted letter-to-the-editor conveys one or more key messages for your organization without sucking up a lot of your time or PR budget. Plus, because newspapers and magazines typically publish several letters in each edition, you stand a reasonable chance of seeing yours in print. Why submit? A quality letter can establish the author as an expert commentator on a variety of important issues. Your profile among local residentsand among current and potential clientswill be raised when readers begin to understand the role of architects and architecture in schools, "livability," sustainability, residential design, and other topics of local interest. You might be surprised at the calls you receive following a successful placement. Follow the news cycle Style counts Though some letters-to-the-editor can be fairly lengthy, my best advice is to keep it short. Otherwise, there's a good chance your letter will be edited, which can obviously alter its meaning and tone. Finally, a bit of grandstanding to offer you some encouragement. Take a look at the clipping above, at right to see a letter-to-the-editor we successfully placed in USA Today earlier this year from AIA President John D. Anderson, FAIA. The letter keys off a USA Today report on sprawl and firmly positions the nation's architects as active, energetic leaders in the nation's quest for "livable communities." Feel free to crosscheck the letter with my template to see if we followed my own rigid standards! So there you have it! Fire up the computer and get to work on that letter-to-the-editor. You'll be glad you did. Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved. |
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