The Right Content for the Right Audience — the Key to Storytelling — Yolanda H. Caraway
A life-long entrepreneur at heart, Yolanda H. Caraway is often referred to as a change catalyst. After over 30 years in the business, she continues to build bridges towards a fair and equitable America.
We are in conversation with Yolanda and our third topic of discussion was about using the right content for the right audience.
Yolanda, at the end of the day, PR is about connecting with your audience. According to you, what’s the most crucial factor in doing so?
“Whether general media, diverse media or any media, content is still king — or queen- and it still relies on telling a good story. Soledad O’Brien compared TV journalism to the PR profession during her address at a PRSA’s International Conference saying:
“We both deal in stories. Humans have always been connected to stories. Storytelling is more than just a compelling fact. It’s about a story.” She continued: “One out of five kids is born into poverty. That’s not a story, it’s a statistic. You have to find out how to turn that into a story. And the more you know about someone, the more you can provide nuance about what you’re trying to say. Good storytelling is riveting, well done and well-toned.”
“The key is the more you know about the audience you want to reach, the more you can provide that ‘story’ and the content that will connect with them and engage them. So learn a little history and a little culture about your audience. If you’re going to quote experts, quote some who the audience may identify or connect with — an authentic voice they respect will help your client build credibility and convey understanding. Include content that may be relevant to the target audience. You may have only 280 characters, but they still have to deliver a good, concise, and compelling message for the story to be effective.”
That was very insightful. Thank you, Yolanda.
