Instant Oatmeal vs Instant Oatmeal

We've all heard expert tips to select items with the least ingredients on the package when grocery shopping. For the most part, I try to do this, so I was shocked: "SHOCKED, I tell you!" to discover that my healthy instant, pre-packaged oatmeal had 30+ ingredients listed. Really, you too oatmeal...

Anyway, right next to the pre-packaged stuff in my cupboard sits a box of Irish Oatmeal that I use for baking breads and such. There was only one ingredient listed on the McCann's box: 100% whole grain Irish oats. So I made my own instant oatmeal. Breakfast took under 3 minutes (including the prep time) sand it was delish! So I don't think we'll be restocking the prepackaged stuff again.

My Instant Oatmeal: 1/2 cup Irish oats, Organic, sun-dried Goji berries, 1 TBS locally grown honey, ground cinnamon and ginger to taste and 1 cup water. 1.5 minutes in the microwave. I'd share a picture of my oatmeal, but ate it hours ago. So here's a photo of the ingredients (not counting the water).
 

 

The recipe on the box calls for 1/2 a cup of the oatmeal and 1 cup of water. Cook in the microwave for 1.5 minutes. I added the Goji berries to the oatmeal prior to cooking it and then stirred in the rest of the ingredients when it was done.

 

However you decide to flavor it; at least you'll know and can control what's in your oatmeal. Enjoy!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Art of Effective News Communication, Part III

This is the final part in my series on the components that make up a news release. The reason I spent so much time on these building blocks is because the first step in effective news communication is knowing how to properly prepare a news release. When editors have to rewrite your release or have to dig through it to figure out what they need to know... chances are they won't. While knowing how to put together a good news release helps, the most important things to remember are: Make sure that it's newsworthy in the first place, and make sure it is well-written with accurate information.

In this final installment, I'll cover the components that comprise the body of the release.

5W's & H: If you ever sat through J-101, you know all about the 5 W's and H. There's a lot more that goes into good news writing, but it all starts with answering these basic questions:

For our purposes, the 5 W's and H serve as checklist to make sure we don't miss any information that a journalist and the public needs to know. It's best to cover these in your lead paragraph. Remember that journalists, editors and news producers have a lot of material to review. So the faster you can convey your message, the better. The rest of your release can expand on your lead with more details, quotes, etc. But please remember to always keep your releases to one page (including the photo caption and your boilerplate).

Call to Action: When I can, I like to incorporate something in the news release that gives readers a sense of urgency; that they need to act on this now, especially when you have registration, tickets to sell, or event deadlines.

Public's Contact Info: It's a good idea to let the public know where they can go for more information and it's a good excuse to promote your website too.

End: End your release with three pound signs (###) centered. This is standard and  shows the journalist that there aren't missing pages.

Photo Caption (cutline): Please, please, please never include a photo embedded in the news release. (I'm talking about Word documents.) It should be sent as a separate attachment. What IS appropriate for the news release is the photo caption. This is where you identify anyone in the photo or tell the public what the photo is about.

Boilerplate: If you are asking yourself "What is a boilerplate?" you're not alone. Even experienced marketing professionals don't always know or understand the term. It refers to how print got stamped onto the newspaper. Boilerplate copy was stamped on steel plates that could be reused over and over again. For our use, the boilerplate is a statement that tells anyone reading it, who you are and what you do. It should be short. Brevity is key. On a news release, the boilerplate is the last thing that appears on a release, appearing under the END symbol and (if you have it) the cutline. A boilerplate is one of the most effective tools in branding, and, if you're not using yours on every communication, you are passing up a golden opportunity to tell the media and public about your company.

Well, that's the end of this series on the components of a news release. If you take nothing else away from this series, please take this one tip:  Before you write a news release, ask yourself, "Is this newsworthy? Is this something that the public will want to know?" If the answer is "no," then don't do it. As you know, there are a lot of other components to effective news communications: knowing when and where to send them, establishing good media relationships, knowing the jargon, etc. I'll write about some of these in future articles.

What are your must-have components? Let me know what you think.

The Art of Effective News Communication, Part Deux

As promised, here are the components of a News Release highlighted on an actual release. I illustrated them as bullet points in Part 1.

Components of a News Release

 

In Part 1, I talked about the importance of the contact person listed on a release. Also, although this sample doesn't feature a logo, I talked about taking advantage of branding your business or organization by sending out News Releases on your letterhead or a template that features your logo. Today, I'll cover the Date, Headline, and Lead Paragraph.

 

Date: It's important to let the media know the release date. Most of the time, I will use FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Keep in mind that just because it says for immediate release doesn't mean that it will appear the next day and sometimes not even the next week. The use of "For Immediate Release" just lets the media know that the information is not embargoed and can be used immediately.

Make sure to allow as much lead time as possible. Send releases out at least two weeks before you'd like to see it appear. Send it out even earlier for events you want listed on calendars.

About embargoes: A news embargo is a request by a source that the information or news provided not be published until a certain date. Embargoed releases are often used by businesses making a product announcement, by medical journals, and by government officials announcing policy initiatives; the media is given advance knowledge of details being held secret so that news reports can be prepared to coincide with the announcement date and yet still meet press time. In theory, news embargoes reduce inaccuracy in the reporting of breaking stories by allowing reporters time to research and write, often complicated pieces.

The Headline: Make it bold. Make it catchy. And just like the rest of your news release, make sure it's newsworthy and relevant. It will be centered (left to right, not top to bottom). You can use all caps and/or make it 1-2 font sizes larger than the body to help it stand out.

