Digital Storytelling: How Does It Relate To PR?

Storytelling has been a tactic used from ancient times to captivate an audience, whether it is stories told while sitting around a campfire, stories told by grandparents and parents to little children, or even the stories being created and told by Public Relations professionals regarding their clients through effective corporate communication services.

Storytelling has been proven to have a much bigger impact on the listener than simply giving them information about something, which is why many warnings of dangers etc have been retold to children as interesting and captivating stories over the centuries, and as with children storytelling has the same impact on adults and the general public.

According to any top public relations agency in Sri Lanka, storytelling creates an emotional connection between the listener and the company or brand, making it more meaningful, rather than simply showering them with information, and with the emergence of social media, this storytelling process has become far easier and more effective than the traditional methods professionals had to use in earlier years. The great thing about storytelling for PR professionals these days is that they can use a vast array of mediums to do it; whether it is through social media, videos, photos, infographics etc.

When it comes to digital storytelling however, there are certain things that a good public relations agency in Sri Lanka will need to do, such as:

• Research well – Know your audience and their behaviour. What kind of social media platforms do they favour and what is the peak time of the day when they will be online using those platforms? Before creating your story, extensive research should be made into these areas, so that you know who you are pitching to.
• Make your story relevant – By knowing more about your audience you can make your story relevant, or “speak their language” in other words. Find that emotional connection between the brand and the audience, because if you can’t have a huge impact on your audience, then your efforts will be in vain.
• Make your story creative – Creativity is a must when it comes to storytelling, because the digital world is bombarded with information and stories, and there are many other brands trying to do the same thing you are doing. Therefore, your story must be creative, compelling and unique, delving into the heart of the brand and the business.
• Let your audience tell your story – There is nothing more compelling than real stories shared by real people. True enough you can have a huge impact with your stories, but what if the story comes directly from your audience? How much more compelling would that be? Incorporating your audience’s stories into your strategy is one of the best ways of getting a positive word out there.
• Evaluate your performance – Monitor and analyse your story’s performance using the many analytics tools available out there so that you know if it is a success or a failure, or not performing as well as you want it to. This helps you to change your strategy around and know where you can improve.

Digital storytelling can relate to public relations in a big way, because a good PR professional should have the instinct to identify a good story that will relate with the target audience, as well as to seek out and create stories, characters, and themes that will create an emotional bond between the audience and the brand or business, helping the business to ultimately achieve their objectives and goals. An effective PR professional will be able to create their own unique story centred around the brand, making the brand and the company the protagonist in the story, and leaving the audience asking for more.

It is important to create content that is easily remembered by the target audience, adding fantastic visuals to make it even more compelling, and able to tug at the emotions of the readers. More than anything, the PR professional should have an undying passion and believe in the story, because if the creator of the story does not believe in it, then there is no chance that your audience will either. The excitement that the story brings, should emanate from within its creator, and extend outwards toward the brand’s audience and customers.

When considering hiring a public relations agency in Sri Lanka, it is best to choose an agency that has the right amount of expertise and experience, and have a proven track record of success. If they have created a compelling story out there about themselves, then you know that they will be able to do the same for you.