Public Relations
Staying Visible: Getting in the News
Promotion
Ways to Generate Public Relations
Tie-ins
How to Write News Releases
A Word of Advice
A Word about Appearance
Writing Tips
Dos and Don’ts
Sample Press Release: Chapter Donation
Sample Press Release: Student Achievement
Sample Press Release: Calendar/Precoverage Fundraising
We Want to Hear What You’ve Been Up To!
Spread the Word about FBLA–PBL Week
Sample Press Release: FBLA–PBL Week
Sample Proclamation: FBLA-PBL Week
Public Relations Lesson Plan
FBLA-PBL Newspaper Ad Grading Sheet
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Public Relations
STAYING VISIBLE:
GETTING IN THE NEWS
FBLA-ML chapters work hard to achieve results. Now
it is time to get recognition. Here are many ways to approach publicity from promotions, to public relations, to
tie-in, and press release. Select 10 publicity activities for
your chapter each year and you are well on your way to
putting your chapter in the spotlight!
Promotion
Recognition is built on familiarity. Take every opportunity
to let your school know about FBLA-PBL and its activities. Use established channels and techniques to get the
word out. For example:
■ Newspapers – prepare press releases and articles for
local and school newspapers; buy (or get sponsors to
buy) ads.
■ Print material – write and distribute brochures, news-
letters, fact sheets, and flyers.
■ Graphics material – mount posters; make your own
or use the covers from FBLA-PBL publications.
■ Audio material – create Public Service Announce-
Promotional items are available from MarketPlace.
See the MarketPlace catalog in this CMH.
Here is a list of promotional items to get you started.
• Calendars
• Bookmarks
• Patches
• Buttons
• Decals
• Stationery
• Bumper stickers
• Placards
• Shoppers
• Score boards
• Pencils
• Concession stands
• T-shirts
• Post-it notes
• Brochures
• Mugs
• Placemats
• Badges
• Bulletin boards
• Balloons
• Business cards
• Directories
• Banners
• Tent cards
• Sweatsuits
• Posters
• Ribbons
• Programs
• Billboards
• Marquee boards
• Welcome signs
• Stickers
• Trinkets
• Fliers
ments for your school’s PA system or your campus
radio station.
■ Audiovisual material – Announce upcoming events
including meetings on your school television station.
Dress in FBLA-ML T-shirts or polo shirts. Or prepare
a videotape using your own materials or FBLA-PBL
materials.
■ Visual displays – design an exhibit for community
and school events; maintain one or several bulletin
boards; design a homecoming float.
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WAYS TO GENERATE
PUBLIC RELATIONS
TIE-INS
■ Use name tags, pins, T-shirts, blazers, or sweaters to
identify FBLA-ML members.
■ Develop a listing of local news media.
■ Develop and distribute literature about FBLA-PBL
and the business program to local schools, businesses,
and government.
■ Present business programs about FBLA-ML to civic
and service groups in the community.
■ Develop promotional exhibits around schools and the
community.
■ Display material about FBLA-ML in and out of
schools – superintendent’s office, chamber of commerce, local businesses, etc.
■ Set up bulletin boards and showcase displays of chap-
ter awards and projects.
■ Develop spot announcements, interviews, and ques-
tion/answer discussions for local radio and television.
■ Provide photographs, news releases, editorials, feature
stories, and letters to the editor for the school and
community newspapers.
■ Make short announcements about FBLA-ML and
the business program in the daily bulletins to student
body.
■ Invite community resource people to FBLA-ML chap-
ter meetings, banquets, and business education classes.
■ Invite community resource people to participate in
steering or advisory committees.
Promotional tie-ins are a way of plugging your chapter
into the goodwill, excitement, and enthusiasm generated
by an event or undertaking. This can be:
■ A holiday – your chapter can participate in a goodwill
activity during the winter holiday season or a patriotic
activity on President’s Day.
