The activities of modern companies cannot be imagined without advertising, coverage of the general public with the specifics of doing business and the organization itself, its products or services, and the nuances of doing business. To implement all of the above, there are many ways. The background is one of them. This article is devoted to the analysis of the concept, structure of this type of text and how to write it.
Deciphering the concept
A background is a text written by a public relations specialist for further publication in the media, whether it is a print version of an publication or an electronic one. This text can tell about the activities of the company, its products and services provided, the history of creation, the biography of senior officials, as well as development.
In order for this text to have the desired effect and be published in the media, it should not be of an explicit advertising character. The background is, first of all, an informational letter. Information should be provided as objective as possible. The more interesting it will be, the higher the likelihood of the material coming out into the light, respectively, and attracting additional attention to the activities of the company.
Varieties of Background
Journalists and pr-managers distinguish two main types of backgrounds:
- The texts included in the press kit, corporate booklet or information package. In some cases, the background may act as explanatory material for the press release. Then he should answer the questions raised by people who read the original material.
- PR text telling about the news of the organization, its news, development, innovations. Sometimes in this way stories from the life of the company can be described.
Media text target
When a sensation enters the news environment, journalists may have questions. Background grader is a way to answer them. It is the background that is used for brief information about the development of the company. Its main goal is to unobtrusively recall the existence of an organization, to declare itself. But this process is not carried out in a flashy manner, but carefully, "between the lines." Giving answers to pressing questions, the company shows its location in the market and is remembered by the reader.
The difference between the backgrunder and the press release
Two types of PR texts are often confused by people without a journalistic background. It is worth noting that the press release is sensational, screaming, often impressive in nature. It focuses on the catchiness of the title and the first paragraph of the text. There is no such emphasis in the background, and the news highlighted in it is not a sensation. This is first-hand information, answers to questions and objective descriptions. However, the background can be part of a press release, that is, a kind of explanatory note.
PR text structure
Any text should begin with something, contain certain information, and also lead the reader to conclusions. All this should be competently structured and laid out "on the shelves" in order to have the intended effect. The structure of the background below is the history of the company as a whole:
- The first thing you need to start with is the date the company was founded. This will show how many years it has been operating in the market, which means it will increase the degree of trust.
- Stage of development. In this paragraph, consistently state all the bearing stages of the formation and growth of the organization.
- The legend of the organization, the purpose of its creation, the ideas of the founders.
- What is the state of the organization at the moment.
- What goods and services are available in the organization’s price list today.
- Achievements of the company in social and other areas of society, foundations, sponsorship of certain segments of the population or developing legal entities and individuals.
- Development prospects, ideas of the management team for the near and distant future in the matter of the functioning of the company.
- Describe the reasons for the success of the organization, how it stands out from the competition, how the status and public trust have earned.
In order to describe the organization, such a background is used on the company's own website. Examples are presented on all official business card sites of companies that care about their image. Such a text can be used not only for publication in the media, but also to attract business partners, larger investors, wholesale buyers, and so on.
How to write a background
Writing a PR text is a job that requires deep immersion in the features of the organization, its history and various facts of its business activities. The background is no exception. Examples of large companies make it possible to understand what is required of the author in carrying out this task. Let's consider, by points, what and how to write in this text:
- Such text should always be devoted to only one topic. It doesn’t matter if it’s a common story or just a separate event. One topic, save the rest for other articles.
- The size of the article should be between 4-5 pages.
- The main body of information used is facts that cannot be refuted.
- It is recommended to supplement the text with various graphs, tables, charts, surveys, official statistical information in a visual form. Since the purpose of the article is information and reference, it is necessary to observe the visibility for users.
- Do not fill out the article with an abundance of specialized terms that are understandable only to narrow circles of specialists. Information should be accessible to all readers.
- Personal opinion should not fit into the structure of the text. Background, first of all, objective information.
- Such text is written in the third person in a business style.
Decor
Any text requires a certain design, including the background. An advertising booklet (or rather, its component part), a description of the company for the official website, a business card for potential partners - it does not matter what purpose this pr-text pursues, there are some requirements for it. So, below are a few immutable design rules:
- The background is written on the letterhead of the organization. If this is the text for the site, at least a logo and a name should be present.
- Mandatory part - heading and subheadings.
- The topic covered in the background should be fully described and worked out in detail.
- The text should contain comments and remarks from the most authoritative representatives of the organization, which is the subject of this backgrounder.
- The final part of the text is usually presented in graphical form, a variety of charts, tables and diagrams are welcome.
What is a fact sheet
A kind of background is also a fact list. In most cases, it serves PR managers, article authors and journalists as a kind of "cheat sheet" for writing material for publications. The fact sheet looks like a one-page text, even, rather, a list with facts without any comments. It contains a brief reference about the organization itself, positions, names of leading specialists and the administrative apparatus, a list of products and services in the company's arsenal.
Also, information on the history of development, important dates in the life of the organization, the location of offices and branches, reports on the amounts of sales, and dynamic statistics can be placed in the fact sheet.
Usually a fact sheet supplements a press release or main background.