Find the Story – PR Tip #18

One of the hardest jobs we have in PR is to find the story. Sometimes, the story is right there for everyone to see, other times it’s elusive. Sometimes we forget to look. We have all had times when we’re under deadline and a release has to get written and we just crank it out headline, subhead, quotes and boilerplate. But that’s not our job. Our job is to find the story.

Part of this is developing the story arc and helping readers easily navigate from beginning (the problem or trend addressed), the middle (the value proposition and how this announcement fits) and the end (how the market, customer and company benefits).  Most companies start looking for the story in the wrong place, though. They start with what they have made. Problem is, that’s like telling a story from the middle. The truth is, the story starts way before that and it starts with what the customer needs and the problem they are trying to solve. 

When looking for the story, start by finding what about the announcement appeals to you or--even better--to the person you hope will read it. Remember, people buy things (consumer goods, business technology, apps, etc.) because it has perceived value to them. It makes their life better, easier or more productive. If you can hone in on the “why this matters” to a specific person you will be way ahead of more press releases and other PR materials are written.

The story, or at least a compelling version of it, can be elusive. As mentioned above, we’ve had lots of clients that believed that the story started and stopped with the products they’ve made. They think that the world will know exactly why this technology matters and how it will change lives to their target customers. They are wrong. Often very, very wrong and then are baffled when a reporter isn’t as excited about their news as they are or the story comes out and it’s very vanilla.

We recently had a client announce a bit of new technology that was interesting from a purely technology perspective. We could have written the release and the pitch to focus solely on the technology and it would have been good. However, there was so much more that it could be and, as we peeled away the layers, we found a really interesting story about how retail stores were using the technology to help lure customers offline and back into the brick-and-mortar locations during the holiday shopping season by creating a better in-store shopping experience and helping to keep the retail store’s network secure. The technology was still a big part of the story, but now we’re focusing on the problem the customer needed to solve and how they are solving it.

Even if the story can’t be tied directly to a problem or challenge a customer faces, it can often be written to talk about how a new product or technology can change the market. It can be the first time customers can combine products to do something, or how it’s the first implementation of a new standard or even how it’s the first product to allow the market to better leverage a developing trend.  When telling a good story, a developing trend or market shift can be your best friend so take the time to understand what these trends are so you can tell a more compelling story. 

Remember, when telling a story, you can’t just say “innovative new technology will reshape the economics of blah blah blah.” You have to walk the reader through a compelling narrative that helps them understand why the story you are telling is important to them personally and professionally.  When writing your next press release, blog, contributed article or any other PR writing, you'll make it much easier for your client and the target reader to connect if you tell a good story. And if you find yourself, or your company in the wrong story, then get out of it. We've all been part of interviews that go sideways because the reporter has an agenda or your spokesperson says something they shouldn't. In this case, it's your job to try can get the story back on track or find a way out. This is my story and I’m sticking to it.  

3 Steps to Turn Holiday Downtime into Organized Success

Can you believe it is November already? Time flies when you’re having fun…or just really busy. Christmas music is starting to play (way too early in my opinion), families are on their way into town, office parties are being planned and everyone seems to slow down a little. It can be tempting to enjoy the distractions and slow your work mind down a little, too.

However, in the PR world, I’ve found using that little bit of extra down time to get organized can really pay off when the New Year rolls in and client expectations kick into high gear again. Organization is a key element to professionalism, responsibility and success. I’d estimate 90% of people at least try to organize some part of their life, even if it only happens once or twice year. Often, we get so busy at work throughout the year that all of those organization systems we developed back in January have been completely ignored by now.

If you’d like to develop some organization strategies that are easy to keep, now is the perfect time. Follow these three steps and you will be sure to have an organized and successful 2016:

Step 1. Purge & Clean

Start by getting rid of clutter. Throw out/recycle any papers laying around that you don’t need. Move items from your physical desktop that you don’t use daily to a desk drawer. Having a larger, clean working space can clear your mind, too.

Then move on to your digital workspace. File away e-mails you don’t need, and organize those folders that have been pushed to the corner of your screen for the last six months. You will decrease the time it takes you to find important items while freeing up memory so your processor runs faster. It’s a win-win for you and your computer.

If you want to go the extra mile, start thinking about what programs you’d like to kick off in January. Jot down any notes you may have, or start a new folder on your desktop to file away resources. That way, when you get back in the office, you are already two steps ahead of your clients and can present them with fresh ideas before they can say “Happy New Year.”

Step 2. Find Your Best Reminder System

I watch many young professionals try to manage the influx of new responsibilities and assignments they receive each day, and many of them forget about deliverables because they simply didn’t log it anywhere. Or, they noted it somewhere they never look.

Everyone is unique in how they like their reminders. For me, I couldn’t function without hand written lists. Lists keep me on track and I feel a sense of accomplishment when I’m able to cross things off of them. But, if you won’t look at your list each day, that technique will be worthless to you.

One of the most critical elements to staying organized is making your systems work with the habits you’ve already established. You wouldn’t keep your trash can in a corner of the office you never visit, right? I bet you keep it next to or under your desk. Take some time over the next few weeks to figure out what items you look at multiple times throughout the day. This could be your smartphone, Outlook calendar, notebook or even a whiteboard. Try adding assignments or reminders there. If you end up not seeing the list frequently enough, then try something else.

Once you find the right system to suit your habits, you’re going to be so much more efficient. You’ll probably also feel so much happier knowing you’re on top of all your deliverables.

Step 3. Set up Reminders for January 1^st Now

Is it just me, or does Holiday break almost make us completely forget about what we were doing on December 23? It can be very easy to shut down your computer on that last day before the Holidays and forget all about the looming deadlines you have to meet on your first day back. Trust me, coming back to the office in January that way is a harsh reality check you want to avoid.

Instead of scrambling through a New Year’s Eve hangover, prepare for January 1^st now. As you get closer to your Holiday break, use that reminder system you developed in Step 2 to create a Top 5 list of things you need to do (or remember) when you get back to the office. That way you already know the first items you need to accomplish when you return to the office and your first morning back will be a breeze.

Hopefully these three suggestions will help you get organized and create a strong foundation for success in 2016. But, don’t forget to have a little fun, too! Just make sure there are no photographers at your Holiday party.