What or Whom Are You In Service To?

When I jumped the “marcomm bridge” from advertising to PR, I had to clear some of the cobwebs that developed since completing my marketing degree. First, revisiting the basics of communicating news, a story, or event: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW. Confirm the facts, then communicate the most essential information.

Let’s be clear - when I started in marketing we were a looooong way away from social media and digital platforms. I won’t pontificate on how influencers, contributors, bloggers and podcasters have desicrated or reinforced some of the basics of communication (I will say some of the best podcasts and Ted talks have actually paved a road back to coherent communication, preparation, and organization however imho!) but what I will say is that the basic pyramid of a press release should inform the foundation of any campaign.

As you may know, our wheelhouse is broadcast content and our services are rooted in very specific tactics and tools:

• Media tours (interview content)

• News packages (short news features)

• PSAs (public service announcements)

So often, the crafting of an interview, news feature, or PSA gets lost in the forest for the trees…or is it the trees for the forest? Whatever the metaphor you get it…getting back to basics like WHO are you trying to speak to? WHAT is important here? HOW do you want them to act/what do you want them to do about it? For those deliberating on the fine points of a creative approach, or the crafting of a bio, or the clarity or brevity of the call to action/URL - stop and consider: what or whom are you in service to? What, ultimately do you need to happen with this content, how do you want to move the needle? What do you want people to do to build toward change or action or awareness? Clarity, brevity is your master. Stick to the basics.