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FA Chapter Media Kit
Digital resource located on the FFA Resource CD-Rom
Questions? Contact: Dave Krueger, kruege20@msu.edu
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FA Chapter Media Kit
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
Introduction
2.
MS Publisher Guide
3.
News Release Tip Sheet
4.
Fact Sheet Tip Sheet
5.
Schedule of Activities Tip Sheet
6.
Brochure Tip Sheet
7.
Newsletter Tip Sheet
8.
Newsletter Publishing Guide
9.
Keys to Writing Well
10. Editing Guide
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FA Chapter Media Kit
INTRODUCTION
The FFA Chapter Media Kit has been designed to assist local FFA
chapters with public relations efforts. The kit is formatted with easy to
follow tip sheets for each template provided. Agriscience students and FFA
members should be encouraged to produce public relations documents for
the chapter using the media kit. The media kit contains a disk with five MS
Publisher templates as well as a MS Word copy of this document.
The individual tip sheets present an excellent foundation of
knowledge to get students started. Additional information on writing and
editing is also included. Student usage of outside sources on writing, as
well as the AP Style Book, will reinforce the tip sheet concepts and
generate stronger written pieces. Information on news and public relations
writing may also be helpful.
Advisors may choose to include instruction on these subjects or allow
students to individually pursue additional information. The course pack for
AEE 401 Communications Campaigns in Agriculture and Natural
Resources, a course offered through Michigan State University, may be
obtained at http://www.msu.edu/course/aee/401/coursepack.pdf The
course pack can be used as a teaching resource or made available to
students for independent learning. Gina Lott, an Agriscience student from
Michigan State University in 1999, created this resource.
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FA Chapter Media Kit
MS PUBLISHER GUIDE
To begin using the FFA Media Kit:
 Open the desired MS Publisher template:
srelease.tmp for single page releases;
mrelease.tmp for multiple page releases;
rbrochure.tmp for recruitment brochures;
pbrochure.tmp for community promotion brochures;
newsletter.tmp for newsletters.
clipfile.tmp for graphics
 Begin making changes to the selected public relations document
using the appropriate media kit tip sheets as guides.
To save the created public relations document:
 Select File.
 Select Save As.
 Select the (C:) drive.
 Type in a new file name for the document.
 Click O.K.
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FA Chapter Media Kit
NEWS RELEASE TIP SHEET

Open the desired MS Publisher release template (srelease.tmp for single page
releases or mrelease.tmp for multiple page releases).

Replace all existing text with appropriate chapter information.

Type in NEWS RELEASE as the RELEASE TITLE.

Select and type in a short and decisive Headline for the news release.

The news release should not exceed two pages in length and should be doublespaced.

Decide if the news release is to publicize or to promote the activity being written
about.

As the news release is being written, be sure to continually consult the AP Style
Book if anything is in question.

A news release must be accurate, brief and clear. It must make sense, have unity of
thought and possess narrative flow.

Avoid the use of descriptive adjectives and adverbs.

A news release should begin with a lead. The lead is a single sentence that
summarizes the entire story. The lead must include who was involved, what
happened, where it happened, when it happened and may include why or how it
happened.

The lead should be simple and consist of less than 30 words.

The news release should be organized in inverted pyramid style. Information is
presented in order of importance from most to least.

No conclusion is necessary in writing a news release. If the news release is written
properly, the reader will know it is the end of the story.

