If you want free publicity, you’re going to have to deal with journalists. So you might as well learn how to communicate with them.
Every profession has its jargon and journalism is no exception. If you learn some of the basic terms you will be able to communicate more efficiently and effectively with journalist. They will appreciate it and it will save both of you time.
Learning some of their lingo also indicates that you understand something about their industry. This can sometimes cause them to respect you more, if only on a subconscious level, and increase their receptivity to you.
Here are some of the basic terms:
Slug or slug line — a few words at the top of each page that identify the story. Before the advent of computers and email, when people actually used ancient relics known ad typewriters, news stories were written on paper.
No, really.
The same slug was put on each typewritten page of the story, with the page number, so that if the pages were separated they could be put back together in the proper order. With the advent of email, the slug now only appears once, at the top of the story.
Byline — the name of the person who wrote the story. Press releases do not have bylines.
Headline — if you’ve ever read a newspaper, you know what this is.
Dateline — the city where the person or entity that the story is about is located, often followed by the date. The dateline appears at the beginning of the first paragraph followed by a dash and then the lead.
Graph — short for paragraph. Journalists usually refer to graphs, not paragraphs.
Copy — the words of the story.
Cutline — also known as the caption. These are words that appear beneath or near a photo that explain it or offer more information.
Hard news — stories about crime, politics, war, the economy, etc. Hard news is usually reported while an event is happening or shortly after.
Features — these can be human-interest stories, such as a couple celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary, or a kid who nurses sick animals back to health, etc. Features can also be informational pieces on a variety of topics, such as health, personal finances, and so on. A feature can also be a more in-depth look at a news story. The timing of a feature is less important than for a hard news story.
Evergreen — usually a feature that can be published or broadcast at any time that is convenient for the news outlet. An evergreen story is also one that is done repeatedly through the years. On holidays, for example, you will see evergreen stories. For example, at Christmas, you will see stories about organizations that raise food, clothes or toys for needy people. On the 4th of July, you’ll see stories of immigrants who recently became citizens.
Adapted from the book, You Can Be Famous! Insider Secrets to Getting Free Publicity.
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