Why Storytelling Matters to PR

Hello!
#pdxcc14
@sarahskerik
of @prnewswire
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Overview: why stories matter
Context
Attention market & audience preferences
What makes messages stick?
Narrative power
Emotional connections
Why story stickiness is important for
brands
The social search connection
Earned media importance & evolution of
The tactics
Determining outcome
Divining story themes
Measurement



@sarahskerik @prnewswire
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Stories rely on the intended audience to
develop their own imagery and detail to
complete and, most importantly, to co-
create, whereas content does not. link
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Not only are the language processing parts in our brain
activated, but any other area in our brain, that we
would use when experiencing the events of the story
are too.
Narratives inspire action and can galvanize people to
act, even in times of strife.
Narratives are open-ended.
They don't have resolution
and there's an invitation to
all of us to participate in
that narrative, to help
determine what the
outcome is going to be.
- John Hagel, Deloitte Center for the
Edge

Link
@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Audience behavior can make or break a campaign.
Our messages are competing
for attention with peoples
friends, spouses, children
and kittens.

Content that isnt read drops
out of sight quickly.

Social media popularity
dictates a lot of what we see
across the web.

Theyre a communicators
nightmare.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
People are looking for ever more specific information.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Intel today speaks in specifics, rendered in stories about people
like me
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Your audience has already busted your silos - even if your
organization doesnt know it yet.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Everything you publish is a digital ambassador for your brand.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
http://inkhouse.com/downloads/watch_read_tweet.pdf

WHAT MAKES MESSAGES STICK?
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
5 keys to making your story stick:
Simple
Unexpected
Concrete
Emotional
Credible
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Your story must have a point, and that point is a specific
audience response.
Inspiration
Confidence
Enthusiasm
@sarahskerik @prnewswire

WHY STICKINESS IS IMPORTANT
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
However, social is more
important than you may
think and these numbers
indicate.


@sarahskerik @prnewswire
SearchMetrics
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Social media popularity absolutely informs search engine
rankings & drives overall online visibility.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
68%
of millennials likely to
purchase based on
their friends social
media
recommendations.
Source: Harris Interactive Poll, January 2014
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
NYT: Why do people share online?

+80%
+38%
+80%
Earned media is more effective than branded content
Source: In-lab study by Nielsen, commissioned by inPowered, March 2014
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Everything we publish can gain earned media credibility.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
and heres why.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Google is publicly acknowledging that every
time your brand gets a mention in a story, that
counts as an implied link that affects your SEO,
that affects how many links there are to your
website, which in turn affects how well your
site shows up when someone is searching for
your brand. In short, PR is SEO.
- Christopher Penn, Shift Communications.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Earned
media
Social
sharing
Search
rank
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
THE TACTICS
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Align campaigns to specific business outcomes.
Decide how success will
be measured.

Focus on generating the
outcomes that will
contribute to success

Understand & develop
messages for each
element.


@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Atomize your content & surface all of the story angles.
Movies
Music
Mom
Travel
Power suckers
Enthusiasts
Be interesting.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Be interesting, contd.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
SocialRadar
Unequivocal
headline

Multiple
visuals
including a
demo
Call to action!
Download
here!
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Bullets and
bold highlight
key points
Writer
anticipates
reader
questions
Social links
invite
interaction
Put the audience front and center in all messaging
Provocative headline
draws readers in.
Subhead adds more detail
Lead paragraph starts with
an interesting statement,
not boilerplate.
Bold font and provocative
section heads draw
readers eyes in, and build
more attention.
Restrained use of links
directs readers to a
specific call to action.
All boilerplate material,
event information and
branding (except the
mention in the subhead)
are moved to the
bottom of the release.
The higher-value real-
estate at the top of the
message is solely
devoted to gaining
and keeping reader
interest.
Messages that are
easy to scan are
easy to share.
Visual elements increase press release views by almost 10 x.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Source: 2013 PR Newswire & PR News Multimedia Survey
http://blog.prnewswire.com/2013/08/27/79-of-pr-pros-believe-video-is-underutilized-infographic/
But visuals are
added to only
14% of press
releases.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
MEA$UREMENT
PR measurement has to measure more than PR output.
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Rethink earned media. A tweet
from the right person can be as
valuable as media pick up.
Measure results over time.
Assess results holistically,
assessing individual tactic
success and as well as the
whole.
Strive to quantify PR outcomes
in the context of business
results.
Tie outcomes to your organizations marketing funnel.
(Yes. Your organization has one of these.)
Reads
Clicks
Amplification
(rinse & repeat)
Other actions, leads,
downloads, etc.
Measuring PRs impact on search & the top line
Is your company web site appearing
higher in search results for specific
keywords?
Search rank:
Are more people searching specific
keywords finding your company web site?
Search query volume:
Are PR messages driving visitors to
specific pages on the company web site?
Increased inbound
traffic to specific web
pages:
Is PR attracting more people with high
potential to become customers? Are they
spending more money?
Increase in lead score
or improvement in
conversion rate:
@sarahskerik @prnewswire
Thank you!
@sarahskerik
Linkedin.com/in/sarahskerik







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