■ A designated time of recognition – you can do an
activity or project to commemorate American Enterprise Day (November 15), FBLA-PBL Week (2nd
week of February). FBLA-PBL Community Service
Day (Saturday of FBLA-PBL Week).
■ A charity – activities undertaken by the March of
Dimes, Salvation Army, Red Cross, and UNICEF, to
name a few, always need volunteers and attract much
publicity.
■ A community event – neighborhoods take pride in
and turn out for their own local events and commemorations.
The following are examples of attention-getting projects
and events undertaken by FBLA-ML chapters in previous
years. Use these publicity tie-ins to make a splash in your
local community; don’t forget to follow the promotion
tips above.
Tie-in with American Enterprise Day
■ Purchase space on a billboard for the month of No-
vember to publicize American Enterprise Day.
■ Feature a panel of speakers on aspects of American
enterprise. Videotape the seminar, arrange for professional photos, place an article in the newspaper.
■ Distribute certificates of appreciation to individuals
■ Purchase a half-page ad in the local newspaper and
■ Provide tokens of appreciation for school and com-
■ Host a “Free Enterprise Feud,” featuring competi-
who contribute to FBLA-ML and the business program.
munity secretaries.
■ Communicate with public officials by writing and vis-
iting your elected officials. This is a good opportunity
to take pictures and write news stories.
sell parts of the ad to local businesses in support of
the American enterprise system.
tion with another school and a speed round with the
school administration.
■ Celebrate “July Fourth in November,” an Ameri-
can Enterprise Day with a patriotic theme. Feature
speeches by recently naturalized U.S. citizens and a
flag trivia contest.
■ Design and distribute special booklets to introduce the
free enterprise concept to children: coloring books
for elementary school students and word search
games for older students.
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Tie-in with Community Issues/Events
■ Participate in community projects aimed at increasing
and promoting tourism.
■ Serve as volunteers at Annual Community Novelty
Marathon.
■ Operate a mini “shopping mall” at the community
Spring Festival; this may include an academic arcade
(computer demos), gift shop (fundraising items for
sale), and movie palace (FBLA-PBL video).
RELATIONS
Tie-in with Career and
Technical Education
■ Participate at school/community Career and Tech-
nical Education Festivals; hold speed keyboarding
games, demonstrate software packages like Microsoft
Office® including Word®, Access®, Excel® and
PowerPoint®, serve as co-hosts of the event.
■ Participate in a city job fair.
■ Sponsor a community blood drive.
Tie-in with National/Local Charities
■ Offer a computer class teaching seniors how to use
■ Coordinate a holiday food and toy collection for the
the Internet.
■ Conduct a telephone survey to ask questions about a
local project like remodeling the community hall.
■ Participate in a graffiti paint-out coordinated by the
local police department.
■ Solicit funds from local patrons, churches, and busi-
nesses to restore a vandalized sign marquee on the
town’s main street.
Tie-in with National/Local Businesses
needy; arrange to have items distributed through a
local TV station.
■ Host a March of Dimes WalkAmerica or represent
your school at the local event.
■ Conduct a “Fine and Dine” project for the March of
Dimes: community and school members are charged
with humorous violations and fines that are then
donated to charity. All fined participants are treated to
a complimentary lunch sponsored by local businesses.
■ Hold a keyboard-a-thon for leukemia.
■ Save register receipts to encourage shopping at local
stores.
■ Sponsor breakfast for local businesspeople in recogni-
tion of the state’s Business and Industry Appreciation
Week.
■ Form a partnership with a local franchise of a national
fast-food chain: the chapter provides the busboys in
exchange for a percentage of the profits and publicity.
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HOW TO WRITE NEWS
RELEASES
■ Winning is news; losing is not.
■ The fifth, tenth, 20th , 25th, 50th (etc.) anniversaries
In addition to writing articles for publication in your
school newspaper, your local newspaper, and FBLA-PBL
publications, your chapter will need to write news releases.
