The activities of modern companies cannot be imagined without advertising, coverage to the general public of the features of doing business and the organization itself, its products or services, the nuances of doing business. There are many ways to do all of the above. The backgrounder is one of them. This article is devoted to the analysis of the concept, the structure of this type of text and how to write it.
Deciphering the concept
Backgrounder is a text written by a public relations specialist for further placement in the media, whether printed or electronic. This text can talk about the activities of the company, its products and services, the history of creation, biographies 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 obvious advertising nature. Backgrounder is, first of all, informationalletter. Information should be provided as objectively as possible. The more interesting it is, the higher the likelihood of the material being published, respectively, and attracting additional attention to the company's activities.
Varieties of backgrounder
Journalists and PR-managers distinguish between two main types of background:
- Texts included in a press kit, corporate brochure or information package. In some cases, a backgrounder can act as explanatory material for a press release. Then he should answer the questions of people who read the original material.
- PR-text telling about the news of the organization, its novelties, development, innovations. Sometimes stories from the life of the company can be described in this way.
Purpose of media text
When entering the sensational news environment, journalists may have questions. The backgrounder is a way to answer them. It is the backgrounder that is used for brief information about the development of the company. Its main goal is to unobtrusively remind about the existence of the organization, to declare itself. But this process is carried out not in a flashy manner, but carefully, "between the lines". By giving answers to topical questions, the company shows its position in the market and is remembered by the reader.
The difference between a backgrunder and a press release
The two types of PR texts are often confused by people without a journalistic background. CostsIt should be noted that a press release is sensational, flashy, often imposing news. It emphasizes the catchiness of the title and the first paragraph of the text. There is no such emphasis in the backgrounder, and the news covered in it is not a sensation. This is first-hand information, answers to questions and objective descriptions. However, the backgrounder can be part of a press release, that is, a kind of explanatory note.
Structure of the PR text
Any text should start somewhere, contain certain information, and also lead the reader to conclusions. All this must be well-structured and laid out “on the shelves” in order to have the intended effect. Below is the structure of the background - the history of the company as a whole:
- The first thing to start with is the date the company was founded. This will show how many years it has been operating on the market, which means it will increase the degree of trust.
- Staging of development. In this paragraph, sequentially 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 current state of the organization.
- What goods and services are currently available in the price list of the organization.
- Company's achievements in social and other areas of society, established funds, sponsorship of certain segments of the population or developing legal entities and individuals.
- Prospects for development, ideas of the management team onthe 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 it has earned the status and trust of the public.
In order to describe the organization on the company's own website, just such a background is used. Examples are presented on all official business card websites of companies that care about their image. Such 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 backgrounder
Writing a PR-text is a job that requires deep immersion in the features of the organization, its history and various facts of its economic activity. The backgrounder is no exception. Examples of large companies make it possible to understand what exactly is required from the author when performing this task. Consider the points of what and how to write in this text:
- Such text should always be dedicated to only one topic. It doesn't matter if this is the general history of the company or just a single event. One topic, save the rest for other articles.
- The size of the article should be within 4-5 pages.
- The main array of information used is facts that cannot be refuted.
- It is recommended to supplement the text with various graphs, tables, charts, polls, official statistical information in a visual form. Since the purpose of the article is informational and reference, it is necessary to observe clarity forusers.
- You should not fill the article with an abundance of specialized terms that are understandable only to narrow circles of specialists. Information should be available to all readers.
- Personal opinion should not fit into the structure of the text. Backgrounder, first of all, objective information.
- This text is written in a third person in a business style.
Design
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 - no matter what the purpose of this pr-text is, there are some requirements for it. So, below are a few immutable design rules:
- Backgrounder is written on the letterhead of the organization. If this is text for the site, at least the logo and title must be present.
- Required component - 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 that is the subject of this backgrunder.
- The final part of the text is usually presented in a graphical version, a variety of diagrams, tables and diagrams are welcome.
What is a fact sheet
A fact sheet is also a kind of backgrounder. In most cases, it serves as a kind of “cheat sheet” for writing material for PR managers, article authors and journalists.for publications. The fact sheet looks like a one-page text, or rather a list of facts without any comments. It contains a brief information about the organization itself, positions, names of leading specialists and management staff, a list of products and services in the company's arsenal.
In addition, information about the history of development, important dates in the life of the organization, the location of offices and branches, summaries of sales amounts, dynamic statistics can be placed in the fact list.
Usually a fact sheet complements the press release or the main background.
