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Storytelling Tips: Be Trendy

By on March 26, 2013   /   Content, Storytelling Tips   /   Leave a comment

 

Storytelling Tips: Be Trendy
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Storytelling Tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tips: Be TrendyPeople love to know about the latest trends. And that means telling the rest of us about a trend involving what you do will help make your story interesting to the rest of us.

Better yet, tell us how we can take advantage of a trend or avoid being hurt by it. That gives us information we can act on in a beneficial way.

We’re interested in trends because they show what other people are doing that we may want to do, too. If enough people are doing it, maybe they know something we don’t.

When kids started wearing backpacks to school, there were lots of stories about that because it was a new trend. Then came the stories about what to look for when shopping for a backpack. And then came the stories about the back problems kids were having and how to avoid them.

When summer comes, you can count on stories about new grilling techniques. And new fashions, of course.

What are the current trends in college majors? If you sell insurance, are there changes in the kinds of insurance people are buying? Why? Are people buying different kinds of cars? Buying more houses? Eating out more — or less?

If you have information about an emerging trend that would be useful or interesting to the rest of us, consider using it to tell your story. If the trend affects me, I’ll probably be interested. And if it affects a lot of people, a lot of people will be interested.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

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Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.

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Storytelling Tips: A few words worth a thousand pictures

By on February 26, 2013   /   Content, Storytelling Tips   /   Leave a comment

 

Storytelling Tips: A few words worth a thousand pictures
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Storytelling Tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tips: A few words worth a thousand picturesCan you hear me now? Betcha can’t eat just one. Just do it.

There’s nothing like a good tagline to get your story heard, understood — and remembered.

The three taglines I opened with belong to Verizon, Lay’s Potato Chips and Nike. You probably recognized all three without having to give them any real thought. And you probably knew they had something to do with cell phones, potato chips and . . . Nike.

A good tagline tells the rest of us something about what you do. How it benefits us. And makes us think about you — not your competitors.

All three of the taglines in my opening paragraph are great. But, for my money, Nike’s “Just do it” is better than the other two because it’s hard for most of us to hear those words without thinking of Nike and its instantly recognizable swoosh. You probably got the category right when you read the Verizon and Lay’s Potato Chips taglines, but were less likely to remember the names of the companies.

I tend to associate taglines with big companies, partly because they’re the ones who can afford to spend enough money on advertising to imprint their taglines on my brain by repeating them over and over while I’m listening.

But small companies can have good taglines, too.

One of my favorites is ALMC Mortgage’s tagline — All Loans Must Close. It tells me what the company does. Because of the fear of rejection many of us have when applying for a home loan, it tells us how ALMC benefits us. And there’s only one company that it brings to mind. In fact, it helps us remember the right order of the letters in ALMC’s name. For those of you not familiar with it, ALMC Mortgage is based in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch. It’s run by a friend of mine, Cheryl Braunschweiger. And, if you’re looking for a home loan, you should give her a call.

If you have a great tagline for your business, I encourage you to use it, use it, use it. And then use it some more. Put it on your business cards, your letterhead, your product, your website — and anywhere else that makes sense.

Why? Because a good tagline sticks in the memory of your audience. It brings you and what you do immediately to mind. And it reminds us about how what you do benefits us. Who could ask for anything more?

A great tagline for your company may just pop into your head. If so, you’re really lucky. Go buy a lottery ticket. Most of the time, though, developing a really good tagline isn’t easy. In fact, some companies spend thousands of dollars and come up empty.

A bad tagline is a waste of time — at best. So, don’t use one unless yours is really good.

What’s a really good tagline for your company? It should be short. Catchy. Easy to remember. Or, better yet, hard to forget. It should say what you do. Why that benefits me. Reflect your company’s personality. And make the rest of us think of your company — and only your company.

That’s some pretty heavy lifting for something as short as a tagline. But do it right and you’ll have a few words worth a thousand pictures.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

————-

Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.

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Storytelling Tip: Focus on a Single Idea

By on January 29, 2013   /   Content, Messaging, Storytelling Tips   /   Leave a comment

 

Storytelling Tip: Focus on a Single Idea
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Tips for Telling Your Story on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Counsel
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tip: Focus on a Single IdeaFocus your story around a single topic, preferably one you can put into a single sentence.

In school, we were taught our paragraphs should have a topic sentence summarizing the main thought of that paragraph.

I encourage you to take it a step further. Organize your story around a single topic sentence as well.

As a young journalist, I was taught to start my stories with a single sentence — the lead — that told the reader what the story was about. And then I was supposed to make everything else explain or elaborate on my lead. Parts of the story that didn’t explain my lead were strong candidates for being edited out.

Focusing on a single topic is a good storytelling formula because it forces you to be clear about what you have to say.

What if you have five tips about how to [fill in the blank]? Don’t you have five things to talk about in that case? Yes, you do. But they all focus on the single topic of how to do whatever goes into your fill-in-the-blank space. And each of those tips will focus on its own single idea.

