Public Relations: An Art of Storytelling

We all have been brought up in the world of stories. From the ones our grandmothers use to tell us to Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana and Mahabharata on television. We have been raised in an environment of fictional world that has only given wings to our figments of imagination. Conversation with our friends and family gives us some exceptional stories unknown to the world but known to a few.

It has been observed that people tend to remember information when told in a format of a story. It is an experience that when a story is narrated to us, we tend to visualise the fragments as they come to us. We create a vision and keep adding onto it as we go.

A human being’s memory is prone to remember incidents in the form of a story. It is a known scientific fact that storytelling has an everlasting impact on the minds of a reader/viewer and therefore is one of the most effective ways to communicate a brand’s message. The effectiveness triggers the sensory nerves to think upon things which further lead to easy recall. Stories activate our brains more than simple factual information. They arouse thoughts in our brains that activates our senses and emotions that brings about changes that lead to call for action or need recognition at times. The foremost important part of storytelling is the synchronising of the teller and audience’s line of thought. A message should be delivered and received at a similar wavelength.

A PR agency helps in conveying the information about a brand/client to its target audience through stories with anticipated emotions that are to be triggered by an activity. These emotions trigger thoughts that makes a reader act in a certain way which aligns with the primary objective of storytelling all together. The audience is more prone to make decisions that are felt to be their own whereas action based on forcefully fed information makes a consumer take an unconvinced decision with a room of doubts. Such decisions have a high probability of being revoked. Thus, a PR professional’s job is to plant a story that provokes a consumer’s decision making process.

Even though storytelling is being practised rigorously by digital PR professionals, it is of utmost importance that a story is interesting enough so as to be differentiated from the crowd. A great story essentially has three qualities: An interesting beginning, a high point and a satisfying ending. A story built around these pillars will be complete and perceived in a better way than others without it. Besides these, a storyteller must take care of a few more elements such as: Knowledge about your audience, thorough research on the idea, identification of the characters, choosing the right medium or mix of mediums.

As important creating a story is, so is its proper placement to ensure proper reach. A Public Relations professional facilitates infusing creative stories in the most effective platforms. Therefore a PR professional can be seen as a facilitator who intends to maintain as well as facilitate communication between a brand and a consumer.

Twenty7 Inc. is a creative communication PR agency providing all-encompassing solutions for integrating client/business brand growth. Understanding our customers' businesses and the needs of their target market helps us develop tailored, unique tact