Glossary of PR terms

ABC: The independent company which measures newspaper circulation.

Associated Press: Supplies news to the media

Blog: Short for weblog, this is a kind of online diary. They are incredibly popular – it’s said there’s a new blog created every second – and demonstrate how important self-published material is right now. See Blogger and the micro blogger Twitter

Citizen journalism: Where professional media publishes photos and videos taken by members of the public. Can also mean the rise of blogging

Exclusive: A story that a media outlet has first. Sometimes still called a scoop by newspapers

No Comment: Traditionally a phrase used when you have nothing to say to the media, but these days it is likely to make you sound guilty! Find something to say rather than a weak “no comment”

PA: Stands for Press Association; it supplies news to the media

Press release: The formal communication of a story to the media

PR / Public Relations: The process of communicating information about you or your business to the public

Publicity: A part of PR, publicity is a story about you in the media

Publicity stunt: Something you do to attract attention from the media

Rajar: The independent company that measures radio audience figures

Scoop: See Exclusive

Social networking: Websites such as Facebook and Twitter where people connect using the internet