Course description

You don't need a PR agency to get your business or charity into the local paper, on local radio or in a community magazine. You need a real story, told the right way, sent to the right person at the right time. This course shows you how, step by step, in plain English, for small organisations with no PR budget.

It's a full, practical course. There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, each with a worked example and a Try it task using your own organisation. You follow three fictional organisations through 2026: Ffinlo, a clock repairer in Ledbury who restores a village church clock; Hepsie, the volunteer media coordinator of a hedgehog rescue charity in Sudbury; and Inara, who runs an independent bookshop in Tiverton. Every section has a practice pack with templates, checklists and spreadsheets, including a story bank, a press release template, consent forms, a media list, pitch templates, a coverage log and a 90-day PR plan.

What you'll learn

• Getting started with PR: what PR is and isn't, how it differs from advertising and advertorials, how newsrooms work, realistic goals and your PR starting point.
• Finding your stories: what makes something news, a story bank, news hooks and timing, reacting to the news and telling people's stories with their consent.
• Writing a press release: the layout, headlines and first paragraphs, quotes people would really say, notes for editors, embargoes and a release checklist.
• Photos, captions and permissions: photos the media can use, consent for photos of people, who owns a photo, captions and file names, and a simple media kit.
• Building your media list: mapping your local media, trade press, newsletters and podcasts, finding the right person, a media list spreadsheet and holding journalists' details lawfully.
• Pitching journalists: pitch emails, tailoring and timing, phoning a newsroom, following up and hearing no, and answering journalists' requests.
• Events, photo calls and awards: planning a photo call, events the media might cover, choosing credible awards, writing an award entry and partnership stories.
• Being interviewed: key messages, radio, local TV and print interviews, and handling awkward questions calmly.
• Using coverage and the rules: a press page, using coverage without breaking copyright, measuring results without vanity numbers, the legal points in plain English, and what to do when coverage is wrong.
• Handling problems and your 90-day plan: the first hour when something goes wrong, a holding statement, a 90-day PR plan, a final project and a case review.

Who it's for

Owners of small UK businesses, sole traders, and staff, trustees and volunteers of small charities and community groups who want local media coverage without paying for it. No experience of PR or journalism is needed. The course covers the UK rules that matter for PR, including consent, copyright, data protection, advertorials and defamation, as general information rather than legal advice. Every person, business, charity and media outlet in the course is fictional; the towns are real.

What will I learn?

• Understand what PR can and can’t do for a small organisation, and set two realistic goals
• Find newsworthy stories and news hooks in your own business or charity, and tell people’s stories with their consent
• Write a clear press release with a strong headline, quotes people would really say and notes for editors
• Provide photos, captions and credits the media can use, with consent and copyright sorted
• Build a media list of the right local and specialist contacts, and hold their details lawfully
• Pitch journalists by email and phone, follow up politely and answer journalists’ requests quickly
• Plan photo calls and events, enter credible awards and prepare for radio, TV and print interviews
• Use and measure coverage, handle errors and complaints calmly, and keep PR going with a 90-day plan

Frequently asked questions