Sending Arabic Distributions

Transcription

1 Sending Arabic Distributions Install Switch Direction Extension for Chrome Sending distributions in Arabic requires a few additional steps. Firstly, it is highly recommended to install the Switch Direction extension for Google Chrome which safely enables pasted text to read from right-to-left without affecting the word order. The extension can be installed for free from: Create a New Distribution Access the Connect Menu as usual (either by selecting Distributions from Connect at the top of the screen, or by selecting Distribution from the Create menu if you have a List or set of Search Results open), and select Create press release: Note: Please do not use the Send with assistance option - this is a paid-for service unavailable in the Middle East so your release will not be sent.

2 Select Language & Industry Select the Language of your distribution, in this case Arabic: You must also select an Industry - this relates to a product called CisionWire which is unavailable for the Middle East so it doesn t matter what you select here. Press Next in the bottom right corner to move to the next screen where you can select your recipients. Select Recipients All your Saved Lists are available to select from (if you accessed Connect by Creating a Distribution in Plan, the List or Search Results you had open at the time will already be selected here for you). You can now select the List (or Lists) you want to send your distribution to using the Tick Boxes. Lists are automatically de-duplicated - so if the same contact is included in two selected lists, that contact will only receive the distribution once. Note: In accordance with US and international anti-spam laws, each sent through Connect contains a link enabling contacts to permanently opt-out from receiving further distributions from you through CisionPoint. The Lists above show if they include any opt-outs. To prevent contacts opting out from your distributions, please ensure you only make targeted lists of contacts relevant to your release.

3 Select Distribution Method In the bar under your Saved Lists, choose how you wish your distribution to be sent (it is set to Method Chosen by Recipient by default): Note: clients have unlimited free ing with their accounts, but any faxes sent will be charged at AED 1 per page. Method Chosen by Recipient may include a preference for faxes, so change this to if you only want to send s and ensure you don t incur a fax bill. Once you have made your selection, click Next in the bottom right corner to move to the next screen, where you can create the release or message you wish to send. Create Your Press Release To send your press release as an HTML with the press release content in the body of the , you can type your content into the relevant entry boxes (or copy and paste from a document). Some of the entry boxes are optional and some are compulsory: My release content (optional) The My release content box enables you to create a personalised greeting by inserting merge fields into your text. Any merged fields will appear in English, so it is advisable not to use this feature if you are distributing in Arabic. Headline (compulsory) Before typing or pasting the headline of your press release in the Headline box, use the HTML formatting options to switch the text from right to left. However, if your headline contains a mix of Arabic and English, the word order can be affected in Windows in the Headline box. Instead, right-click in the box and use the Google Chrome Extension to Switch Text Direction: You can now type or paste your Headline in the box:

4 Sub-heading (optional) If you wish to include a sub-heading, add it in the Sub-headline box (as above). You can leave this box empty if you do not wish to include a sub-heading. Body Text (compulsory) Use the HTML formatting tool to switch the text direction to right-to-left and then type or paste the main text of your release into the Body Text box - you can drag the bottom right corner of the box to expand it to see your release more clearly and use the other HTML formatting tools if required: Attach Media (optional) You can include as many attachments as you like with your release, and there is no real size limit to the documents, images, videos or files you include as they are hosted on a server and not actually sent physically with your s - the recipient receives a thumbnail version which they can click on to download the full-size attachments from the server. To include attachments, you must first upload them to your MediaBank: Any content you have uploaded previously will be available to select from, or click Upload media to add new content to your MediaBank:

5 Clicking on the Upload Media button enables you to select the files you wish to upload from your computer. Optionally, you can choose to give each file a new Name. The Comments and Tags parts relate to CisionWire and can be ignored. Once complete, click the Upload button: The files you have uploaded now appear in your MediaBank and you can select them to include with your release (to de-select an item, click its red cross x in the corner of the thumbnail in the Selected media section at the bottom of the screen). Once you have made your selections, click the Add to release button: The files you have selected now appear as thumbnails on the page below your press release: If you wish to include your image(s) within the actual text of your (as well as including them as attachments), you can click on the image thumbnail to insert it into the Body Text and then re-size and position it within your text as required.

6 PDF Version (optional) If you are sending by Fax, or chose Method Chosen by Recipient as the distribution method (which may include a preference for faxes), a fax version of your release will automatically be created from the information you have added. Alternatively, you can upload your own PDF of the release to use as the fax version instead. Note: You can also choose to include an auto-generated PDF version of your release as an attachment to your by selecting the Tick Box marked Create PDF from the text I entered. Boilerplate and contact details (optional) If you have installed the Switch Direction Extension for Google Chrome, you can right-click in the boxes to make the text read from right-to-left (as above) for these two boxes. Otherwise, include your Arabic contact details and boilerplate information at the bottom of your press release in the Body Text box. If you add your Contact Details in the first box, you can also save them as a template for use in future distributions (you can save multiple signatures, which can be selected according to the release you are sending at the time). Similarly, you can add your boilerplate details in the second box and also save it as a template for future use if you wish (you can save multiple boilerplates, which can be selected according to the release you are sending at the time). Quotes, quick facts and links (not relevant) This section relates to CisionWire, which is not available for the Middle East, and can be ignored:

7 Logo, tags & social media message The four sections available here are: Tags - only used for CisionWire and can be ignored. - enables you to specify the Name of sender which will appear as the name in the From section of each you send; don t forget to add a Reply address, which is the address any recipient replying to your will send to; the Headline of your release automatically becomes the Subject line of the , but you can change this to something else if you wish. Note: Long subjects can fail to display correctly in some programmes because of the way they encode Arabic text. It is, therefore, advisable to keep your Arabic subject relatively short to avoid this issue. SocialPitch - only used for CisionWire and can be ignored. Logo - any Logo used will appear above the Headline aligned to the left, which may look slightly odd if the Arabic text is formatted to the right, so you may want to elect not to use a Logo for Arabic distributions: Once you have finished creating your release, click Next to move to the final screen (you can also click Back if you wish to return to the previous screen to alter your list of chosen recipients or distribution method).

8 Preview and Send The last screen enables you to have a final preview of your release so you can check it before sending. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the general details of your release, along with a screenshot of how it looks - you can also use the four Preview options to see how it will look in an , how it looks as HTML, how it looks as a PDF, and how it would look on Wires (not used in Middle East). If you want to make changes to your release, use the Back button at the bottom of the page to return to the previous screen and make any necessary alterations. If you are happy with the release, scroll back to the top of the page and select your sending options: Name of Company contact - lets us know who to contact if there is a technical issue with your distribution (this is internal only and is not included with your release). Send copy to - include your own address (or any other) to also send a copy to that address. Sender address - System address (uses send address) and is selected by default, but you can change this to any other address to appear as the From address in the s you send. Send time - choose to Send immediately, enter a date and time to Schedule your release to send at a specified time in the future (ensure you also set your time zone if you use this option), or select Save as ready to send to save your release so you can send it yourself at a later time (you can also use the Save as draft button in the top right corner at any time to save your release and return to it later). Click the Confirm button to send your release Immediately, Schedule it for future release, or Save it (depending which option you have selected).