News isn’t news until it’s communicated. Don’t hide
your light under a bushel: Get your message out there!
Do it with a well-crafted news release.
A news release is a brief summary of a newsworthy
event. You send this summary to representatives of your
local print (newspaper, magazine) and broadcast (radio,
TV, cable TV) media in the hope that they will turn your
summary into an actual news story. Newsworthy means
that someone outside your chapter would be interested in
hearing about the event. In general, the following rules of
thumb can be applied:
■ Participation in a service is news; participation in a
social event is not.
■ Notification before an event is news; notification after
are news; the 12th is not.
Journalists look for a hook when they write: what
makes this story different from a hundred others just like
it? That’s why they need – and you need to provide in
your news release – words like “first-ever,” “best,” “largest,” “shortest,” “fastest,” etc. If you can’t think of the
hook, the journalists probably can’t either, and your story
might go untold.
A news release is written in inverted pyramid style.
That means that all the most important facts are loaded
into the first paragraph. The journalist should be able
to read only the first paragraph of your release and still
know everything relevant about your project. The first
paragraph should contain the five Ws – WHO, WHAT,
WHERE, WHEN, WHY (you might also include HOW).
Each subsequent paragraph should expand upon information presented in the first paragraph; these should be
ordered from most to least important.
an event is not.
Writing Tips:
It is not at all easy to write well. And yet we all have to do it. We all have to stare at the blank page or the blinking cursor,
waiting for inspiration. We all have to translate our colorful thoughts, ideas, and emotions into little blocks of black and
white. And we generally have to do it on tight deadlines and with strict limitation on length and style.
But when done right, it’s all worth it. Make it worth the time it takes to write with care. Here’s how:
■ Decide on a theme or hook. Why are you writing? What is your story, your message? State this theme clearly in both
your headline (title) and your lead (topic) sentence.
■ Decide on a tone; keep it simple. Tone comes from the words you choose, the length of the sentences you put
together, the complexity of the thoughts you present, and the order in which you organize your information. Make
sure your tone is appropriate to your audience.
■ Big words will make you sound pompous and stiff at best, ridiculous at worst.
■ Cliches will make you sound trite and unimaginative.
■ Jargon can make your writing inaccessible.
■ Convoluted constructions will make your writing incomprehensible.
■ Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
■ Use a topic sentence in each paragraph; these sentences should tell the story.
■ Use simple and clear language.
■ Proof everything twice; read your prose aloud to catch hidden errors. Then have someone
else look at it as well.
■ When in doubt about a word’s use or spelling, look it up. Go to www.merriam-webster.com
for guidance on correct spelling.
■ Use multiple drafts; writing gets better and better the more it is polished.
■ Let at least two other people proofread your press release.
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The last paragraph of the release should describe
FBLA-PBL: Future Business Leaders of America-Phi
Beta Lambda is an organization for middle, secondary,
postsecondary, and college students pursuing careers in
business. There are nearly 250,000 members in 13,000
chartered chapters throughout the United States, Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, and various foreign countries.
The journalist then uses the details that appeal to
him or her.
A Word of Advice
Keep an up-to-date media mailing list with the name
of the appropriate contact at each of your local media
outlets. Don’t be discouraged if your releases aren’t used.
Instead, call your contact to schedule a briefing as to how
you can improve your releases.
A Word about Appearance
Be sure that any materials you produce or develop for
your promotional campaigns look professional. Professional does not mean expensive. Rather, it means that
sentences are logical, words are spelled right, and the
format is clean and consistent. None of your materials
need to be elaborate, but two examples will illustrate the
concept.
Chapter X produces a widely distributed report on
its free enterprise project. The report is word processed,
printed in color, supplemented with clip art, and well
written and produced. A lot of time went into this project
– and it shows.
Chapter Y thanks participants in a large-scale, expensive project by sending each a personalized certificate
of appreciation. The certificates are word processed and
printed out on a high-quality paper with good resolution.