Sub-Headline: You don't always need a sub-headline for your news release. The sample above, for example, doesn't have a sub-headline, but I want to mention it because you may need to use one at some point. A sub-headline provides additional information to the headline. I used these a lot at the University of Texas-Pan American because some of the releases we sent out were complicated. The format I recommend when using the two-line headline is to use ALL CAPS on the main headline and upper and lowercase  for the sub-headline.

Dateline: The dateline is used to set the geographic location of the article or event. When using a dateline, it is placed on the first line of your text. I prefer to us AP style.

Next comes your Introduction or Lead paragraph: Outside of your headline, most of your focus should be on crafting a strong lead —that's where your news release lives or dies. After reading the lead of your news release, the person reading it should have answers to the 5 W's and H.

Your goal with the lead is to hook the reader while providing a clear, concise overview of your story. Please don't start with "So and So from Such and Such company is pleased to announce a first of its kind widget...." Instead, "A first of its kind widget that promises to ....," announced So and So from Such and Such.  The second paragraph is a great place to include a quote from the So and So that expands on the lead.

The rest of the news release reinforces the lead paragraph and provides more details.

I'll go into more detail on the 5 W's and H in the final installment in this series, as well as discuss the rest of the building blocks. One of my handouts at workshops includes tips for writing a strong lead and for composing a boilerplate. Contact me and I'll email it to you.



The Art of Effective News Communication

With advertising and marketing budgets getting tighter, we need to look for other ways to reach our audiences. If, like me, you come from the small business and non-profit world, you no doubt are already a pro at looking at creative solutions to get the word out about what you do and what services you provide. In future articles, I plan to touch on some ideas on promoting your organization or small business through community outreach. But for now, let's start with one tried and true way to communicate with the general public and our specific audiences through the news media. The News Release.

Almost anyone can write a news release and send it out. But there's an art to making sure it doesn't end up in the trash. It starts with a well-written, informative, brief, and newsworthy press release. So here are my tips and what I like to call "building blocks" to a well-written, effective news release.

• Heading/Company Logo. These typically go out on your company's letterhead. But you can easily create a template specifically for News Releases, that have these components in place so that you don't have to recreate it each time.
• News Media Contact Information. This contact is typically the person that handles media relations or is the company's spokesperson.
• Date (Release or Embargo Date). This lets the media know when it's okay to release the news.
• Headline. The headline should let anyone reading it know immediately what to expect.
• Introduction (Lead).
• 5 W’s & 1 H
• Call to Action. (This one is optional because you won't always need it. But giving the public a reason or motivation to act is a good thing, especially for event releases.)
• Public’s Contact Information.
• The End.
• Photo Caption (if needed).
• Boilerplate.

I'll go into more detail on each bullet, starting here, and will include a news release with the components highlighted in my next post.

Your Logo: Like your boilerplate, your logo is a great branding tool, so any correspondence, including your news release, should be sent out on letterhead or a News Release Template that features your logo.

Contact Information: Give complete contact information for the person in charge of your media relations. This is the person who a reporter will call to field all questions about the release. You want to give as much contact information here as possible. office & cell phone and Email at the very least.

One of the biggest pet peeves among reporters and editors has to do with contact information. I can't stress enough how important it is to make it easy for a reporter, editor, or producer to reach the contact person. So make sure that whoever is listed as the contact on a news release is available and reachable. It doesn't help to include a cell phone number and e-mail address if the person is too busy to return calls and check e-mails. Typically, the contact information listed at the top of the release is for the media only. The contact for the general public should be listed in the body of the copy, if it's appropriate.I'll go into more detail on other components in my next article. 

I'll go into more detail on other components in the next article.  As always, I'd love to hear from you. Let me know what you think.

Community Activist Elvia Rios Enters JP Race

McALLEN, Texas:  Longtime public servant and community activist Elvia Rios, 64, announced Thursday that she officially filed for Justice of the Peace Precinct 2, Place 2 seat in Hidalgo County in the March 2014 election by appointing Lupe Silva (Aboud) her campaign treasurer. Rios, who was born and raised in McAllen, said she plans to be a proactive judge who works with educators, community groups, and law enforcement to address situations that lead to the cases heard in court.

“My strong sense of fairness and integrity will guide both my campaign and judicial decisions,” Rios said.  "I welcome the community's input and plan to take advantage of every opportunity to go out and meet the citizens of Precinct 2 Place 2. The time is right for me to give back to my community.”

Rios, pictured here, said she views the Justice of the Peace court as "the people’s court.” The Justice of the Peace Precinct 2, Place 2 covers McAllen, Pharr, San Juan, Alamo, and the City of Hidalgo. JP’s perform the functions of a magistrate and conduct inquests. A justice of the peace presides over truancy cases, traffic violations, hears civil suits under $10,000, issues arrest warrants, and performs marriages.

For the past 16 years, Rios has been a self-employed consultant providing governmental agencies, higher education institutions, and non-profits services in resource development and management. Rios has a proven track record of securing grant funding totaling millions for Valley projects and programs. In addition, Hidalgo County judges have appointed Rios to make recommendations to the courts on child custody cases and adoptions.

Prior to consulting, Rios worked for Texas Rural Legal Aide, for the late State Senator Carlos F. Truan, and State Representative Rene Oliviera. Her legislative work includes the creation of South Texas Community College, the Regional Academic Health Center, and legislative appropriations for South Texas colleges and universities.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Houston, and a Masters in Public Health degree from the UTHSC- Houston. She also is a graduate of the Executive Program at Harvard University's JFK School of Government in Boston, MA, and the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs, CO. Rios is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Fellow in Health Leadership, and a Fellow of the National Hispana Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C.

Rios is the mother of Alejandro J. Rios Tovar, MD, 28, who is in his third year of a General Surgery residency at the University Medical Center in El Paso.  Dr. Rios Tovar plans to return to McAllen upon completion of the residency to serve the people of the Rio Grande Valley.