Handling Quotes

As we have seen from some of the examples of leads, quotes from author­itative persons are important elements of a news release. A short release containing routine material may not call for quotes. But when the subject is a new product or service, an organization's stand on an issue, or your company's response to changes in the marketplace, quoted material from your chief executive officer or another spokesperson can dramatize and emphasize ideas much more effectively than a recitation of informa­tion or data.

In fact, quotes permit you to inject passion and opinion into a release that otherwise must be "factual" in order to appeal to the editor as "news." Putting quote marks around ideas and attributing them to a spokesperson enables you to state your organization's view unabashedly and with vigor.

You may be able to take quotes from statements the leaders of your organization have made in public or at meetings within the organiza­tion. More likely, however, it is the responsibility of the public relations people to sift through the opinions, ideas, statements, records, and re­ports of management, then create the neat, pithy quotes that will appear in the news release. Once these "quotes" are crafted, they are shown to management in the form of news release drafts, for approval or rewritings or suggestions or questions from the intended speakers of the quotes. Through a process of internal negotiation, the exact text of the final quote as it will appear in the release is worked out. If the public relations people are persuasive and good listeners, the resulting quotes will be efficient and effective reflections of management's opinions— in a form that the ordinary reader can understand and believe.

Quotes rarely serve as the lead paragraph. Editors consider it a gimmick. They prefer a summary lead that sets the context. The second paragraph is the most likely position for displaying the potent quote. If considerable contextual information is necessary to set the stage, the quote may not fit in before the third or fourth paragraph.

Follow newspaper style for the quote: Open with quote marks, then end the first sentence of quote with an attribution. Usually the attribu­tion is "said," unless a more descriptive verb is appropriate (de­manded . . . suggested . . . asked . . .).

"We do not think the time has come for higher taxes, " Mayor Jones said, "but we are willing to listen to all views . "

Acme president Smith said he would support the council. “If merchants in Peoria don't stand together, the whole city will fail, " he said.

"The fate of the urban renewal program is in our hands, " said Coalition 2000 chairman Ray Brown. "If we don't do it, who will?"

Restrain yourself from using more than a short sentence or two of quoted material. Paraphrase continued thoughts: Brown said he has the support of 200 other members of the Chamber of Commerce. Quotes are like icing on a cake: a small amount is sweet and rewarding; too much and you begin to choke.

Apply the "read-aloud" test: Quotes should look good to the eye, but read them aloud to make sure that they sound like something your CEO or spokesperson really could and would say in a television inter­view or a speech. Readers can detect when a quote sounds phony or contrived. The best quotes read well and simultaneously transport the attitude your organization wants to cultivate.