However, there is a glaring typo in the middle of the
certificate.
Which project leaves you with a better impression?
The moral is to take time with all the details of production. The coloring books, instruction forms, surveys,
thank you letters, pamphlets, fact sheets, and brochures
that you produce for your projects should all be checked
and double checked to make sure they’re correct, coherent, and presentable.
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DO:
■ Keep submission deadlines in mind.
■ Use the proper format for materials submitted. (See
examples later in this section)
■ Be professional and business-like in dealing with your
contacts.
■ Meet with and call your contacts on a regular basis.
■ Record contact name, address, and phone number
changes.
■ Ask questions about deadlines, submission criteria,
etc.
■ Make your submissions accurate, timely, informative,
and complete.
■ Include a contact name and phone number with every
submission.
■ Be sure what you’re sending is something your media
contact can use.
■ Be sure you have a newsworthy story to tell.
■ Look for the angle in your story. Why should others in
your community care about what you’re saying?
DON’T:
■ Ask for clippings or for a final review.
■ Complain if your material isn’t used.
■ Be a pest to your contacts.
■ Send a video to a radio station or a public service an-
nouncement to a newspaper.
■ Tell old news.
■ Disguise publicity as news.
■ Confuse an announcement of an event (before it occurs) with reporting on it (after it occurs).
■ Confuse an announcement of an event (before it occurs) with reporting on it (after it occurs).
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Sample Press Release
Chapter Donation
(Use school or chapter letterhead.)
For Immediate Release
Date: _____________________________________________
Contact: (Name) ____________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________
Student Organization Raises $ _____________
Anytown, VA – Students from __________________FBLA-PBL chapter raised $____________ to benefit
(School)
_______________________ and chapter activities today. The group held a _____________________________
(Charity)
(Activity)
to raise funds as well as create community awareness of the needs of __________________________________ .
(Name of Charity)
“We were really pleased with the turnout and support of the local community for this event,” said _______
______________________, “while developing our own experience in community service.” _________________
(Charity)
(Local Chapter Spokesperson)
supplies ___________________ for underprivileged families that are trying to __________________________ .
(Service)
(Kind of Improvement)
The ________________________ FBLA-PBL Chapter was able to generate donations of ______________
(School)
(Name Donation Types)
from the business community for this ____________________________.
(Activity)
For more than 65 years, FBLA-PBL, Inc. has helped high school, middle level, and postsecondary students suc-
cessfully make the school-to-career transition. FBLA-PBL produces results, including: Character and leadership, good
citizenship, financial management skills, and global marketing knowledge. Each year, more than 250,000 students are
gaining ability today for their personal and professional development. For more information
contact _____________________ at _____________________.
(Contact Name)
(Phone, E-mail)
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Sample Press Release
Student Achievement
(Use school or chapter letterhead.)
For Immediate Release
Date: _____________________________________________
Contact: (Name) ____________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________
____________________ Wins High Recognition at ____________________
(Student Name)
(NFLC, SLC, NLC)
Anytown, VA – __________________ FBLA-ML member took first place in ____________ at the
(Event/Office)
(School)
________________ held in _________________ today. The competition was part of a ____-day program for
(City, State)
(NFLC, SLC, NLC)
FBLA-PBL members from around the _____________________.
(Region/Country)
“We were really proud of all our chapter representatives this year at ________,” said _________________,
(Event)
(Local Chapter Spokesperson)
“and we are thrilled that our community could be so well represented by __________ and other local winners.”
(Student Name)
Describe the event (e.g., Desktop Publishing Applications, Web Page Creation, Spreadsheet, Career
Exploration).
For more than 65 years, FBLA-PBL, Inc. has helped high school, middle level, and postsecondary students suc-
cessfully make the school-to-career transition. FBLA-PBL produces results, including: Character and leadership, good
citizenship, financial management skills, and global marketing knowledge. Each year, more than 250,000 students are
gaining ability today for their personal and professional development. For more information
contact _____________________ at _____________________.
