Introduction

Welcome to PR Case Studies: Analysis and Application!

This workbook is to be used in conjunction with Public Relations Case Studies: Strategies & Actions. Here is where you will do analysis and application of the cases that you read in the textbook. You will be asked questions about the case studies in the online textbook and you will also be given writing assignments based on each case. These written assignments include message maps, press releases, and social media posts. The purpose of this workbook is to make the cases in the textbook tangible, to allow you to place yourself inside of the case as it happened, and to ask you to practice your PR skills using these real life PR cases. 

Some writing assignment tips: When you read the term “copy” used as a noun, it refers to written content. Writing is a big part of Public Relations, and when you write copy, it can be for a website, a blog, a press release, a social media post, a speech, an email, or any other type of marketing or promotional material. Writing clarity and accuracy is critical– imagine that everything you write on behalf of the company could be immediately published somewhere online or in print. There’s no room for error. 

While a template may not be provided for every question related to a case study, a template for a message map, press release, and social media post can be found below. Please note: you will be required to do independent research on the company in each case, using their website, their social media, and news stories written about them to complete the writing assignments. Understanding the client is critical when working in PR, and you always need to do thorough research on them before you try to communicate on their behalf and write copy for them. 

Message Map:
 

A message map is a visual representation of your company’s main messages, supporting points/facts/accomplishments, slogans, spokespeople, brand information, website, social media handles, mission statement and any other critical storytelling information. They are used as a tool to ensure all communication is aligned and cohesive. There may be a general message map for a company, and there may also be separate message maps in the event of a crisis or a particular campaign they are doing. 

The main messages should be concise, memorable, and relevant to your audience, and the supporting points/facts/accomplishments should be specific, factual, and compelling. The spokespeople you choose for the case would usually be the CEO/Founder and may also include another relevant leader, like head of Human Resources or Director of Marketing (depending upon who is closest to the case).

The Message Map template provided below is just one possible design. The headings for each section of the chart can change according to the case and the purpose of the map. If you google “message map” you will see many other designs and layouts. You may get creative and use a different design for your Message Map if you like. When using the template below, be sure to remove any prompts I’ve written in parentheses.

When researching about the company, you should use the following sources to find real, detailed information for the message map:

• The company website (especially the “about” and “media” page)

• The company’s social media accounts

• News stories about the company

Press Release:

A press release is an official statement emailed or sent to members of the news media (local, national, and/or global) for the purpose of providing information. Press releases can follow slightly different formats, so the one provided below is just an example to guide you. You may have learned different ways to write press releases in other Public Relations or Journalism classes, and if you prefer to use a template from those classes, that’s fine. Remember: the content of a press release is written in AP (Associated Press) style because it makes it easy for members of the media/press to take that information and use it in their own stories. If you have an AP style guide, now is the time to use it! 

Below you will see elements that are meant to simply mark where you need to add your own copy. The logo at the top should be an image with no parentheses around it, for example. Remember to replace anything in parentheses with your own words (the only place that the parentheses stay are around the date in the dateline– otherwise they should be deleted). Likewise, anything that says TKTK  is just a marker for where you need to add your own copy. "To come" is a printing and journalism reference, commonly abbreviated to "TK". The abbreviation is used to mark where additional material will be added to a manuscript before publication.

[INSERT JPG of COMPANY LOGO AT THE TOP OF THE RELEASE]

(Headline) TKTKTKTKTK TKTK TKTK TKTK
 

(Subhead) TKTKTKTK TKTKTK TKTK

CITY, STATE  (Month Day, Year)— (Lede paragraph is where you get the reader’s attention while also providing the most important information in the release. Usually 2-3 sentences.)

(The body of the release should explain the details that explain the who/what/when/where/why/how of the story. Remember that most releases should only be 1 page long, so the body is usually just 2-3 paragraphs.)

(You will need to think about what the main spokesperson should say in order to best represent their company in this case. Can be 2-3 sentences of quote, as outlined below. The preface/introduction of the quote and the transition to the second part of the quote can be altered-- the below is just a basic placeholder to be used as an example.)

(Name), (official title of spokesperson), said, “TKTK TKTK TKTK TKTK.” [He/she] adds, “TKTK TKTKTKTKTK TKTKTKTKTK.”
 

For more information about (company)  visit (web address for company website).

### 

About (Company name)

(Official company boilerplate goes here. You may write one based on information from their website or you may find one used on one of their actual press releases.)

Social Media Post:

Messaging on social media should be aligned with the messaging on the company website, in terms of tone, slogans, and brand imagery. Any time you are writing social media posts for a client, you need to do research on what social media accounts they have (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok are all possibilities, with new platforms being added all the time) and you need to research what they post and how they communicate across all of those social media channels. 

You also must remember that audiences on each social media platform are different in terms of demographics and content expectations. For example, a LinkedIn post will be VERY different in terms of audience, tone, length, and imagery/graphics than a X/Twitter post or a TikTok post. If you have a message that needs to go across all of their social media platforms, you will need to create different content for each platform. 

Below are templates for some (not all) social media platforms. Don’t forget that ALL social media posts do better with compelling graphics, imagery, or video. The visuals you include in the social media posts matter just as much as the written copy. If you don’t have Canva or other graphic design capabilities, you should describe IN DETAIL, what image should go with your proposed social media posts. If you are suggesting a TikTok video for a company, for example, you should describe, in depth, what that video should include, who should be featured, what should be highlighted, what audio should be used, how long it should be, etc.

Image/Graphic/Video: [For each social media platform, you should include an image, graphic, or video. You may either copy/paste an image or graphic here or describe what you recommend IN DETAIL. If you are recommending a TikTok video for a company, you should describe the video, including imagery/music/copy, all together. Non-video platform templates should have image/graphic/video descriptions separate from the written copy, provided below.]

Copy for Facebook: TKTKTKTK  [Copy for Facebook can be longer, but you should aim to keep your posts to 1-3 sentences for better engagement. Facebook's character limit on status updates is 63,206. When writing for each of these social media platforms, you may not go OVER those character limits. Don’t forget to tag other relevant accounts on each platform and use relevant hashtags where possible.]

Copy for LinkedIn: TKTKTKTK  [Copy for LinkedIn is usually longer, but you should aim to keep your posts to 3-4 sentences for better engagement. The character limit for a LinkedIn post is 3000 characters. Don’t forget to tag other relevant accounts on each platform and use relevant hashtags.]

Copy for Instagram: TKTKTKTK  [Copy for Instagram is usually longer, but you should aim to keep your posts to 1-3 sentences for better engagement. Instagram captions allow the use of 2,200 characters. On Instagram, you may choose to pair your post or reel with music– specify which music you would use. Don’t forget to tag other relevant accounts on each platform and use relevant hashtags.]

Copy for X/Twitter: TKTKTKTK [The character limit for a Tweet is 280 characters, so you will need to shorten your messaging and consider appropriate abbreviations. Don’t forget to tag other relevant X accounts using their handles @]