June Newsletter

Have an interesting story.

Why was Solomon recognized as the wisest man in the world? Because he knew more stories (proverbs) than anyone else. Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we’re all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories. — Alan Kay, Disney Fellow at Walt Disney Imagineering

You’ll make your business more memorable if you have a story with an interesting, entertaining, or surprising element. Publicists call this a "hook." People like a good story, and if you have one, the likelihood of getting publicity increases.

I have an acquaintance who started an auto alarm company. How he developed his theft prevention product makes for an interesting story.

Who would know more about car theft, he reasoned, than car thieves themselves. He located (don’t ask me how) several convicted car thieves and learned their tricks and methods for heisting cars. Based on this knowledge, he developed a state-of-the-art product.

Although he never referred to his thief advisors in his advertising, he did use it in his news releases which were widely published in the business press.

Also, consider the story of the second grade teacher who invented an anti-cold supplement, which enhanced the immune system. She invented it, as the story goes, out of self-defense. Her story fires the imagination and conjures up images of second graders sneezing and coughing, filling the air with germs. Her story is one to which buyers can relate.

Remember your excitement and interest as a child when you heard the words, "Once upon a time . . ."? Good stories appeal to the same emotions. A story well told makes your readers feel that they are experiencing it with you.

For it to work they must identify with the characters. They always want a happy ending.

People rarely remember exactly what you say or do. Their strongest memory of you is how you make them feel. Stories make them feel good.

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