If you ask me, the best PR strategies are centered around compelling, artful storytelling. That’s been my philosophy at PB&J since the very beginning. To this day, storytelling is the beating heart that drives all of the work we do for our clients.

 

So, what makes a good story? And how do you effectively tell that story? Let’s talk about it. The concepts outlined below will help your narratives pack a punch.

 

1.     REFRESH AND REFRAME

 

As storytellers, we typically find ourselves promoting the same products to a familiar group of media editors – over and over and over again. For that reason, it’s critical to take a step back and evaluate your narratives every so often. How relevant are they? Are they helping move the needle?

 

In the PR world, storytelling is about challenging your current narratives and reframing them into new ones to keep your audiences inspired. Whether it be seasonal updates or specific launches, finding and presenting a new angle can really help editors see your brand from a refreshed point of view. And that’s super important, especially when your client is focused on selling products.

 

2.     MEDIA MIX

 

As we develop PR strategies, we adopt a wide-angle view that leverages a brand’s extensions (i.e., the places it shows up – whether that be on Google, LinkedIn, Instagram, a trade show, or at the local chamber of commerce). Considering all of those extensions is key as you find new avenues to convey who your audience is and where they’re going.

 

Let’s say that your client’s story is that they have a great workplace culture, or that they’re product innovators. Those expressions can’t be limited to a single avenue, because a press release alone won’t get the message across.

 

As storytellers, it is our responsibility to figure out how to animate narratives in the most effective and inspiring ways for the end user. So, take a second to step outside the “written content” box, and put together a strong mix of multimedia that you can use to leverage narratives across all of your brand’s extensions.

 

3.     UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITIES

 

The best publicists will recognize that good ideas come from anywhere and everywhere – from your receptionist to your senior creative director. There are people in your client’s organization who may be able to frame narratives in a way that could inspire new avenues to express your brand.

 

Think about your client’s sales team, for example. Maybe they’re not very motivated. Maybe they’ve just been clocking in and out and calling it a day for a while. Though they might not seem immediately relevant to the current state of your brand, they are an untapped opportunity. As you explore new narratives, and experiment with avenues of expression, don’t forget to consider how you can inspire new audiences internally – this will add some dimensionality.

 

4.     THE VERBAL AND THE VISUAL

 

When strategizing with clients, one of the first things I ask is: How are we going to tell this story visually?

 

Without strong visuals, storytelling loses power. You could write the most beautiful copy in the world, or quip the catchiest tagline anyone’s ever heard – but if the font is an eyesore, or the accompanying images are bad, it just won’t work. The verbal and the visual are a package deal, and they go hand in hand.

 

From a headshot to an Instagram post, to the photos accompanying a press release, it all matters. And trust me, your client probably isn’t going to be thinking ahead about it. It’s really our responsibility as publicists to do that.

 

Good storytelling is a seamless meld between the verbal and the visual. It makes you feel something; it inspires you to learn more, and to dig deeper.

 

#MakePBJ

 

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