(Contact Name)
(Phone, E-mail)
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Sample Press Release
Calendar/Precoverage Fundraising
(Use school or chapter letterhead.)
For Immediate Release
Date: _____________________________________________
Contact: (Name) ____________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________
____________________ to Benefit Charity and Student Organization
(Activity)
Anytown, VA – Students from __________________ FBLA-ML chapter will host a _________________
(School)
(Activity)
to benefit ________________ and chapter activities. The group hopes to raise _________________ as well as
(Charity)
create community awareness of the needs of ______________________.
(Name of Charity)
“We look forward to _________________________ while making a strong contribution to our area,” said
(Briefly Describe Activity)
_____________________. “It should be a rewarding experience as well as helpful.”
(Local Chapter Spokesperson)
_________________ supplies ___________________ for underprivileged families that are trying to
(Charity)
(Service)
__________________________ .
(Kind of Improvement)
The ________________________ FBLA-ML Chapter was able to generate donations of ______________
(School)
from the business community for this ____________________________.
(Name Donation Types)
(Activity)
For more than 65 years, FBLA-PBL, Inc. has helped high school, middle level, and postsecondary students
successfully make the school-to-career transition. FBLA-ML produces results, including: Character and leadership, good
citizenship. Each year, more than 250,000 students are gaining ability today for their personal development. For more
information contact _____________________ at _____________________.
(Contact Name)
(Phone, E-mail)
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We Want to Hear What You’ve Been Up To!
Take a minute to tell us what you’ve been doing. We know you’re busy, but we want to share some of your chapter activities success stories with other members.
Here are some tips. Please be specific. Give details of the steps taken to develop your project, how success was
achieved, how much money was raised. Write it as an electronic file and e-mail it to the FBLA-PBL Communications
Department at [email protected]. Be sure to submit your story in a timely manner. Attach any photographs as
separate image files in jpg, tiff, or eps format. Photos imbedded in stories cannot be used. Stories will be published in
national publications or on the national Web site under Chapter News.
Spread the Word about FBLA-PBL
Use the following press release to let others in your area know about the hard work, accomplishments, and success of
your chapter and your members. Reproduce this release and distribute it to the local newspapers and other media in
your area. All you need to do is fill in the blanks with a contact name, your members’ names, your school name, and any
activities your members have planned. Or you may rewrite the release, customizing it to your chapter’s needs if you wish.
The important part is that you take the time to mail the press release to the appropriate media in your area. Here are a
few tips:
1. Identify the appropriate section of your local newspaper to run your release. Community news or local news editors
will be interested in the contributions your chapter makes to the local community through volunteer projects and
community service efforts. Business editors will be interested in how your chapter interacts with local business. Once
you’ve determined the appropriate section, find out their e-mail and send the release to the editor of that section. If
you can’t find out the editor’s name or e-mail, simply address it to (name of section) Editor.
2. If you have a good photo of your members in action (no Polaroid pictures), send it with your release. Be sure to include the names of everyone in the photo, and write a brief caption to accompany it. Keep in mind that newspapers
don’t usually return photos. If you scan a photo, make sure it is high resolution. Do not print photos that you have
downloaded from your camera, if possible. Just e-mail it as an image file.
3. Include a personal note with the release as a way to establish personal contact with the editor. If you know someone
on the newspaper staff, deliver the release in person. Anything you can do to establish a relationship with the section
editor will help you raise the profile of FBLA-PBL in your community, and open the door to future articles and
publicity.
4. Give a copy of the release to your school administrator and ask that it be included in the school newspaper. Think of
any other local or state media (newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations) that might run your release
and send copies to all of them.
5. Be prepared to talk with the media after you’ve sent the release. It may generate enough interest for a feature story.
That’s why it’s so important to include your name and contact information on the press release.
