The PR glossary is designed for anyone seeking an understanding -- basic or advanced -- of what goes into planning and implementing effective corporate communications.
Media monitoring and analysis - New
The terms in this section are those commonly used by most firms that provide media monitoring and analysis services. They cover both traditional mass media as well as some social and online media.
Communications: PR and Marketing - New
An up-close-and-professional look at various areas of PR and Marketing, including strategic management, research, branding, and word-of-mouth communications.
Publicity, News and News Terms - New
This section provides terms and definitions every publicist should know and use when dealing with media. An ideal companion to the Publicity Tips section.
Publicity Tools and Techniques - New
These terms and definitions explain both the well-known and little-known tools and techniques that can generate extensive media coverage. Included is information on supplementary publicity materials as well as suggestions for products and services to make the publicist's job easier.
Event Publicity Tips - New
Some practical, creative, and inexpensive tips for attracting media attention to your special event.
Strengths and Limitations of Various Media
The following is a breakdown of the strengths and limitations of various media types.
Gatekeepers & News Gatherers at a Major Newspaper
The following provides terms and definitions of gatekeepers and news gatherers at major newspapers.
Persuasion and Public Opinion – Communications
The basic objective to most public relations programs is to change or neutralize hostile opinions,
to crystallize unformed or latent opinions, or to conserve favourable opinions by reinforcing them.
This is done through persuasion. Primarily a communications process, persuasion is an effort to convey
information in such a way as to get people to revise old pictures in their heads, or form new ones,
and thus change their behaviour.
Persuasion and Public Opinion – Attitude Formation
The attitudes of individual citizens are the raw material out of which a consensus develops. Influencing an
individual’s attitudes is a prime task of the practitioner. Consequently, he or she must know their source,
their organization as reflected in the person’s value system and personality, and the processes that bring
attitude change.
Public Relations Management Roles
Public relations can and should make an important contribution in helping
to form an organization's ideas about what it is, what it should do and
what its publics want and expect from it.
Public Relations Specialized Functions
Public relations functions are categorized by the publics with which relationships are
established and to whom appeals are made to understand and/or accept certain policies,
procedures, individuals, causes, products or services. Practitioners who perform specialized
functions may play a management role, operate as a communications technician, or function
in a dual role.
Public Relations Activities
The various stages of the public relations process involve combinations of a variety of activities.