Movies and novels often have multiple subplots. It can be part of what makes them interesting.

Doesn’t that violate my single-topic rule? Yes. And no. You’re going to spend 90 minutes or longer watching a movie and more time than that reading most novels. All those subplots help keep you interested along the way. But those subplots usually flesh out the main plot of the story in some way. And most of those movies and novels can generally be boiled down to a single topic that serves as the unifying thread of the story.

If your audience will be spending 90 minutes or longer on your story, you may need a subplot or two as well. But in the business world we’re often lucky to get 90 seconds of their time. So, stay focused on a single thought.

Put what you want to tell us into a single sentence — your lead. And then use the rest of what you have to say explaining or elaborating on your lead.

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Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.

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Storytelling Tip: Use the calendar to tell your story

By on November 20, 2012   /   Content, Storytelling Tips   /   Leave a comment

 

Storytelling Tip: Use the calendar to tell your story
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Tips for Telling Your Story on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Counsel
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tip: Use the calendar to tell your storyHappy Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving traditions — turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin pie, the food-induced coma at the end of the day.

And, of course, Butterball University giving its annual save-your-turkey tips on national television. Some people watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I watch the folks from Butterball tell the rest of us how to save our holiday feast.

It’s a perfect example of how to use the calendar to tell your story. Butterball’s turkey experts have been staffing phone lines since 1981 to help desperate cooks on Thanksgiving and Christmas. And the rest of the year, too. But they aren’t on national TV then.

Somewhere along the way an overachieving marketer created the term Butterball University to describe the training for the company’s Turkey Talk-Line experts. The head of the unit became the dean of Butterball University. And a zillion headlines and TV appearances were born.

The calendar contains a wealth of opportunities to tell your story. August is ripe for back-to-school and other education-related stories. New Year’s is a good time for stories about all those things people can do to improve themselves. Anniversaries, holidays and changing seasons all lend themselves to telling your story — including some you can turn into news stories — if you’re creative enough and paying attention to your calendar.

One of my “favorite” examples is an opportunity missed. I was on the corporate PR staff of one of the Baby Bell phone companies for many years. One morning as we sat around brainstorming story ideas one of my colleagues jokingly suggested we should celebrate Alexander Graham Bell’s 150th birthday, which was that very day.

Everyone laughed at his little joke. Except me. I realized it was an opportunity lost. With enough planning, we could have thrown old Alex a heck of a party and featured some of the latest gadgets we had to sell to show how much things had changed since his day.

Don’t miss your opportunity to use the calendar to tell your story.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

————-

Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet.

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Storytelling Tip: Be an expert

By on November 13, 2012   /   Content, Writing Tips   /   Leave a comment

 

Storytelling Tip: Be an expert
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Tips for Telling Your Story on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Counsel
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tip: Be an expertAre you good at what you do? If so, you know more about what you do than the rest of us. That makes you an expert.

And if you do or sell something I need, then I’m counting on your expertise. Because I want the best I can get for my money.

When it comes to telling your story there’s nothing more powerful than being an expert — and sharing your expertise with the rest of us who need your help. That’s why stories that offer tips are so popular with journalists. They know their readers or viewers are interested in useful tips about all kinds of things.

Becoming a recognized expert in your field is a worthy goal. But if you’re in a business that has a lot of competitors — and most of us are — then you won’t be alone. There are other experts, too. Then your challenge is to tell your story well enough that we do business with you — not with one of those other experts you’re competing with.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

————-

Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet.

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Storytelling Tip: Know when to shut up

By on November 6, 2012   /   Content   /   1 Comment

 

Storytelling Tip: Know when to shut up
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Tips for Telling Your Story on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Counsel
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tip: Know when to shut upToday’s tip is inspired by the end of campaign season: Know when to shut up. Or, more politely, when to keep quiet.

No matter how interested you are in the outcome of the election and no matter who you’re supporting, you probably won’t miss all those ads and robocalls.

Politicians are always going to campaign right up until election day. We expect that. And we expect them to keep pushing their message at us over and over and over. It’s the tone and the length of the campaigning that wears most of us down.

For most of us, there’s not a day set on the calendar when it will be time to quit telling our story. It’s an ongoing saga that won’t end until we leave the world of business.

But there are times when we’re better off keeping quiet. Or limiting what we have to say to things that don’t have anything to do with selling.

I’m a big advocate of telling your story clearly and often. Repetition is important because most of us won’t hear you the first time you deliver your message.

But we don’t want to be hounded by your message. And we don’t want you pushing yourself on us every time we see you.

So, tell your story. Tell it well. And tell it often. But know when it’s time to keep quiet. Or at least when it’s time to talk about something else. Sometimes silence really is golden.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

————-

Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet.