Be sure to thoroughly edit the news release. A news release containing errors of
any type will not be published.
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FA Chapter Media Kit
FACT SHEET TIP SHEET
 Open the desired MS Publisher release template (srelease.tmp for
single page releases or mrelease.tmp for multiple page releases).
 Replace all existing text with appropriate chapter information.
 Type in FACT SHEET as the RELEASE TITLE.
 Delete the Headline.
 Rather than typing text, use bullet points to organize the fact sheet
information.
 A fact sheet may contain information about the FFA, local chapter,
alumni, a specific activity (to accompany a news release), or the officer
team. Each type of fact sheet, however, should be exclusive and
separate.
 Organize the fact sheet information chronologically or in order of
importance.
 Fact sheet information should be clear, concise and easy to follow.
 The fact sheet should contain only necessary or pertinent information.
 The AP Style Guide should be followed in fact sheet construction.
 The fact sheet should be well written and must be thoroughly edited.
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FA Chapter Media Kit
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES TIP SHEET
 Open the desired MS Publisher release template (srelease.tmp for
single page releases or mrelease.tmp for multiple page releases).
 Replace all existing text with appropriate chapter information.
 Type in SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITES as the RELEASE TITLE.
 Delete the Headline.
 Rather than typing text, use bullet points to organize the schedule of
activities information.
 Organize the schedule of activities into monthly sections and list events
chronologically.
 List activities of importance that are newsworthy or of community
interest.
 State activities simply and concisely.
 Be sure to include national, state and competitive events in addition to
local chapter activities.
 The schedule of activities may contain both chapter and alumni activities
and events in a combined form.
 The schedule of activities must be thoroughly edited and periodically
updated.
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FA Chapter Media Kit
BROCHURE TIP SHEET
 Open the desired MS Publisher release template (rbrochure.tmp for
recruitment brochures or pbrochure.tmp for community promotion
brochures).
 Replace all existing RED text with the appropriate chapter information.
 The individuals selected as the General Contact Person and Alumni
Contact Person (for pbrochure.tmp only) should be available to respond
to requests for information.
 These individuals should also be very knowledgeable about the FFA
organization, chapter, alumni, and associated activities and events.
 After the RED text information has been appropriately filled in, change
the text color from red to black.
 Highlight the red text, go to the format window, select font and select
color as black. This must be done for each area of red text in the
brochure.
 In areas where changes were made, the brochure must be thoroughly
edited.
 At this point, the brochure will be ready for printing and reproduction.
 Using colored paper for the finished brochure makes the product more
attractive and increases audience appeal.
 The finished brochure should be double-sided and in a tri-fold format.
The brochure can be given out by hand or used as a mailer.
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FA Chapter Media Kit
NEWSLETTER TIP SHEET
 Open the desired MS Publisher release template (newsletter.tmp).
 Replace the Masthead with the FFA chapter name on the first page and
fill in the Volume #, Number # and the Month Year.
 On the fourth page, replace the Mailing Address with the appropriate
chapter information.
 This newsletter is formatted to have four pages. Each page has two
columns that should be filled with stories and other FFA information.
 Each story needs to have a headline. One font should be selected for
the headlines and a complementing font should be selected for the body
text. The headlines should be in 18-point font size while the body text
size should be in 10-point font.
 Use photographs and clip art of high quality to break-up text. The usage
of these visual elements will increase the appeal of the newsletter.
 Tables, lists, graphs and calendars are useful ways to organize
information that may otherwise become confusing to the audience.
 The top portion of the fourth page is designed as a Calendar of
Upcoming Events. List these events chronologically in monthly sections.
 Stories contained in the newsletter must be clear, concise and easy to
follow.
 Utilize the AP Style Guide during story writing.
 The newsletter must be well written and thoroughly edited.
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FA Chapter Media Kit
NEWSLETTER PUBLISHING GUIDE
Newsletters provide a routine channel of communication to a target
audience. Newsletters encourage member and community
participation while unifying an audience.
 Have a single objective for publishing the newsletter.
 Determine the optimal rate for newsletter publication. Most commonly,
newsletters are published monthly or quarterly.
 The newsletter must have a consistent format. A constant design allows
the reader to find information as quickly as possible.
 Plan the content of the newsletter. Decide the number and types of
stories each issue will contain.
 Determine the number of photographs, clip art and other visual
communication tools that the newsletter will employ to reach the
audience.
 Information contained in the newsletter can include the chapter, alumni,
officer team, agriscience classroom activities and individual members.
Also include national, state and competitive FFA events.
 Plan the circulation and distribution of the newsletter. Decide how the
newsletter will get to the audience.
 Gather the materials needed to construct the newsletter including stories
and visual communication tools.
 Edit the newsletter thoroughly. The newsletter serves the chapter as a
representative of the FFA organization to the community. Proper editing
insures that the newsletter positively reflects the chapter and the FFA.
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FA Chapter Media Kit
KEYS TO WRITING WELL
 Sentences should be short but not choppy.
 Related elements should be contained in a single sentence.
 Use short words.
 Be careful with adverb usage.
 Eliminate wordiness in sentences.
 Justify the use of each word in the sentence.
 Avoid long introductory phrases.
 Avoid jargon or technical language unfamiliar to the audience.
 Write in the third person.
 Avoid redundancy.
 Use a variety of sentences and verbs to promote narrative flow.
 Be sure to EDIT the piece carefully.
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FA Chapter Media Kit
EDITING GUIDE
Editing-The Five Step Process:
1. Read the entire piece from start to finish without stopping.
2. Decide if the structure of the piece is able to reach the desired audience.
Ask the following questions:
 Does the content satisfy the audience needs?
 Does the lead directly communicate to the audience?
 Does important information reach the audience quickly enough?
 Is any essential information missing?
3. Check the piece for accuracy.
4. Review the language of the piece. Ask the following questions:
 Are words simple, clear and direct?
 Is the piece written in an active voice rather than a passive voice?
 Are redundancies eliminated?
 Is the piece free of grammar, syntax, spelling and typing errors?
 Is the piece free of bias and jargon?
 Is the piece written in the third person?
5. Read the piece again for overall quality and reader appeal.
Editing is an essential step in all types of media writing.
Communication with the audience becomes clearer through editing.