Aside from press releases and press files, public relations involves a whole for of different messages which are important for certain types of communication.

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Memos – “memo” is short for “memorandum” and it is an informal message meant to underline something which has happened or is soon to happen. Memos are mostly used for communication within the company and it is very similar to a fax because it contains the names of both sender and receiver, it has a subject and the date. Memos can be like telegrams, descriptive, informative or ones that require taking action.
Business letters – they have a header (which contains information about the identity of the sender and receiver), a date, a registration number, introductions, the main content, an ending, a signature, references (author, index etc.) and they can also be informative, for presentation purposes, explicative, responsive etc.
Backgrounder – this type of public relations message gathers materials that form an internal database (managers and employees) and they can be used for reporters or public interested about a certain subject. They have a neutral tone, quite scientific and they are meant to synthesize and send information, not to judge. They are composed of an introduction, the main body and the reason for which these materials where meant in the first place. They also contain the context of the problem (events, laws, changes, etc.), the current situations, the consequences, possible recommendations and proof of performing research before creating the backgrounder.
Position standings – these are materials that present the point of view of a company in relation to a particular subject which is of public interest. These materials contain a description of the issue, the basic information, the company’s position and possible recommendations. They are different from backgrounders because these messages contain personal opinions.
Features – features are materials of permanent interest or long term messages which are meant for public opinion and they contain unusual subjects which are dramatic, changes, tendencies (like stories about discovering a revolutionary medicine, portraits of charismatic public figure, challenges like “how to perform action X without using product Y”, etc.). If this material is properly made, it can attract the interest of journalists that can publish it. the angle of approach is very important in order to attract readers.
Mini documentaries – they are a special type of feature messages used for TVs and radios and they are short, like a fragment of a movie or text (approximate duration: 3 minutes).
White-papers – they are similar to a guide that treats a certain problems, giving solution and they are designed to educate reader and ease the decision making process. There are 2 main types of white papers – political and commercial.

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