Telling the story of your company draws your audiences into your business in the same way a novel captivates a reader, creating a powerful way to shift perceptions. “I think that we human beings have always enjoyed great stories,” says Lee Weinstein, principal of Lee Weinstein & Associates and the former director of global corporate communications for Nike. “It’s part of who we are. It’s built into our evolution. How you tell a story and where you tell a story are really important, and I think PR really allows us to do that in a powerful way.”
So how do you go about crafting your company story? First, you need to have a clear idea of the value proposition of your company. “It all starts with the company’s vision and mission,” says Weinstein. “At Nike, our mission is to provide the innovation and inspiration to every athlete in the world. If you think about innovation and inspiration first, then everything that you do in PR should be innovative and inspirational, from the writing to the images to the selection of the campaign you’re going to really get behind.”
In addition, your overarching story should have all the elements of a great narrative: a protagonist, an antagonist, a lively cast of characters, a setting, a plot, a conflict, and a resolution.
Excerpt from Strategic Public Relations, written by Jennifer Gehrt & Colleen Moffitt with Andrea Carlos