Are You a Story Destroyer? How Can You Avoid Costly Online PR Mistakes

Via Online PR, good press releases has a story. On average there are 3,000 marketing messeges exposing to a person everyday. Will your story get lost in the clutter of media? For any business, content is the skeleton of any business, either online and offline. Unfortunately, the majority of content marketers either have the REAL story got lost or damage themselves with a trite and routine message.

The good news? The most powerful story you'll ever develop does exist. But it's hidden, and requires the right thinking and tools to be successfully unearthed.

When you mine and leverage your story correctly the resulting momentum catapults your business forward. This boost comes from a surge in Online PR exposure, more web site traffic and new business leads.

What makes most content so "ho hum?" Specifically, these two problem areas:

1. The message/story
2. The vehicle chosen to distribute/share the message

This article addresses item #1: the message/story.

And rightly so because I've tracked two fatal flaws that kill response no matter what distribution vehicle you choose.

So how do you know if you commit "story sabotage?"

Your arrival at "Ho hum land" is pre-destined when...

1. Your content is superficial and conventional.
2. You content development process is lazy or incomplete.

Now your little voice may be saying, "thanks captain obvious, tell me something I don't know!" I say, "chill little voice" while I explain.

Many of you blog, write articles or online press releases, and even do video marketing.

Now since you've mastered some of the basics, how about boosting your performance? And become a Jedi master of content. Your new found "story force" will take your marketing and business to new pinnacles of success.

All it takes is a course correction. Or two.

Is your content is superficial and conventional? A self-test.

Ask yourself "is my content part of the problem or part of the solution?" If your content says the same thing as others in your industry, that's a problem. Conversely, if it informs, entertains and positions you successfully, it's a winning solution.

As a copywriter by trade, I know how easy it is to fall in love with my own words. That's why it's helpful to have others give you objective, third party feedback.

First, let's give your content generation process a tune-up.  You can find some helpful guidance in the book "How to Get Ideas" by Jack Foster.

There is a story in the book about a copywriter writing an ad about bacon. (Something we often think of as generic foodstuff and a commodity.) The book lists six pages of questions the copywriter asked the client about what made their bacon unique. Six pages! Everything from what type of slop they ate to how long the bacon is cured.

This is a prime example of unique content (not superficial and conventional) as well as a process that is fully engaged rather than lazily pursued.

Now that little voice is screaming, "I don't have the time and I'm not a professional copywriter!"

The good news? I've spent 25 years testing stories. So I've developed a few best practices and shortcuts. Ready for one now?

You should look at your content from the viewpoint of two levels of communication:

1. The back story - in other words, the story behind the story.  What's the background for your message?  
2. Insider tips - what special message are you sending?  How is your content unique?

Content development for Online PR or other content marketing needn't be a chore. In fact, just the opposite. It can be an imaginative, exciting with a great feeling of accomplishment.

Don't settle for the superficial especially since adding "something extra" will capture the attention of your target audience. The secrets revealed in this article will help you do just that. As a reminder, print out this article and keep it at your fingertips as a checklist on creating effective Online PR and other marketing content. That way, you're sure to transcend so many others that think just stating the obvious is enough.