Getting Attention & Making Noise

You hear it everywhere: content is king. But what type? In what capacity? These days, everyone is a reporter. As media looks for audience-friendly spins on stories and audience members begin to participate in conversations as bloggers, consider treating media and audiences as one in the same. With so many opportunities to re-purpose content for multiple audiences on various communications platforms, it makes sense to find effective ways to share information and consolidate your efforts. Make press releases entertaining, build a story within a story and know everyone you’re talking to.

• Make your press releases compelling and entertaining. Look at what stories are in the trending topics. What gets the most attention? What kinds of stories do you make a point of sharing with your friends? What breeds conversation? Recognize what has been successful in the past and think about ways to integrate catchy headlines, thought-provoking questions and real people doing things into your stories as much as possible. It’s easy to crank out press releases with an easy hook followed by the five Ws. Giving the basics is fine for a rough draft, but it should never suffice as a final product. Think about including videos, faces, voices, actions, conversations and interactions into your communications.
• Find the story behind the story. Invite some intrigue and mystery into the content you pitch for reporters and audiences. Reporters will want to know the basics, of course, like what they’ll see, who they’ll speak to and what the big picture relevancy is, but it never hurts to stir up a little intrigue when applicable. Gather as many supplemental materials as possible to introduce during and after the media event to give reporters a reason to do a follow-up story and audiences a call-to-action and a worthwhile place (YouTube, Facebook, a website, etc.) to share with others.
• Know who you’ve speaking to. Crafting one overarching message that you can blast across multiple platforms does not mean less work. It takes much more thoughtful planning to create a story and a message that resonates with different audiences on different levels in different places. Consider who your message could and should reach. Our messages have the power to transcend geographical boundaries and to resonate among new and unimaginable communities. Keep that in mind when you’re creating your overarching messaging. Be inclusive, rather than exclusive and make sure to lay out clear steps for those who want to learn more or take action.

With a little creativity and a lot of forethought, you can make a big splash in a positive way.