The main goal of public relations is to build and maintain a positive reputation for your organization. However, this can be an increasingly difficult task amongst the sheer volume content we see today paired with the shortened attention spans of consumers. So how do you create content to stand out in a crowd in order to build positive relationships with your audience? This is where the power of effective storytelling comes in.
The art of storytelling has been a crucial part of our history. From early cave drawings to folklore and myths, storytelling is how we communicate and connect with others.
Is a craft where the focus is on telling appropriate, effective and compelling stories that resonate with your target audience. A crafted and powerful story will leave a lasting impression on your audience, allow them to engage with your brand and leave your brand on their minds for some time – making it one of the most effective marketing tools you can use.
While this takes time and practice to master, here at Jelly Marketing, we have a few tips that we’ve learnt along the way to help you craft a memorable story!
Understand Your Brand Story and Media Landscape
The first step in creating a compelling story is to take a step back and get to know your own brand. Understanding what your brand’s mission is along with what it wants to achieve will help you create stories that align with your vision and values. This also helps you create a story that feels authentic and relatable.
It’s also important to understand the current PR landscape when it comes to creating a story. Take a peek into what the current trends are to see what is working, what isn’t and what is being overused. Doing this will give you a good idea of how to stand out from the crowd and share something that is different from the status quo.
Understand your Audience
No matter how great the story you create is, if it doesn’t take the needs and interests of your target audience in mind, then the story won’t land. Ensure that you are creating a story that your target audience can relate to and understand by appealing to their emotions. The end goal with this step is to evoke positive and meaningful conversations to generate more buzz around your organization.
Craft a Captivating Story
The recipe to create a compelling narrative that your audience will engage with is to combine:
Your Mission and Values + Your Audience’s Interests and Needs
Once you’ve figured out your formula, it’s time to start crafting a story. Make sure the story is both memorable and entertaining with the use of clear language, appealing imagery and unique characters.
Here are two story characteristics to try to incorporate into a story to make it stand out:
- Novelty – Editors and audiences alike love fresh, new stories that are current and not outdated.
- Relevance – Audiences are more likely to engage with a story that they can resonate with.
Allow for Engaging Conversation
When creating PR campaigns, one of the goals is to generate a large reach. When something is emotionally captivating, your audience is going to want to talk about it and share it. If your campaign is shareable, it will increase the organic reach. This can be done in a few ways:
- Optimizing content for various social media platforms
- Using visuals and videos to increase engagement
- Optimizing headlines with relevant keywords and hashtags.
Successful Storytelling Campaigns
Now that we’ve looked at the tips on how to tell a powerful story, here’s one of our favourite examples of storytelling in Public Relations:
Dove Real Beauty Sketches | You’re More Beautiful Than You Think
This campaign is a great example of what great storytelling can do for a brand. The campaign brought to life how critical women are to themselves about their looks but showcased how beautiful they all are to others. This campaign used personal stories of real women to showcase their struggles with self-esteem – thus creating an emotional connection with the audience.
Due to the compelling story and how relatable the audience felt watching it, this campaign was able to generate meaningful conversation and was a huge success. With their two YouTube videos combined, they have over 82M views.
At the end of the day, remember to create a story that helps build emotional connection rather than a sales pitch on your product. This will allow for your audience to connect with your brand and its values.
If you’re still struggling to find the right story to tell, contact us today. Our experienced team of storytellers is here to help you launch a PR campaign that will tell a lasting story!
Categories:
Public Relations
