Fact Sheet

Intro to Public Relations

Fact Sheet

Fact sheets are important communication tools in most PR operations. If you follow a few basic steps, they are not difficult to write. Those steps are:

1) Choose an organization. Obviously, this won't be an issue outside of the classroom setting, but you need to do it here. Select any organization, other than the University of Cincinnati or something associated with it. You can write about the entire organization, a division of it, or some other relevant and researchable segment. Tip: To add to the usefulness of this project, you could choose a company for which you would like to work. Thus, the research required does double duty by enabling you to complete the assignment and prepare for an interview.

2) Determine the purpose of the fact sheet. Is it something for a special event or is it one that would stay on file and be sent out in press kits or in response to media information requests? The first would be fairly specific to the event, the second more general background. Either way, the overall goal of a fact sheet is to provide clear, useful information.

3) Do the research. UC’s library contains loads of business data. Use these resources to gather information about your company. At least three sources are required.

4) Write the fact sheet. Provide pertinent details for your chosen purpose. Make sure the details you choose would be considered "newsworthy" by the media outlets that could conceivably be your targets. These details would include information an editor would need to flesh out an article. After you've chosen the appropriate details, write them up clearly and concisely. You may write full sentences, bullets, or a mix. If you use a mix, the reason for the style choice should be logical and apparent to the reader. Whatever style you choose, make sure the text is clear and reads smoothly.

5) Cite your sources. Citing sources in a fact sheet is different from a research paper....