peterbamuhigire/playbook-pr-publicity

PR and Publicity Playbook

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Use when

• Generate a complete PR and media relations strategy for a client — covering news release writing, media kit assembly, journalist pitching, publicity calendar, and earned media tracking. Use when a client wants press coverage, media exposure, or public credibility without a paid advertising budget.
• Use this skill when it is the closest match to the requested deliverable or workflow.

Do not use when

• Do not use this skill for graphic design, video production, software development, or legal advice beyond the repository's stated scope.
• Do not use it when another skill in this repository is clearly more specific to the requested deliverable.

Workflow

1. Collect the required inputs or source material before drafting, unless this skill explicitly generates the intake itself.
2. Follow the section order and decision rules in this SKILL.md; do not skip mandatory steps or required fields.
3. Review the draft against the quality criteria, then deliver the final output in markdown unless the skill specifies another format.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not invent client facts, performance data, budgets, or approvals that were not provided or clearly inferred from evidence.
• Do not skip required inputs, mandatory sections, or quality checks just to make the output shorter.
• Do not drift into out-of-scope work such as code implementation, design production, or unsupported legal conclusions.

Outputs

• A structured markdown document, plan, playbook, or strategy ready for client-facing or internal use.

References

• Use the inline instructions in this skill now. If a references/ directory is added later, treat its files as the deeper source material and keep this SKILL.md execution-focused.

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Required Input

Before generating any deliverable, ask for:

• Client business name
• Industry / sector
• Country or city (default: Uganda / East Africa)
• Primary goal (e.g., launch coverage, sustained brand awareness, thought leadership)
• Any existing media relationships or past coverage

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Part 1 — What Counts as News

Not everything a business does is newsworthy. Apply this filter before writing any release.

Genuinely newsworthy:

• New product, service, or business launch
• Milestone (first client, 1,000 customers, anniversary, award)
• Survey, study, or data you commissioned or conducted
• A provable "first" or "biggest" in your category
• Tie to a current national or regional news trend
• Human-interest story (client transformation, founder origin, community impact)
• Controversy or contrarian take on an industry issue (handled carefully)
• Partnership, expansion, or change that affects the public

Not newsworthy (do not pitch):

• General promotions or price reductions
• Internal appointments with no public significance
• "We're excited to announce…" — without a reason for the reader to care
• Routine product updates

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Part 2 — The Standard News Release

Every news release follows this format exactly.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[HEADLINE — active voice, benefit or outcome-led, present tense]
[SUBHEADLINE — one sentence that adds detail the headline omits]

[City], [Date] — [Lead paragraph: who, what, when, where, why — most important fact first.
Maximum two sentences. Never begin with the company name.]

[Second paragraph: supporting detail, context, and the "so what" for the reader.]

[Third paragraph: quote from a named spokesperson — not a generic statement.
Quote must add information not already in the body.]

[Fourth paragraph: further supporting detail, data, or background.]

[Boilerplate: one paragraph beginning "About [Company Name]:" —
describes the business in two to three sentences.]

For more information:
[Contact name]
[Email address]
[Phone number]
[Website]

###

Rules for every release:

• Lead with the most important fact — not the company name
• Active voice throughout
• Inverted pyramid structure (most important → least important)
• Maximum 400 words for the body
• One quote from a named person — never "a company spokesperson said"
• Every claim must be verifiable
• Send plain text or PDF — never Word documents
• Do not write the release as an advertisement

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Part 3 — The Publicity Kit

A publicity kit (media kit) is sent to journalists before or alongside a pitch. It contains:

| Component | Purpose | |---|---| | Biographical profile | Who you are — written in third person, 200 words | | Company description | What the business does, for whom, since when — 100 words | | Product/service overview | One page describing key offerings and differentiators | | Fact sheet | Key figures: founding date, team size, clients served, notable results | | High-resolution photography | Headshot + product/service images — minimum 300 dpi | | Past coverage | Copies of any articles, features, or media mentions already published | | Story hooks | 3–5 suggested story angles, written as headline-length ideas | | Interview questions | 10–15 suggested questions a journalist could ask — provided as a courtesy |

Delivery: Send as a single PDF or a well-organised folder. Never email 10 individual attachments.

