Hacking. #MeToo. Celebrity product endorsements. Gender discrimination. #FakeNews. Espionage. Immigration. These are just some of the stories that dominate the news today. And not just the front page -- they flood the business and technology sections, too. Readers aren’t subscribing to The Wall Street Journal or New York Times tech sections to read about new widgets, unless those widgets solve critical business needs and are relevant in mainstream conversations. To get ink, companies need to have a connection to a topic prominently featured in the mainstream news cycles or be willing to take a (sometimes controversial) stance on a hot topic. If not, the odds of getting coverage diminishes greatly.
This demand for real-life relevance has raised the bar for how companies relate to their audiences. It has changed how consumers process information, the types of stories they expect to read, and just as important, the shelf life of those stories. Consumers and businesses want to know how a security company can protect them from Russian hackers, or what can be done to ensure foreign employees can travel to the United States on behalf of their employers.
At the end of the day, the company with the most interesting story is the one that will come out on top -- which is why storytelling and finding a news hook is so important. We talk to clients about finding the story within their company messaging that speaks to a broader theme, high above the speeds and feeds of their product offerings or competitive differentiators. Enterprise tech companies need to be able to explain why AI can be applied to disaster planning in advance of hurricane season. Or, healthcare companies should be able to speak to why interoperability can lead to better care for veterans and/or what the repeal of ACA would mean to the local community.
So, what’s your story?