Tag: personal

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: ADDING PERSONALITY TO CORPORATE STORYTELLING

Posted on February 11, 2021 by

Identifying a newsworthy story within an organisation sits at the heart of public relations. Although well written copy, a strong pitch and good media contacts can contribute towards securing coverage, the content of the story itself is ultimately what journalists focus on.

In an increasingly competitive media market, journalists are inundated with press releases every single day. Although there is no definitive definition of a newsworthy story, to secure editorial space it must garner a journalist’s attention and be worth their time to publish.

They want a story that will not only be informative and enjoyable for their readers, but also differentiate from usual churn that falls into the news desk’s inbox.

The are many aspects that go into distributing a story but increasing its chances of securing coverage relies on the relevance of its news angle. No matter whether it’s trade, regional or national media that are the target, ensuring it has a human or personal interest is critical to reaching the largest possible audience.

PERSONALISING PRESS STORIES

There will always be a place in the media sphere for press releases that cover company announcements or new investments, the launch of a new service or product, but pulling back the curtain of any business is a valuable tool when you want to attract real attention.

First and foremost, people are inherently curious about the lives of others. This is no different within the marketplace. There is an appetite to know who is working where, how they are performing and what they are achieving.

It is important to work with journalists and the media to fill this gap and educate the audience. With this approach in mind, stories should focus on new appointments and promotions, business milestones, awards, achievements and examples of best practice from industry leaders.

Covering these topics will educate and inform readers, while also reinforcing experience, authority and trust from the brand and business.

STAYING RELEVANT TO READERS

There is also significant value in steering away from the corporate mindset and creating personal profiles of employees, especially those who work in executive or senior management positions. Businesses must identify media outlets that put spotlights on individuals and pursue these opportunities.

This could be anything from employees offering commentary on topical trends in the sector, personal opinion about the news agenda or simply shining a spotlight on their hobbies and lives away from the office.

There are a plethora of opportunities to create human-centric angles that can be deemed newsworthy.

To impact of these stories can also go far beyond coverage in the media. As digital communications becomes more embedded into society and our daily lives, people from around the world can interact and engage with one another instantaneously.

TRANSPARENCY IS KEY

For industry, this means that transparency has never been so important. As mentioned, taking a more personal approach with the public, as well as the media, can create a sense of loyalty, familiarity and attachment towards a business, which should not be underestimated.

Ultimately, as readers and audiences are continually introduced to the people behind a business through media coverage, stronger relationships with existing customers are established and new business opportunities are created.

Securing media coverage is undoubtedly the most effective way to generate and maintain a positive perception among the public, but to maximise and maintain this relies upon stories that are more personable as well as relevant.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH: HOW I BALANCE BOTH IN THE WORKPLACE

Posted on September 23, 2019 by

With the final quarter of the year fast approaching I thought it would be an appropriate time for me to conduct a self-assessment over what has been a very busy 2019, not only professionally but also on a personal level too.

As I write this, I’ve almost surpassed the five-month mark since making the switch from journalism into PR, and it is safe to say I have learned an enormous amount in a relatively short but very enjoyable and rewarding time.

There is undoubtedly always going to be an element of the unknown when you begin a new career, but any fears or trepidations were quickly defused after I realised that Open Communications is a very ambitious and aspiring place to work. This was encapsulated after only a few months when we completed a move to a much larger office in Wakefield city centre.

As well as the many opportunities I am being given to maintain and develop my skills, the relocation to the new office also presented me with the chance to maximise something that is very important to me; my health and wellbeing.

Although I have always been a relatively active person, year after year my gym membership becomes less worn, sitting unused in my wallet. The dedication to stick to routine whilst also managing a career, and more recently moving to a new house, has somehow managed to elude me. However, this all changed when we rehoused to our new workspace.

I am now a member of a gym that is literally a couple of minutes-walk away from our offices and at least three times a week I try to complete a full workout within my lunch hour. Despite only keeping to this schedule for a few short months, I didn’t expect to feel such a positive impact so early on!

Not only am I back on track with my own personal fitness goals, but I also feel mentally refreshed and reinvigorated when I return to my desk to begin a full afternoon of work.

I initially joined this city centre gym with the idea that I don’t have to worry about working out before or after work, when I’m often far too tired! But I had no idea my new routine would become such an important and integral part of my daily routine, for both personal and professional reasons.

If anyone can get out in their lunch hour or during a break time, I would highly recommend a trip to the gym. I know it doesn’t sound appealing to all, but my new outlook is just one example of how beneficial it really can be.

A TIME FOR NEW CHALLENGES

Posted on July 1, 2016 by

The Pretty Muddy event in Rother Valley.

The Pretty Muddy event in Rother Valley.

Once again it’s been a really busy year – we find ourselves more often than not saying “We just don’t know where this year has gone!” in much the same way we did the year before. It seems that we are so focused on doing the doing that we have lost sight of all that is around us.

I don’t want this blog to be negative, we’re having a great year. We’ve been involved in some amazing projects and have some fantastic news to announce (watch this space) but I can’t help thinking that I need a new challenge.

For the last – nearly – eight years we have had Open; we have focused on building a reputation, delivering results and staying true to our values. That, thankfully, hasn’t changed and we are still the straight-talking agency we set out to be.

What has changed since then however is that we now have an enviable, and if I do say so myself, fabulous list of clients that we are very proud to work with, we have a growing team (please pass on details to anyone you know who is looking for their first or next role in PR) and we have plans to make our office space more bright and vibrant.

So, what is it that we don’t have? Well, it’s not so much what ‘we’ don’t have but what I feel that I have lost. Somewhere in the last eight years, I have forgotten that I need to focus some of my time on me.

Selfish, I know. But I have realised that both professionally and personally I have lost my way. That isn’t to say my work has suffered, far from it, but it has become my priority and my only focus.

I’m not sure when it became apparent; there wasn’t so much a lightbulb moment as much as a number of discussions, passing comments and a niggling doubt in the back of my mind that I was doing something wrong and that something had to shift.

And so, I have put a plan into action.

Here’s a really quick list of things that I am going to do and have committed to achieving before the end  of the summer:

  1. Join a gym – I’ve been going for about 3 months now and really enjoy it. I find it a release and it gives me space to think and re-group. Plus, the added bonus is that I should lose some weight. What I need to do is keep it up.
  2. Lose some weight – I’m not so much cuddly as noticeably overweight and so that has to be addressed. I have never been fat but am very aware that I need to sort myself out and stop using excuses to make myself feel better.
  3. Read business books – I went through a phase of buying a number of books that I intended to read but never did. After reading a clients debut book on networking recently (Making a Splash by Rashmi Dube) I realised that I either get on with it or I take them to the charity shop. I’m getting on with it.
  4. Take time out for the business – I was at a new business meeting and was asked ‘Why don’t you put your own good advice into practice?’. I had no answer, other than I focus entirely on clients as a priority. Not really good enough to be honest and so I’m going to start to blog again and give some time to Open.

That’s it for now. There are a few other personal things that I have also challenged myself with and hope that by the end of the summer I will be able to set some new goals, but for now, I’ve enough to be getting on with.

I appreciate some people scale Ben Nevis and others climb Mount Kilimanjaro but for me, I’m going to start with something a little more realistic.

I know already that there are going to be times when, just like with New Year’s Resolutions, I wish I hadn’t bothered, but I am also aware of the feeling that I get when I have achieved something I set out to do.

I’m on a mission and I intend to see it through.