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Part 4 — Pitching Journalists

The Query Letter Structure

Use this to pitch a feature article, interview, or column opportunity:

Paragraph 1 — The hook
Why this story, why now? Connect to a current news trend, season, or issue
that makes this timely. One to two sentences.

Paragraph 2 — The story
What exactly would the article or interview cover? What angle?
What will the reader learn or feel? Two to three sentences.

Paragraph 3 — Why you
Your credentials, expertise, or unique position to speak on this topic.
One to two sentences.

Paragraph 4 — Practical details
Proposed length, your availability for interview, any supporting materials
(data, case studies, photography) you can provide.

Sign-off: Name, title, phone, email.

Length: The query letter must fit on one printed page. Journalists are busy.

22 Ways to Get Your Story Published

(Adapted from Hahn, 2003)

1. Learn what journalists consider newsworthy — read the publication before pitching it
2. Find a news hook for every release — tie to current events or trends
3. Time releases to editorial calendars and news cycles
4. Write in inverted pyramid style — most important information first
5. Use the standard news release format (Part 2 above) without deviation
6. Target the right journalist — not the editor-in-chief; find the reporter who covers your beat
7. Send exclusives for major stories — one outlet gets first rights for 48–72 hours
8. Follow up by phone once only, 48 hours after sending
9. Build media relationships before you need them — comment on their articles, attend press events
10. Create a media kit and keep it permanently up to date (Part 3 above)
11. Capitalise on national news by making your business the local or specialist angle
12. Write opinion pieces (op-eds) as a named expert — 600–800 words, no advertising
13. Create an "expert source" positioning for your sector — be available for comment on breaking news
14. Use customer success stories as story angles — transformation, impact, and results
15. Anniversaries, milestones, and firsts are news — plan releases around them in advance
16. Create an award, index, or ranking in your category — data and recognition are both newsworthy
17. Sponsor a survey or publish original research — data is the most shareable PR asset
18. Host an event that creates news — a panel, launch, or public debate
19. Make yourself available immediately when journalists are on deadline — responsiveness is rare
20. Use trade press as a platform before targeting consumer press
21. Register with HARO (Help a Reporter Out) or regional equivalents as an expert source
22. Never lie, never spin — long-term media credibility is built over years and destroyed in a day

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Part 5 — Publicity Calendar

Generate a 12-month publicity calendar with these columns:

| Month | News Hook or Angle | Release / Pitch Type | Target Media | Lead Time Required | |---|---|---|---|---| | January | New year goals / resolutions | Opinion piece | Business press | 2 weeks | | February | Upcoming campaigns (Valentine's) | Feature pitch | Lifestyle / consumer | 3 weeks | | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

Rules for the calendar:

• Identify 2–3 newsworthy moments per quarter minimum
• Build in 3–4 weeks of lead time for print publications
• Flag national holidays and sector events that create natural hooks

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Part 6 — Earned Media Tracking

Track all media activity in a simple log:

| Date | Outlet | Story Type | Journalist | Status | Link / Clip | Estimated Reach | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|

Review monthly. Calculate:

• Total earned media impressions = sum of outlet reach figures for published coverage
• Equivalent advertising value (EAV) = estimated cost of buying equivalent space at rate card
• Share of voice = your mentions ÷ total category mentions in tracked outlets

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Quality Criteria

Good output from this skill:

1. Every news release passes the "would a journalist run this?" test — it is genuinely newsworthy
2. The release follows the standard format exactly — inverted pyramid, no advertising language
3. The publicity kit contains all 8 components, each at the specified word count
4. The query letter fits on one page and has a genuine time-sensitive hook
5. The 12-month calendar identifies real, specific news moments — not generic "brand awareness"
6. Media targets are named publications or outlet types relevant to the client's sector and geography
7. All content is written in the professional East African English register defined in east-african-english

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References

• Hahn, F.E. (2003) Do-It-Yourself Advertising and Promotion, 3rd edn. Hoboken: Wiley.
• Edwards, P., Edwards, S. and Douglas, L.C. (1991) Getting Business to Come to You. Los Angeles: Tarcher.
• Pinskey, R. (1997) 101 Ways to Promote Yourself. New York: Avon Books.