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Sample Press Release
FBLA – PBL Week
(Use school stationery or FBLA-PBL letterhead if at all possible!)
For Immediate Release
Date: __________________________________________ Contact: (Adviser/other) _______________________________________________ Phone: School name: ___________________________________
Local Students Celebrate FBLA – PBL Week
Anytown, VA – The_________________________________chapter in ___________________, will be
(City)
(Name of School)
celebrating FBLA-PBL Week, ____________ with ________________________________________________
(Dates)
(Brief Description of Activity – What, When, Where, Why)
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________ .
(Insert quote from community leader, mayor, school principal, or another influential individual about the
importance of FBLA–PBL to the community.)
Among the many activities scheduled for this special week are: (list activities).
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc. (FBLA-PBL) is a nonprofit student organization that prepares students for careers in business and business education. Its 250,000-plus members and advisors in 12,000 chartered
chapters include students from the United States, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Its mission is to bring
business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development
programs. To learn more, contact our local chapter at the number above. For more information about the national association, see FBLA–PBL’s Web site at http://www.fbla-pbl.org or call (800) FBLA-WIN.
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Sample Proclamation
FBLA – PBL Week
This document is based upon a state proclamation. However, it can be adapted to a city, town, or county by changing Governor to Mayor or County Executive and name of state to name of city, town, or county.
WHEREAS, Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda is a non-profit educational organization whose
first chapter was established in Johnson City, Tennessee, in 1942; and
WHEREAS, this organization has grown now to encompass over 250,000 members and advisers nationwide in high
schools, colleges, universities, career and technical schools, and private business schools; and
WHEREAS, FBLA-PBL is a professional business organization dedicated to bringing business and education together
in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs; and
WHEREAS, members perform community service activities and strive to build a student’s understanding of the
realities of the modern business world; and
WHEREAS, FBLA teaches high school students basic business and leadership principles, and PBL helps university,
college, technical and business school students to make the transition from school to work;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, [your governor’s name here], Governor of the State of [your state’s or chapter’s name
here], do hereby proclaim the 2nd Week in February, as NATIONAL FBLA-PBL WEEK in the State of [your state’s
or chapter’s name here].
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PUBLIC RELATIONS LESSON
PLAN
NBEA Standards/Lesson Objectives
Communications
■ Use basic research techniques.
■ Use acceptable standards for grammar and word us-
age.
■ Apply basic social communication skills in personal
and professional situations.
■ Use technology to enhance the effectiveness of com-
munications.
Introduction to the Lesson:
(Time: 5 minutes)
The Mystery Mingler. Select one person to be the
mystery person. Give him/her tokens (pass out about
five for each of the 20 participants) and have the mystery
mingler slip the tokens into the hand of every fifth person that they shake hands with. With the group together,
explain that there is a mystery mingler in their midst
who is extremely eccentric and generous. To meet this
person everyone must mingle around, shaking hands with
everyone else, exchanging pleasantries and polite conversation. Explain that if anyone should find a token in his/
her hand to hold onto it and continue along as if nothing
happened. Allow the group to begin mingling. After
several minutes of socializing ask anyone with a token to
come forward. If not as many people step up as tokens
were given out, let the mingling continue. Once all of
the tokens are accounted for, reveal the Mystery Mingler.
Invite those holding tokens to exchange them for prizes.
Notes:
– It is important to be ready to interact with people
at all times. You never know who you may be meeting and who you could make an impression upon.
– If you promote FBLA-ML with your friends and
peers, it gets the word out about everything that
the organization has to offer. This is the best form
of public relations.
– As a student you share many of the same attributes
as someone in the business world. You may meet
people in the course of a day whom you do not
know and who do not know you.
– When business people meet, they exchange business cards. These small pieces of paper usually
contain a person’s name, the name of their business, a title or description of the work that they do,
and a way to contact the person such as a phone
number, address, and e-mail.
