A Conversation with Tianna Mañón: Tips for Good Pitches & Great Storytelling
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Meet media specialist Tianna Mañón
This is the sixth post in the “A Conversation With” series, where I interview talented folks about their areas of expertise, whether that’s social media, public relations, or communications. You can read past entries in the series here.
This month, I interviewed Tianna Mañón, a self-employed media specialist based in Rochester, NY. We discussed building relationships with journalists, what makes a good pitch, how to tell great stories, and why representation in newsrooms matters. I hope you enjoy her insights!
Tell me a little bit about your current work as a freelance PR consultant and your previous experience as a journalist.
I just shifted into PR in the last six months or so; it was a necessary shift. Where the news is right now, it’s chaos every day. Sometimes you end up writing about news that just doesn’t feel as important. When I turned 26, I was starting to think about how I could have the most impact. I thought, “here I am writing for this one outlet, but maybe as a PR person, I can get several outlets to write these stories and have a bigger impact.” Now I’m utilizing PR and social media to get these stories out into the landscape.
What are some common misconceptions about PR?
A lot of people think the first press release you send out will be a story they’ll jump at right away. Journalists like to curate a relationship. You have to be willing to be patient and put in the work. You’ll really stand out by doing things like moving your schedule and being available to speak to them that morning. You want to become their go-to every time they need a quote.
On the social media side of things, people tend to see it as an afterthought. Brands that are big on social media put all day into it! You have to research hashtags, like posts, and interact with your followers. It’s not just banging out a tweet at the end of your workday.
For organizations with limited bandwidth, what are some tactics that are easy to implement and have a big impact?
A lot of people get stuck trying to make timely content. For social media, if you can’t post that often, stick with evergreen stuff. If you haven’t tweeted since 2017, it would be great if that last tweet was something with your hours or website.
Leveraging niche functions, like on Instagram, can be really helpful, like pinning Stories to your Highlights. A restaurant sharing a photo of their food to Stories--that shouldn’t go away after 24 hours! Pin it to Highlights.
How do you measure the success of a PR campaign?
A lot of traditional PR people stick with the analytics. For me, I’m lucky to work with clients who have a second edge and want to make change. For example, I worked with Common Ground Health on a report about racism and its health impacts, and I work with a charter school that’s also a champion of social justice. It’s not enough for people to like our posts and talk about us. I want to know if it’s making a real world community impact. How many people are reaching out to collaborate with us? How many people are keeping us in mind for opportunities and grants? Are they more connected with the community? Are they better off financially?
What makes a good story?
Good stories don’t just engage people, they also compel them to action. I think about the fables of our past, and they guide some of the moral lessons that make up our community. There’s a way to envelop that in the storytelling we do now. You can get deep on social media! Whether it’s the news or social media, people are looking for substance. You need to have both the meat and potatoes and also some apple pie to make it easier going down.
When you’re creating a story, always approach it as the reader. Think of it as if you’re picking it up for the first time. That will help you write something that’s way more explanatory and compelling.
When you were a journalist, what would make you throw out a pitch right away?
The first thing is if you use the wrong name. Some PR people don’t check the name and just copy and paste their press release. It’s a small thing that lets me know there may be other little things that are off.
An event for that day is something I may put on the community calendar but not cover.
If they don’t even know who our audience is--it may sound like a cool story but be for a beat I’ve never written before.
A PR person maintains these connections already. Journalists can tell when someone is taking a lazy approach. A good pitch is worth the time you put into it. You have to think about what the story looks like from the journalist’s side--give them something juicy that will help them convince their editor to cover your story.
As a PR consultant, are there elements you make sure to weave into a press release that help a story get picked up?
I rely a lot on character. People are always looking for good news right now, so human interest stories work well too. If your company is doing good and helping people, focus on the people you’re helping. Whatever you’re doing isn’t the news, the people you’re helping is the news.
For example, a more traditional approach would be a press release that goes, “Our brewery is donating 50% of our proceeds to the Black Lives Matter movement!” The approach I recommend goes more like: “This is how many people are victimized, this is why it’s important, and here’s why our brewery is donating to the Black Lives Matter movement.” PR people are used to centering the brand, but especially with stories like this, it’s more important to decenter yourself.
In our current cultural moment, are there stories we shouldn’t be pitching/covering in the news?
Stories that say “sure this is bad for Black people, but I also struggle with this” -- those are frustrating.
What I tend to think about is, in the grand scheme of things, what stories will matter 50 years from now? 50 years from now, 90% of these broadcasts won’t matter. The news airs four minutes about the Black Lives Matter Protest and four minutes about a consignment shop reopening. The media industry is chasing advertising dollars, so accountability has gotten a little skewed. There’s a lot of fluff in the news, but fluff pays!
Why is it important for newsrooms to be more diverse? What impact does it have when 75% of newsroom reporters are white?
We want to think that reporters are objective. Instead, check your biases. It’s way better to be totally cognizant of what you may be biased about. You need to find people and sources that check for that bias. When you pretend you’re unbiased, voices often get ignored.
When you think about police accountability, with 75% of reporters being white, they’re more likely to trust the official reporters. They don’t have the experience that the official report isn’t always true. They won’t give their ear to people who aren’t empowered. When you bring in people of other experiences, you start to ask better questions and dig deeper.
That also means that the people who will be given opportunities are more likely to look like the 75%. The 25% doesn’t get to have much of a say on stories, and ends up creating content that’s just not very helpful work. We want to diversify newsrooms, but if you’re a Black reporter, you’re less likely to get good pay, opportunities, or have your pitch heard. At one of my last newsrooms, I was paid $15/hour, and I’d go to Burger King and they were starting people at $14.75/hour. It’s a struggle because you’re asking people to put themselves on the line for this job. Before I recommend someone for a newsroom job, I have to stop and think, “What is the culture I’m sending them into?” A lot of Black journalists end up leaving to become media professionals.
Tell me a little bit about your work with the Rochester Association of Black Journalists.
I’ve been a member of RABJ for awhile; we’re going through a huge shift now and finding our voice. I’m the Secretary and handle our press stuff, updates, and some social media. We’re taking more of a leadership role now, reaching out to newsrooms and letting them know “Hey, you really don’t need to share this George Floyd footage.” We’re taking more of a stand. For example, we’re working with I Heart Media to get more diverse voices onto the hair now that Kimberly and Beck have been fired.
Who are some of your favorite Black media professionals you’d encourage folks to follow?
Locally:
Rashad on 105.5 the Beat.
Jessica Lewis of LaLew PR.
Bri from Fat, Black, and Femme on WXIR.
Adrian Elim - He’s the voice on Black Pride, reminding people to include LGBTQ+ Black folx in the movement.
Nationally:
Evelyn Woodsen - founder of Affinity Magazine
Where can people find you?
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