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Storytelling Tip: Your message is more than the words you say

By on October 30, 2012   /   Content, Messaging   /   1 Comment

 

Storytelling Tip: Your message is more than the words you say
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Tips for Telling Your Story on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Counsel
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tip: Your message is more than the words you sayThe words you use when developing your message and telling your story are important. But your message is a lot more than the words you use.

Your message also includes:

  • The optics of your story. That includes photos and other images you use in telling your story. We’ve become a very visual society. Limiting your message to words alone will limit its visibility and its appeal.
  • The tone of your story. What do you want to emphasize? Your professionalism? Your friendliness? Trustworthiness? The fact that you care? Your prices? Two companies in essentially the same business may tell their story quite differently because of the tone they choose.
  • Who you are and what you do. If you’re in business, the words you use to tell your story are usually about attracting our interest, getting us to check out what you do or what you sell. But who you are and what you do are equally important to your message. If our experience in doing business with you doesn’t match your words, we probably won’t be back. And instead of recommending you to our friends, we may warn them to stay away.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

————-

Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet.

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Storytelling Tip: Use Anecdotes, Analogies and Examples

By on September 18, 2012   /   Content   /   Leave a comment

 

Storytelling Tip: Use Anecdotes, Analogies and Examples
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Tips for Telling Your Story on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Counsel
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tip: Use Anecdotes, Analogies and ExamplesAnecdotes, analogies and examples are powerful storytelling tools. Use them whenever possible.

Anecdotes humanize your story. Humanizing your story makes it more appealing to the rest of us — and more likely to get our attention. They make it more likely we’ll hear what you say. But go easy on anecdotes that paint you as the hero. And stay away from anecdotes that criticize or poke fun at someone else.

Analogies simplify your story. Analogies make it easier for the rest of us to understand your story, particularly when used to explain and simplify a complicated point. I learned to love analogies as a journalist and a speechwriter because they’re a quick way to explain things.

Examples help explain your story. Examples are also useful for complicated stories that are hard to explain or understand. Using examples to make an abstract idea concrete makes it more likely to be remembered.

Anecdotes, analogies, examples help get your story heard, understood and remembered. Use them regularly to tell your story.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

————-

Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet.

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Storytelling Tip: Just Do It

By on September 11, 2012   /   Content, Messaging, Writing Tips   /   1 Comment

 

Storytelling Tip: Just Do It
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Tips for Telling Your Story on the Experience Pros Radio Show

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Counsel
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tip: Just Do ItYou want to tell your story. But you’re having trouble getting started?

Just do it. Start writing, even if you’re not quite sure what you want to say.

Sometimes putting words on paper — even if you go back and change them later — can help you clarify in your own mind what you want to say.

I’m talking about this tip on the Experience Pros radio show this week.  And it’s inspired by Angel Tuccy of the Experience Pros.

If you’re a regular listener, you know Angel and her business partner, Eric Reamer, have written several bestselling books on business.

Angel’s advice to other aspiring book authors: Just do. Start writing.

That’s good advice. And it’s good advice if you’re struggling to put your message into words, too. Just start writing and see where it goes.

One additional piece of advice. Before you’re done you want to know the answers to three very important questions:

  • What’s your objective. What do you want to happen as a result of telling your story?
  • Who’s your audience? Who do you want to hear your message? Why? And why will they care?
  • What’s your message? What’s the one thing you can tell your audience to improve your chances of achieving your objective?

Ideally, you should know the answers to those questions before you start writing your story.

But sometimes you don’t. If you’re stuck, just start writing. But be sure you know the answers to those questions before you’re done. And by the time you’re done, make sure your message speaks clearly to the audience you’re trying to reach in a way that will help you achieve your objective.

That’s my two cents’ worth.  What’s yours?

————-

Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet.

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Storytelling Tip: Skip the Spin

By on September 4, 2012   /   Content, Messaging   /   Leave a comment

 

Storytelling Tip: Skip the Spin
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Tips for Telling Your Story on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version

By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Counsel
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Storytelling Tip: Skip the SpinHave you ever listened to someone flawlessly deliver a perfectly honed message — and you don’t believe a word they say?

We all have. Chances are they’re practitioners of “spin.” Skip the spin if you want the rest of us to believe your story.

You’re entitled to a point of view — and to express it without presenting the other side. And it’s okay, when appropriate, to try to persuade us to buy what you’re selling.

But skip the spin. By that I mean don’t alter or misrepresent the truth to make your story sound better than it is.

As a public relations practitioner, I sometimes come across people who think my job is to make stuff up or bend the truth to convince the rest of you that stinky stuff smells like roses.

Not so. My job is to help my clients tell their story clearly and credibly to the audiences important to them. My job is to help them get their stories heard, understood and remembered.

But I prefer to skip the spin. Because it doesn’t matter what you say or how well you say it if the rest of us don’t believe you because we don’t trust you.

That’s my two cents’ worth.  What’s yours?

————-

Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet.

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