Module 2

A1:

The following email with the accompanying news release was sent to the media. What is wrong and/or right about the email and the news release? Explain your answers.

Email:

1.  The subject title was not one that would stand out. When one receives so many emails and pitches a day, the emails tend to blend together. In order to get your individual email to stand out, it’s important to have a short, but creative subject that have to do with your story.

2. Attaching a picture to the release isn’t a horrible idea; however, the best idea for an image would probably be the company logo or a relevant, but professional looking image.

3. There really wasn’t any information in the email. While the information should be kept a bit shorter in the email, it should still have a sentence or two of what the news release is about.

4. It’s great they offered to answer any questions and showed their appreciation by thanking them. The only thing that could be different is adding a number or some kind of piece of contact information that allows for quick and easy contact.

News Release:

1. First of all, since this was an attachment in an email, the “for immediate release” part was not necessary.

2. Next, I didn’t see a dateline.

3. For the contact information, it’s a good thing they have some components to it, but I think they could have formatted it differently to make it more professional looking.

4. While reading the news release, I found multiple grammatical errors. It’s important to go over it and possibly even have another person proofread it. The less grammatical errors there are, the more professional you look; it also makes it easier for whomever is reading it to take you more seriously.

5. The body of the release is too long, and not all of it is really necessary. It’s best to get right to the point. Though it is interesting information, I feel like it wouldn’t hold the interest of the reader and would need to be condensed. If they feel it is necessary to include that information, they could possibly add a quick link that is easy to find at the bottom.

6. Since news releases follow the format of the inverted pyramid, the person who wrote the example one should have placed the information they have at the end, at the beginning. The most important information should always come first.

A2:

A3:

A4:

Media kits are often compiled when a new technology or product is introduced. Tetra Corporation, for example, has introduced a new concept in fish feeding by showing a food pyramid of primary foods, enhancers, and occasional supplements to answer the aquarium owner’s question, "What should I feed my fish?" The food pyramid concept positions its various products nicely. If you were preparing a digital media kit for Tetra, what kinds of materials would you include? Give the name of the material and a brief description.

News Release: This will introduce the new product and when its release date.

News Feature: This will go into more detail about the new product being produced. Included will be background facts and research about the new product.

Fact Sheet: This will highlight the important main facts about the new product.

Images: There are many opportunities and options that one is able to take advantage of in a digital media kit. Not only can images be shown off like a traditional media kit, but video clips can also be added. Images can be used to show what the new product looks like. Videos can be used to show new special features of the product and users enjoying the new product.

Bio: This will include important facts about the Tetra Corporation like who they are and what their purpose is. They can also add a few accomplishments of theirs.

Contact Information: This will allow people to contact you about any questions or comments about the new product. Including a website link is a good idea because then it can direct the person to more information about the business or the new product.

A5: