Ugly Duckling Exclusive: An exclusive that consists of inconsequential or uninteresting news. The hope is that at least one reputable outlet will take the “exclusive” bait and run with the story.

Satellite Media Tour (SMT) – A technique to provide an “expert” of organisation’s  choosing to local television news broadcasts for often-live interaction, with the goal of getting out a specific message. As the name implies, the expert is broadcast to the local TV stations through a satellite feed.

Ground Media Tour( GMT) – Similar to the SMT, except rather than use a satellite to broadcast the feed, the “expert” will actually travel to the local cities and appear live in studio.

Designated Marketing Area (DMA) – A DMA is a geographic area defined by Nielsen Media Research Company. Essentially this is a group of counties that make up a specific TV market.

Audio News Release ( ANR)  – An ANR may be sent with paper copy of a wrapper to be used by the newscaster. The wrapper also may be pre-recorded. An ANR usually contains spot news or an organization’s reaction to spot news or a current issue.

Video News Release (VNR) – A videotaped news story produced by an organization and distributed to television newsrooms. VNRs are particularly useful at times of crisis or when an organization has an angle based on unusualness or human interest. VNRs are often accompanied by B-roll footage.

Radio News Release ( RNR) – A radio news release is a prepared publicity or news announcement, broadcast over the radio. Note this is different from  ANR.

Mat Release (or Matte Release) – A formatted, consumer-related article that newspaper editors can use to add content to their publication. Often used by news editors to supplement staff-written stories to fill soft news sections of the paper. They are created, distributed and paid for by the company/client.

Native Advertising – A form of paid media that does not disrupt the user experience and blends in with the rest of the content.

Contra Strategy: Exchange of services which doesn’t involve money. Contra allows for media exposure in exchange for products or services.

Deep Etch: A graphic design term that describes images that have been removed from their background, so the journalists and editors can use different backgrounds and layer images.

Micro- Influencers: Those with a small but highly engaged community of under 100,000 followers. With a smaller following, micro-influencers often tap into niche audiences

Macro Influencers : Having a follower count of 100,000 – 300,000. While they have less followers than mega-influencers, their engagement rates are higher – although less than that of micro-influencers.

Mega Influencers: Influencers with over 300,000 followers. This category can also include celebrity influencers. Mega influencers often live off their influencer status and may generate a significant income from sponsored posts and collaborations.

On background: Some mid-way point between off-record and on-record. This information can be published but can’t be attributed a specific source, or even conversation.