In this video, I want to talk about storytelling and public relations. As you can see on my slide, I made a point to highlight the management function here. In very recent years, storytelling has become a buzzword, and I'm going to place the blame directly on advertisers and the advertising industry. That's because all of a sudden in very recent years, they have discovered storytelling in the midst of the rise of public relations as a true competitor in strategic communication. Ironic? Or could this be an attempt by advertisers to stay relevant? Public relations has always been concerned with storytelling. Our profession is built on storytelling and creating word of mouth. Advertisers have decided that they too want to be storytellers, and that's fine, come in and tell the story, Mr. Ad man. But it's public relations that puts legs on ads and really has the capacity to tell stories and connect with publics in a more authentic manner. Consumers are aware of advertisements and often work to avoid those ads. When done right, public relations works to create a relationship that isn't focused on buying and selling, instead, PR is about the long game. We want our brand mission to connect with the right audience so as to activate them to be brand ambassadors. We do that through storytelling and earned, shared and owned media tactics. Practitioners work to cultivate strategic relationship and practice issue management and when needed, crisis communication. Storytelling helps us manage the brand reputation. This is a long winded way to say, storytelling is part of public relations management function. Storytelling forges connections among people and between people and ideas. Stories share cultures and values that unite people. Stories pass down histories. We use stories to create a sense of connection with publics. Storytelling builds familiarity and trust and opens the mind to new ideas. For PR practitioners, storytelling is a way to engage with publics. It can help us influence shifts and thought and behaviors for target publics. Good storytelling can convince an audience of a brand's core message and convert them into brand ambassadors. Storytelling cuts through the noise of the busy modern marketplace and is heard in a way that is succinct and memorable. I say succinct because that's what the people want. Remember, most people are doom scrolling and just flipping through content. People want snack size bits of information and so PR practitioners need to strategically package the message in a way that will resonate with audiences. Story should attract audiences to the brand narrative. What's the brand all about? The brand narrative helps to keep stakeholders on message, so to speak. When we listen to an effective story that engages the brand and makes us "Tune in to the message", many other parts of the brain are activated. One is neural coupling. Neural coupling allows the listener to turn the words into virtual experiences. The power of neural coupling, let's mirroring take place. Mirroring allows a storyteller to relate personal experiences directly with the listener. Since the motion and sensory areas of the brain are activated by action and sensory words, a storyteller can almost recreate his or her reality in the listener's brain by using those words. The brain also releases dopamine into the system when it experiences an emotional event. Even through storytelling, dopamine imprints some memory and makes the event easier to remember with more clarity. That's powerful, isn't it? Even though I dog advertising, public relations is better combined with advertising. Advertising is better when combined with public relations. Using strategic communication facilitates the brands long-term objectives. When advertising and public relations are both on message and sharing the brand's narrative, this is the repetition and reinforcement that helps maintain a brand's reputation. What should a story include? Well, there are three things here I want to highlight. First, credibility. In order for messages to be heard, when I say heard, I mean tuned into or the brain is using the central processing route, messages have to be perceived as credible. Thus, it is important to think about the message that is being communicated, but also the source and the platform. Next, is the content share worthy? This is something to think about. What would the impact be if your message was shared widely? You want to consider the impacts both intended and unintended, and ask if this is good content that your brand is proud of and that communicates the brand's mission and core values. Third is engagement. PR is about two-way communication, and so engaging directly with publics helps to build relationships.
