Question 1

Listicles, a portmanteau word, are part of the online media landscape.

Accepted Answer

Listicles are articles in the form of a list, a common format in online media, combining the words "list" and "articles."

Question 2

It takes __________ to articulate your goals and objectives as part of a public relations strategy.

Accepted Answer

Clear writing is essential for articulating goals and objectives in a public relations strategy, as it ensures the message is conveyed effectively and understood by the intended audience.

Question 3

Writing for search engine optimization has become an important part of __________.

Accepted Answer

SEO writing helps manage online reputation by ensuring positive content ranks higher in search results.

Question 4

Deidra is a media specialist for Uber and decides on an approach to her campaign that will get the attention of and engage her publics. She highlights the life of a returning veteran who has difficulty finding a job until he knocked on Uber's door. Her approach is known in PR as __________.

Accepted Answer

Deidra's approach is known as storytelling because it involves creating a narrative to engage the audience, in this case, highlighting the life of a returning veteran to connect with the public on an emotional level.

Question 5

Rather than plainly reporting facts and information, a __________ digs deeper into some angle of an event, a person's life, an organization, or a place.

Accepted Answer

A feature story goes beyond mere facts to explore the deeper aspects of a subject, providing more detailed and nuanced coverage.

Question 6

The Jackson Agency of St. Louis creates a PR ad for Budweiser that does not even mention beer or have a picture of a beer can or bottle. Instead, the story features a trainer who raises the Clydesdales from birth and then watches them leave the ranch to join the other horses. This is an example of a feature-type story that appeals to ____________.

Accepted Answer

The story focuses on the emotional journey of a trainer raising Clydesdales, aiming to connect with the audience on an emotional level, which is a hallmark of human interest stories.

Question 7

Whereas a feature writer may delay the most important points while appealing to human interest and emotion, straight news stories get right to the business of reporting the news with a __________. Even if readers never read past the first paragraph, they can get the gist of the content.

Accepted Answer

Straight news stories often use a direct lead, which means they start with the most important information to ensure that readers can understand the main points even if they only read the beginning of the article.

Question 8

Anna is a freelance online writer who submits articles to various blogs and news websites. She knows that her writing skills must follow the traditional rules of writing to make it past the first cut. She consults which writing style handbook for these rules?

Accepted Answer

The Associated Press style (AP) is widely used by news organizations and journalists, making it the most relevant choice for someone submitting articles to blogs and news websites. It provides guidelines for grammar, punctuation, and principles of reporting, making it suitable for Anna's needs.

Question 9

Boris, a PR writer, drafts and edits a timely article, pitches the story to reporters and editors, and hopes that various news media retell the story. What type of PR article did he write?

Accepted Answer

Boris wrote a news release, which is a written communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy. Typically, it is distributed to journalists and editors who may use it to write a news article.

Question 10

Cassandra prepares an online-only campaign for Microsoft. She includes sharable online material such as useful chunks of text, quotes, photos, infographics, suggested tweets, hashtags, and embeddable multimedia elements. What kind of campaign is this?

Accepted Answer

Cassandra's campaign is a Social Media Release (SMR), which is designed for the online environment and includes various multimedia and interactive elements that can be shared across social media platforms.

Question 11

Lidochka prepares a news release about a Russian oil tanker grounding in the North Sea. Along with the story, she includes an attachment that provides accurate information about the accident and other information that editors can click on and check for themselves. What kind of attachment did she provide?

Accepted Answer

A fact sheet is designed to provide key information on a particular topic in an easily digestible format, which is exactly what Lidochka included with her news release to offer accurate details about the Russian oil tanker accident.

Question 12

Tesla Motors is planning the unveiling of their driverless car. The Tesla PR team assembles news releases, fact sheets, and backgrounders, as well as photos, graphics, position papers, and anything else that might useful for a reporter researching and producing a story. What did the Tesla team create for their big media event?

Accepted Answer

The Tesla team created a media kit, which is a package of promotional materials provided to members of the press to help them cover a story, event, or product launch.

Question 13

A __________ is essentially a backgrounder for a person who is the main subject of a news release.

Accepted Answer

A bio, short for biography, is essentially a backgrounder for a person who is the main subject of a news release, providing relevant information about their life, career, and achievements.

Question 14

Donald is given the assignment by his PR firm to prepare a news release designed to be distributed through online search engines. Although all search engines operate differently, with different rules (i.e., algorithms) for how search results are produced, some common elements that factor into most searches are headlines, meta tags, links, and URLs. What other factor is very important for Donald to optimize the search engine results?

Accepted Answer

Keywords are crucial for optimizing search engine results because they are the terms that users enter into search engines. By incorporating relevant keywords into the content, headlines, meta tags, and URLs, Donald can improve the visibility of his news release in search engine results.

Question 15

The PRSA Code of Ethics lists expertise as a core value of the profession, especially expertise in the ethic of reciprocity. Alexandra, a PR media relations specialist, strives to include this principle in all of her work. She is practicing what is also known as __________.

Accepted Answer

The ethic of reciprocity, often encapsulated by the phrase "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," is commonly known as the Golden Rule, which aligns with choice B.

Question 16

Elle is often frustrated because more and more, she is competing with __________ for the attention of her audience members. Unfortunately, instead of reading articles about her client, web visitors are instead choosing promotional and sensational content designed primarily to entice them to visit another website.

Accepted Answer

Clickbait is designed to entice web visitors to click through to a different website, often using sensational content, which is what Elle's audience is being drawn to instead of her articles.

Question 17

While critics may complain that ______ are lazy writing, some writers see them as a way to help readers filter and process a lot of information by breaking it into manageable pieces in an order that makes sense.

Accepted Answer

Listicles are seen by some writers as a way to help readers process a lot of information by organizing it into manageable, ordered pieces, despite criticism that they may represent lazy writing.

Question 18

Writing is one of the most sought-after skills employers screen for when hiring public relations talent, and one of the main reasons to write well is to build and maintain __________.

Accepted Answer

Writing in public relations is primarily used to build and maintain relationships. Effective communication, through writing, is essential for engaging with stakeholders, managing a company's image, and fostering positive interactions between the organization and its publics.

Question 19

Nolan, a professional writer, has been very successful because he has a good sense of __________. His news releases speak to journalists, his tweets resonate with followers, and his thank-you notes keep the door open for future opportunities.

Accepted Answer

Nolan's success across various forms of communication (news releases, tweets, thank-you notes) suggests he understands his audience well, which is what option D ("Who his readers are") directly addresses. This ability to tailor his messages effectively to different groups is key to his success.

Question 20

Santiago invests a lot of time in the ___________ phase of strategic planning because that is where he learns more about his publics' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, making it easier for him to influence those publics.

Accepted Answer

Research is crucial in strategic planning as it helps understand publics' perceptions, aiding in effectively influencing them.

Quiz 9: Writing