by admin on March 14, 2011 in Red Ribbon Inspiration

The art of storytelling

Bonita Da Serra

I don’t know about you, but I love reading a great story – from a gripping novel to mysterious fiction – I’m a fan of them all. And being a PR practitioner, which is the business of storytelling, I can’t help but love to tell my clients’ stories.
Facts are a great way to entice readers, but a compelling story is nicer. There is no better way to engage with your reader than to tell them your story.
It is most important to identify what makes a good story GREAT and how do you go about piecing the puzzle of your story together. Here are a few recommendations when telling your story…
Spice up your story with interesting data, stats and facts. This often catches the media and reader’s attention, especially if it is first to be heard of.
Telling your story is all based on Timing; if you choose to release your news to media the day the president is being elected, expect your story to fall on deaf ears. Remember to add your story to the news mix while topics are trending, not a month later when no one cares anymore.
Over the top stories are a big no-no, keep it simple and striking and you will maintain your readers’ focus. Journalists will immediately delete your farfetched press release or an article lacking grammatical correctness. These are no good for building credibility with the media either.
Be Realistic. Remember your story isn’t a fairy tale, so don’t fabricate the facts. Also keep your audience in mind, there’s no point reading Cinderella to an 80 year old man.
Be aware of the Yo-Yo effect. People will love you at times and will not care at other times. Accept this and keep sharing your stories.
A journalist is looking for the man of the moment – so make him the knight in shining armour.
Happy reading