Why Storytelling is at the Heart of Your Business Visibility

Have you ever stopped to wonder why you adore certain brands so much? You know, the ones you trust, love, and can’t help but tell your friends about? Here’s a little secret: Storytelling is the key ingredient that makes those brands stand out!

Think about Apple, Virgin Atlantic, and Dyson for instance, they all have two things in common. The first is that their founder or co-founder is or has been, at the heart of the brand and you feel that in some way, you connect or resonate with them or what their product offers.

The other is that they have cultivated a story. Every story is unique but it’s something that connects you as a potential customer to their brand values and beliefs. And these two things side by side helps to build the all-important know, like, and trust factor, which is key for you to become a paying customer. 

Now have a think about your business. Have you defined your brand values as well as your own personal values and beliefs? Are you placing yourself at the centre of your business, so your potential clients can connect with you? And most importantly of all, have you defined your story?  

So often, entrepreneurs begin by saying their driving force is that they want to make a difference. I get it, I’m a business owner myself and I want to help you stand out for all the right reasons too. But this isn’t my Why or the reason I get out of bed in the morning to write an e-book for someone, help them enter awards, or help them secure coverage in high-profile national publications. 

 

 

Every one of us has a personal, much deeper reason why we do what we do. And sometimes this absolutely should stay private, but knowing the reason is key because it will provide you with a great starting point to think about your story. 

Because let’s face it, your story is everything. 

In today’s world where Journalists and Editors are inundated with hundreds of press releases and pitches a day, what is going to work for you and your business visibility? You! 

Having a carefully crafted story, refined by someone who gets what it takes to start their own business, who understands the angles that Editors look for (as a former Journalist themselves), and who knows what inherently works and what doesn’t. 

The cold hard truth is that no Journalist is going to write about your business as it is. It’s just not news. But if you can link what you do, or an area of expertise that you have to a date or an event in the news calendar, you are more likely to be featured. Knowing also how to expertly weave your key messaging into everything is also really important. There’s absolutely no point in securing media coverage, if you can’t get this across. 

 

And this is why your story matters so much. 

 

 

A professional pair of eyes has already taken the time to sit down with you, ask you questions, and get under the skin of what your business means to you. And usually, right near the end of the session, you will reveal a nugget of information in a throwaway comment.  

 

And without even realising it, you have just revealed the starting point of your story. 

It’s something that people need to hear about – and when it’s crafted, it somehow just sits so much better. It resonates more and they feel connected to you. And that’s how you manage to get more awareness and more opportunities and you become known as the expert in your field. Suddenly you start to realise why your story is the most powerful thing of all. How it can help you make a difference to others because they now know the journey you have been on, and how you’re best placed as the expert in your field to help them overcome their problem.  

 

It’s also why you should take the time to craft your story and use it alongside a powerful set of visual storytelling images provided by a professional photographer. 

 

Nicola J Rowley is a former Journalist, Author of The Power of PR, and award-winning expert and founder of NJRPR (https://www.njrpr.com) – a Communications Agency focused on harnessing The Power of PR through strategic storytelling. To join her free Facebook group The Communications Community visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheCommunicationsCommunity/ 

Or for more PR tips and know-how follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolajrowleypr 

 

If you’re serious about sky-rocketing your business visibility this year and have a strong story, then join one of Nicola’s PR Six Pack events where you get to sit down 1:1 with high-profile national journalists from titles such as Grazia, Stylist, TalkTV, The Daily Telegraph, Metro, Woman & Home and many more. DM Nicola with the word PACK to be sent more details. The next event is being held in the evening of Weds 25th January in central London.