Hello, my name is Lou Langkusch and I serve as the 12th District PTA Vice President for Communications.

As PTA members, we must communicate effectively with Community Leaders, Legislative and Governmental Leaders. By communicating effectively we get our points across in support of our children and their Education, Safety and Health.

Here are some tips that can be used to effectively communicate PTA's positions:

Plan Public Relations Efforts.

• What do you want to say? Some types of messages:
  • A story of interest to the community
  • An effort to influence legislation
  • An event/program putting PTA in the community spotlight
• Use your media list to determine who should be notified about your event.
• Look for photo opportunities.
• Build relationships. Position yourself as an information source. Be creative in nourishing the relationship even when there isn?t breaking news.

Press Releases

The most important information comes first, with less important details in later paragraphs. Be sure to include the following in all press releases.

• Deliver key information quickly. The who, what, where, when, why, and how should appear early in the release.
• Keep it short. Use action words and simple sentences with common language. Type your release double-spaced. Leave at least a one-inch margin on all sides.
• Report the facts, not opinions. Avoid editorializing; do not use adjectives such as outstanding or interesting when describing programs, events, etc.
• Don't use titles like Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Miss. Refer to women by their own names. On second mention refer to both men and women by their last names.
• Verify your facts. Your credibility depends on the accuracy of the information. Check and double check spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Formatting a Press Release. Following, in order, are the basic elements that every press release should have.

For Immediate Release: These words should appear on the upper left-hand side of the page. You should capitalize every word.

Contact information: Skip two lines after FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE and cite the contact person's name, PTA name, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. It is important to give the person's daytime telephone number since reporters work on deadlines.

Headline: Skip two lines after the contact information and use a boldface type for the headline.

Dateline: This contains the name of the city from which the press release is issued and the date it is being distributed. Follow it with a long dash or two short dashes, then begin the lead paragraph.

Lead Paragraph: The first (lead) paragraph should grab the reader?s attention and should contain the relevant information.

Test: After the lead paragraph, fully develop the message in the main body of the press release.

PTA history: In one short paragraph at the end of the release, provide information that conveys an overview of your PTA

Endmarks:

If the release uses more than one page, at the bottom center of the first page type the work more. Start the second page with an abbreviated headline and the page number (for example, PTA Membership, Page 2). At the conclusion of the press release (whether the release is one page or more), type the pound sign three times (###) or the number 30 at the center of the page.

Media Advisories:

Used to notify the media about your press conference, events, and activities, a media advisory should explain the ?who, what, when, where, and why of events and should provide just enough information to entice the media to attend. If you give reporters all the information in the advisory, they will have no need to attend the event since the story can be written from their desks. If you do not have much lead time you may need to hand-deliver, e-mail, or fax the media advisory to the press and follow up with a telephone call. Include only the who, what, where, when, and why in your media advisory.

Additional Public Relations Tools:

There a variety of communication tools to bring attention to your PTA and to garner support for your programs and activities. Don?t forget to do the following:

• Write about your PTA's accomplishments, mission, and positions and submit as a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and invite readers to join the PTA.
• Send a press release to local media, as well as school and community newspapers, announcing the start of your membership drive and community wide event. In addition to providing details on the event, outline your PTA's programs, activities, and goals planned for the year.
• Prepare your own TV and radio spots about your PTA, if feasible. Many local high schools and colleges can help you with production.
• Submit announcements about upcoming PTA events and meetings to community bulletin boards found on local TV and radio stations, and in the computer industry.
• Cable television offers opportunities for promoting local groups, programs, and services. Call your local cable company for more information on public access programming and how you can use it for your PTA. Many stations will give up to 30 minutes each month to community service groups.

Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

As not-for-profit associations, PTAs qualify for free PSAs. Remember, though, that there are thousands of worthwhile groups competing for the same limited free space that newspapers and broadcast media can give. Broadcast PSAs are usually brief, only 10, 20, or 30 seconds long. You can write a script for broadcast announcers to read over the air as a PSA. (See Annual Resources for PTAs for sample PSA radio scripts.)

Tips for Placing PSAs

• Contact your local station or newspaper for the name and title of the person who handles PSAs, usually a public service director. Ask in what format they prefer to receive PSAs.
• Send PSAs to the station's public service director at least three weeks prior to the desired date of use.
• Include a cover letter detailing what the PSAs are about, why the message is important to the community, and that your PTA is a not-for-profit organization.
• Follow up your PSA correspondence with a brief telephone call to answer any questions the station may have.
• Don?t forget to send a thank-you note to the public service director after the PSAs have aired.

Check Your Internal PR

Your communication with parents at your school and members of the PTA is equally as important as working with members of the media. Good internal PR is often based on word of mouth as well as easy-to-read handouts, such as fliers or newsletters. Successful internal PR efforts will help keep PTA members informed and involved.

(adapted from public relations information on National PTA's web site, www.pta.org. Sample press releases and other public relations information can be found on National PTA's web site and on California State PTA's web site, www.capta.org.)