Great stories. All PR professionals are looking for them, but they can be hard to find. At the same time, they are a key success factor to brand journalism; compelling stories are the core of any digital strategy.
Actually there is a lot we can learn from Little Red Riding Hood, according to storytelling expert Indira Reynaerdt, during today’s LEWIS PR Catch-Up Forum in the Netherlands. Fairytales have all the necessary elements that make a story stick: a good guy (protagonist), bad guy (antagonist), a plot and a mentor (deus ex machina). In fact, that is what we are looking for: someone to identify with and who will defeat evil in the end.
What is even more interesting is that brand journalism in itself does not seem to follow the rules of storytelling. Although some might argue that brand journalists are the antagonist in to the traditional journalists, the opposite seems to be the case. As Herbert Blankesteijn, a journalist working for the Dutch newspaper NRC and news radio BNR, put it: “Corporate content is in fact a good source of information. But of course, I will always check what I read or see. That is the reason why traditional journalists will always be needed: readers are constantly looking for an objective source to validate and interpret information.”
Keith Beech, Head of Content at LEWIS PR, presented figures that confirm that brand journalism has a bright future: at the moment, 9 out of 10 companies are using branded content for communications. Also, the content is increasingly perceived as ‘engaging’ by prospects and customers. At the same time however, budgets are under pressure.
And that brings us back to storytelling. To use the fairytale analogy: if you want to live happily ever after as a company, you might want to consider telling an honest, compelling story, that sticks. This is the very essence of brand journalism. Does it increase sales? It does, according to Keith Beech: Eloqua saw the average cost per lead drop by 80 percent once they started blogging.
What is your opinion? Share your thoughts and opinions below. And to see the conversations from the event check out #catchup12 on Twitter.