The message is the center point of your PR-piece. It is what you want people to take to their heart when they’ve heard your story. It is the outcome of your facts and figures, it is what your narrative should inevitably lead the recipient to.
A story about the new grade system of public schools can be a lot different, depending if your message to that story is “the new grade system mitigate equality imbalance” or if the message is “the new grade system creates a sub-class”.
And remember, great PR is not the same as marketing. PR-content needs to have a broader scoop, a measure of societal interest, rather than reaching a certain customer group with sales messages and creating buying incentives. Publicistic media sees through marketing dressed up as PR.
Sometimes, you have the message more or less completed already when you start to put your story together. But sometimes, you have a more vague idea about the approximate area in which it should evolve. If this is the case (which has happened to me and my peers a lot of time!), try and ask your story for the angle. Put the pieces you already have together, see how they fit. And ask the question, to yourself and to your material; “what is the most important thing to say here? And how can I say that in the most interesting way?”
For me, it works to write the preamble in a couple of different ways. This conducts the rest for me. For some, they find it helpful to start with the headline, before they write the story. I also like to create at least three different headlines, where I go nuts with the last one. It frees my mind from corporate bullshit and office politics. It helps me be braver and edgier. I use this method whether the content we are about to put out is written or oral. It sets the story straight.
When you have the most exciting angle of the story, the one that will create the most interest, use it wisely. Use it in your headline, or your first paragraphs of oral messaging, use it in quotes or intermediate headings in written material. Use short and active headlines with verbs. Avoid cliches – an example of this is the word “unique” that tops journalists lists of most overused words 2022, globally. (State of the Media 2022, Cision News).
Lead your messages to evidence with the narrative of the story
One of the most efficient and brilliant ways of employing a strong message could be viewed globally and locally during the spring of 2023. Zelensky, President of Ukraine and communication mastermind, delivered and stayed true to the message, alongside all of his colleagues during their world tour. The core of it was; “Your support means a lot! We are grateful. You are securing not only Ukraines freedom and sovereignty with this, but Europes” And they were so skilled! In Denmark, it was with connections to Denmark’s past, and how Denmark secured territorial freedom. In Germany, it was with a plea to Germans hearts: “not to let a new wall divide Europe”. In the US, it was with a call to the sense of freedom and justice in “each American heart”. And on and on it went – same message, adjusted for the national conditions, and with different spokespersons. Ukraine spoke with one voice. Staying True to the message.
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