TONY MONTANA'S SECRETS FOR ILLUSTRIOUS MEDIA RELATIONS
  
"An enthusiastic expert" is how I describe public relations and communications specialist Tony Montana, who works for Pittsburgh's United Steelworkers of America AFL-CIO CLC. I asked Tony to share some of his expertise with readers of "The Corporate Communicator," and he graciously agreed.

DK: Tell us a little bit about what you do.

TM: I'm a communications specialist for the United Steelworkers of America AFL-CIO CLC. I work primarily in a public relations role, acting as a liaison between the press and the union and arranging media events, but one of the perks of the job is writing for USWA's magazine, "Steelabor" (circulation about 800,000).

I write reports, releases, speeches and copy for organizing brochures, pamphlets, television, radio and print ads and public service announcements, not to mention many, many handbills and newsletters.

I am also responsible for laying-out and arranging the printing of all of the above.

DK: I know you write stellar press releases. How do you go about composing them?

TM: You are far too kind.

Since I never took basic journalism in college, adjusting from the MLA style to AP style of writing was the first obstacle I encountered. Luckily, all that persuasive and analytical writing helped prepare me for things to come.

Press releases absolutely, positively must keep the reader's attention from start to finish, so visually breaking up large chunks of text on the page by ignoring the conventions of proper English and keeping paragraphs under five or six easily digestible lines (1-3 sentences) also helps your audience along, even if your subject is complicated.

Finally, including at least one hard-hitting quote in your press release is your best shot at getting your spin translated into newspaper column space. Even conscientious reporters would rather include a smart, concise quote in their story than give a lengthy explanation or summary that may or may not reflect your desired spin.

DK: Members of the press consistently show up at your events. How do you do that?

TM: This is where the good PR folks separate themselves from the rest. The press will not show up at your event unless they know about it. Knowing who makes the decisions at your local newspaper, television and radio stations' assignment desks is the first step.

From there, employing the "Gadfly Approach" works about as well as anything. Once your event or press conference has a date, time and location (hopefully at least a week in advance), e-mail and fax a media advisory with the "five W's" to the attention of that person. Make follow-up calls to make sure they received it.

Remember, just because you sent an e-mail or fax doesn't necessarily mean it got delivered to its intended recipient!

Try to get a commitment from the media outlets that they will be at your event. Don't be a pest, but take every opportunity to update them about it.

For example, several congressmen confirmed their attendance for one of our rallies at the last minute. As soon as they did, I called all the papers and stations that had not already committed to let them know the 11th hour additions to the program.

Never allow a reporter to use "I didn't know about it" as an excuse for not covering your event.

DK: What other type of communication writing do you do?

TM: I do a lot of work on reports, brochures, handbills, ads and newsletters. The most important consideration for these types of materials is the audience.

If your audience is a group of Wall Street stock analysts, speak their language. Likewise, material written for public consumption should not include jargon or overly technical language if you expect anyone to understand it.

I should address the subjects of headlines and section headings. I find it easier to write eye-grabbing headlines and headings after writing the copy. A former co-worker of mine literally spent hours agonizing over "the perfect headline" before writing anything else.

I cannot picture a bigger waste of time.
     
© 2004 Donna Kozik. For information about Donna’s writing services, visit 
http://www.DonnaKozik.com.