Don’t Skip This Crucial Step to Good PR
We’re well into 2024 and hopefully you’ve made headway with planning by utilizing our 2024 Small Business Planner. As you look ahead towards reaching your business goals for this year, you might be getting excited to connect with influencers, editors, and potential brand partners. Maybe you’ve got a big event or launch coming up soon that you’re eager to spread the word about.
Before you hit send on those pitches or introductory emails, there’s a crucial step to take: make sure your brand story is in place and ready to be shared. Editors and influencers are looking for more than a product, service or expert to feature – they are looking for a good story. And they can’t tell your story unless you know what it is and are communicating it clearly.
Good PR starts with a crystal-clear narrative about your business. When you have thoughtfully crafted your brand story and are communicating it consistently, this is when the magic happens! This is when you will stand out from the crowd and capture the attention not only of editors and influencers, but also your dream customers.
Let’s dive into how the art of storytelling and learning how to communicate your brand story strategically can have a major impact on your business…
What Is a Brand Story?
A brand story is the narrative that a company creates to communicate its values, mission, history, and purpose. It goes beyond product or service descriptions and aims to establish an emotional connection with customers. It will often include details about the company’s founder, why they decided to start the company, and how they are uniquely solving a problem for or helping their customers.
Think about brands you love and what drew you to them. Outside of being a fan of their product or service, you likely also feel a connection to them. You feel connected to them because of their messaging, content, aesthetic, and/or founder story. All of these elements come from their brand story.
Your brand story is what brings your business to life – it’s the “why” “who” and “what” behind your business. It’s the substance that goes beyond selling something. It’s what will set you apart from the competition, and allow you to capture the attention of editors, influencers, partners and dream customers.
How do I Craft or Fine Tune My Brand Story?
Crafting your brand story can be a journey, especially if you are working on your own. Give yourself time to work on it and revisit when needed.
To get you started, here are 5 questions to reflect on:
Why did you start your business/brand?
What is your purpose/mission?
What values do you stand for as a person/artist/designer?
What makes you different?
Who are you creating for/who is your ideal client/customer?
How Do I Use My Brand Story?
Once you have a brand story in place it will be the foundation of what your brand communicates. From messaging on your website, to your visual branding, aesthetic, and tone of voice, to social media, events, and newsletters. All aspects of PR and marketing become an opportunity to bring your brand story to life and connect on a deeper level with your customers.
When you start to share your story again and again consistently in multiple ways - through social media, press placements, and influencer collaborations - you will build brand awareness and meaningful customer relationships.
Think of your brand story as the central theme around which all your marketing efforts revolve. Here’s a graphic to illustrate this:
We have two resources that can help you with your brand story:
If you feel good about your brand story, how you’re showing up online, and your content, but you want guidance on how to leverage it through PR, check out our 1 hour “DIY PR Workshop” linked here.
If you want step by step guidance on how to build your brand story so you can feel confident about how you’re showing up online and telling your story, our online course The Brand Starter Kit is for you.
