How to craft a brand story that the press will want to feature
From the workshop with Sonder & Tell.
We teamed up with brand strategy agency Sonder & Tell to uncover the steps to crafting a brand story that resonates with your audience and captures the interest of the press. Here’s a recap of what Senior Strategist, Lucinda Toole, covered, and how brands can craft their brand story.
There are hundreds of ways to define what a brand is; from dictionary definitions to words of wisdom from Seth Godin, but brand strategy agency Sonder & Tell believe that brand is a story. Not a logo, a pitch deck, a founder profile, those things might all become part of the brand, but at the heart of it, is a story. Great stories are born to be told, and a great brand story will mean more coverage, more features, and ultimately, more stories.
How to craft a brand story
There are plenty of frameworks around crafting brand story and brand strategy, but Sonder & Tell break it right down into two key elements; the hero, and the guide.
The hero is the customer, the guide is the brand, and the guide is there to help the hero on their journey. The hero can be the customer, audience, brand fans, and the guide has two key things to share with this hero; a magic power, and a brand belief.
Magic powers are things that a brand does like no one else, not just what the brand does, but the impact that it has and how far that spreads. The brand belief is the thing that the brand uses as a guiding light, beliefs that the brand would be more than happy to have printed onto a t- shirt for the world to see.
But what has that got to do with PR?
These brand beliefs and magic powers help brands to own specific moments in the press calendar. We have International Women’s Day, Spring Solstice, and International Happiness Day, along with a whole catalogue of others. Knowing which of these to own and when to show up, is key for a brand to be able to pitch and successfully secure coverage - it’s about knowing what a brand stands for.
A strong brand story helps to connect and cut through, as your brand has a clear point of difference and point of view, with things it stands for in the world and a clear customer to who it is speaking to. This level of detail helps with customer follow-through, too. A brand story that speaks to this hero, the customer, makes them feel seen and spoken to directly, whether that’s in press features or taglines on the website.
What’s your brand story?
Think about the brand you work for. It’s hosting a party.
What would the vibe be?
What would the playlist be like?
What food and drinks would be served?
What would people be wearing?
What kind of conversations would be happening?
What impression would it leave?
These questions will help you start to think about brand story, and put your hero at the centre of it. A solid brand story leads to more timely press features that speak the language of that hero.
Inspiration from brands owning their story
They own the moment of Sundays, crafting their brand story around this key moment in the week, and bringing their founder story in for the ride. Luxury and quiet moments shine through in everything that they do.
They make it easy for the brand to be featured in lists about inclusivity and comfort, as well as when talking about brands breaking the mould. They’re clear on what they stand for and position themselves as an activist brand.
They have an ownable magic power and are differentiated in the market. Partnerships. Permission and credibility are all key elements to their brand story.
Brand story can be the thing that sets a brand apart in a stack of pitches and emails. Craft a brand story that speaks to the hero, and uses the brand as a guide in their story.
If you’d like to access the replay of this workshop hosted with Sonder & Tell, along with a whole host of value-packed masterclasses, sign up to PR Dispatch today. You can explore your options here.
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