You hear a lot these days about ‘storytelling’. This is a relatively new phenomenon. In PR, we have always told stories but often they are not the stories we want to tell. They are the stories our clients want us to tell.

So often, we are caught between the push pull dynamic of pleasing the client, maintaining our media relationships (and reputation), balanced with the desire to achieve the best results.

As the media landscape has changed, the audience we are communicating with has become more fragmented. We are dealing with a huge shift in the way society consumes media stories, and the demographics of our audience has also radically shifted with younger people now turning to TikTok, Podcasts and other social media sites to consume news and information.

What does this mean for businesses and organisations wanting to tell their stories via earned media? Here are my topline take-outs:

1. Target audience – ask yourself what does your target audience want to hear? Do they really want to hear that you have launched a new product or service or do they want to know how this new product or service is changing lives or impacting people just like them? Time and time again, us PR folk are asked to write stories that aren’t stories. The problem is that so many businesses are caught up in the nitty gritty of their business, they forget that nobody outside their organisation a) gets it and b) feels as passionate about it as they do. Real life case stories can be far more compelling (and therefore more likely to get published), than just another press release pushing a ‘corporate key message’. If you’re not sure what is or isn’t a story, ask yourself, “Who cares?” before you write it or brief in your PR team.

2. Target media – talk to any journalist or broadcast producer and they will tell you they receive thousands of media releases and media kits stuffed with product samples which have no place in their outlet. Do the research. Hone it down. Check out the publication, see who is writing what and how they are writing it. Then follow the formula.

3. Target story - there is nothing a journalist loves more than receiving a fantastic story angle, a great quote, a solid spokesperson/interviewee and some quality imagery to go with. This targeted pitching and placing of your story is what will get you the results you want. It’s not ‘news’ unless it’s new, different and genuinely interesting to the reader, viewer or listener.

4. Talent – any PR professional will tell you that earned media has more impact than paid. The reason is third party endorsement. If you tell me your new trainers are going to help me run faster and protect my joints, that is less believable than an athlete who has used them, or an orthopaedic surgeon who recommends them. Even when budgets are tight, don’t skip on investing in good talent to not just tell your story, but sell it.

5. Visuals – always remember to have quality visuals to tell your story and bring it to life. Hi-res, lifestyle shots (not stock shots) are crucial in order to maximise your chances of getting it over the line.