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Reinforcement Activity:
(Time: 30-45 Minutes)
The teacher/adviser has asked each student to bring in
a business card from someone that they know prior to
the day that this lesson is presented. The teacher/adviser has also collected several cards. Students spend 1-2
minutes examining the different cards. The students are
then instructed that they are to create a business card for
themselves. The teacher/adviser walks through a demonstration of the business card software. Then the students
are instructed that the steps that they are to take are as
follows:
■ First, decide on what you want your business card to
tell others. Do you want to focus on your activities
with FBLA-ML or do you want to announce that
perhaps you are a class leader? It may help to list
everything about yourself then pick one topic.
■ Describe yourself. After deciding on what aspect of
your school life or activities that you want to focus,
make a list or write a description that tells about that
part of your life.
■ Decide if you want a “serious” or formal card of
something more light-hearted or informal.
■ Look at samples of business cards on the internet.
Identify those that have a style that you might like to
borrow.
■ Sketch out some rough ideas on how you want your busi-
ness card to look – including any graphics that you might
want to include. (Your software will have a collection of clip
art; if you have access to a scanner you may be able to scan
artwork such as the FBLA-PBL logo).
■ Using the page layout or business card software avail-
able to you.
■ Print your final design on card stock. Cut apart with
scissors or paper cutter.
■ Exchange business cards with classmates and teacher.
When you give your teacher your card, attach the following checklist with your answers:
– What is the focal point of this business card?
– What job, role, or activity does this business card
describe?
– Is this supposed to be a formal or informal business card?
Notes:
– Publicity is all about getting your name (or FBLAML’s) known and recognized.
– Recognition is based on familiarity. Take every opportunity to let your school know about FBLA-ML
and its activities. Use established channels such as
articles and ads in newspapers.
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• Be sure that any materials that you produce or
develop for your promotional campaigns looks
professional.
Reinforcement Activity:
(Time: 30-45 Minutes)
For this assignment, use your desktop publishing or graphics software to create a newspaper advertisement for your
school or FBLA-ML newsletter advertising American
Enterprise Day on November 15 or FBLA-PBL Week
during the second week of February. List some of the activities that your local chapter has planned. (The National
Programs section of the Chapter Management Handbook
contains information about both of these programs). The
ad should have some desktop publishing features such as
shadows and graphics and a page border. Make sure that
you use the FBLA-PBL logo somewhere on your ad. You
may access the internet to find the FBLA-PBL logo. Your
layout must be attractive and you must have no spelling
errors.
Notes:
– Promotional tie-ins are another way of plugging your
chapter into the goodwill, excitement, and enthusiasm generated by an event. This could be:
• A holiday such as participating in a goodwill
activity on President’s Day.
• A charity – activities undertaken by the March
of Dimes, Salvation Army, Red Cross, etc.
• A community event – neighborhoods take pride
in and turn out for their local events.
CHAPTER
MANAGEMENT
HANDBOOK
(2011–12 ML Version)
IV-15
PUBLIC
RELATIONS
FBLA-ML Newspaper Grading Sheet
For this project, students are to create a newspaper advertisement about American Enterprise Day or
FBLA-PBL Week.
The project will be graded using the following criteria:
Objective/Competency
Points Possible
Must include appropriate pictures or graphics for the topic and must be professional in nature. Distorted or
low quality graphics should be avoided. Must include FBLA-PBL logo
Must include the dates and chapter activities .
planned for the week
Ad shows creativity and originality.
Must have a logical order and have a clear purpose; must appeal to audience.
Must use appropriate desktop publishing software and at least two desktop publishing advanced features such as
shadows, font changes, page borders, etc.
Must be professional in nature.
Ad must use proper grammar and spelling.
Total Points
Points Awarded
15
10
15
10
10
15
10
15
100 
Comments:
Student Name: _______________________________________________________________________________
Date: ______________________________________________________________________________________ IV-16
CHAPTER
MANAGEMENT
HANDBOOK
(2011–12 ML Version)