The role of a well-told story in a fractured media landscape

Maybe WFH and life on Teams has lowered the bar for acceptable language in professional circles, but within the first few minutes of any PR industry event nowadays someone will drop the ‘social first’ bomb.

This most nuclear of options is routinely touted as the new starting point in the battle for media coverage. Yes, social media threw the first punch, and yes again, the traditional media has been reeling ever since.

Reuters’ Digital News Report claims the traditional news media is “struggling to connect with much of the public, with declining engagement, low trust, and stagnating digital subscriptions.” Usurping its place is a “fragmented alternative media environment containing an array of podcasters, YouTubers, and TikTokers.” For brands, media coverage has been harder to come by as a result. 

Still, it’s hard to see how a five-second Tik Tok is going to land the killer blow in this fight. While social media plays an important role in PR, it should never be the starting point for a comprehensive media relations strategy.

No, the first step in gaining coverage in a tougher media environment is staring brands in the face. And it’s as old as the hills.

Let me tell you a story

In the fight for attention, most brands’ aims remain simple: cut through noise to reach audiences and overcome readers’ dwindling attention spans.

However, the challenges set by a fractured media landscape and time-poor audiences will not be met by shoving messages into spaces where readers aren’t found; squeezed into formats incapable of carrying them; or dropped onto platforms where a carefully-crafted message can’t be controlled.

Instead, brands should return to true storytelling. For in the smokescreen of ‘social first’ and its focus on shares and likes above everything else, the fact that the media relies on stories that truly resonate has been obscured.

Regardless of channel, PR success is about keeping the reader hooked, with stories that talk to genuine challenges, honestly met. That present technologies with real-world promise. Which air opinions that aren’t derivative, or pasted from Gen AI.

The page-turner, redefined

A renewed focus on the story is supported by a recent shift in publishing. Having concentrated on the top of the funnel, casting the net far and wide to attract audiences, smart publishers are now prioritising the middle of the same funnel.

They want readers to spend as long as possible on their pages, interacting with stories by commenting, or engaging with polls. Allowing them to see how stories progress as the subjects they address unfold. 

What does this mean for brands? Firstly they need to understand their audiences, and be certain about how and where to reach them. Then ensure that their stories are relevant, timely and well-written. 

Crucially, they need to treat these stories not as one-off strikes, but salvos of hits that put the brand at the centre of a potentially larger news agenda. More coverage can be achieved over time if the story is extended with new takes on the subject, perhaps supplemented with research findings, for example. The reach of the initial piece can be expanded through content such as case studies, vox pops, guest blogs, webcasts, videos, even reader feedback on the original story.

A way through the dark

There’s nothing new here. Thinking of a story in terms of its beginning, middle and end, and ensuring the audience is kept hooked throughout, is merely a return to the basics of storytelling. It’s how Sheherazade kept King Shahryar entertained – and herself alive – in One Thousand and One Nights.

And it’s why a story told well offers far more potential for brands that are serious about their coverage than cramming inappropriate messages into five second Tik Toks for audiences that will never see them – all because of some dogma that social media must come ‘first.’

No. While new media and technology have indeed transformed the media environment, a well-told story continues to be the primary consideration – whether it goes on to take the form of a press release, blog, or video. 

Just like the eponymous heroine Sheherazade, the lives of brands depend on it.