The Importance of Keeping a Story Fresh
Some brands achieve the coveted “of the moment” status – when they seem to appear everywhere and become a dominant conversation topic in the public sphere. But even the most hyped brands have a popularity expiration. What were once media darlings – think Uber, Snapchat, Instacart and Twitter – inevitably become old news at some point. No brand dominates headlines as an “it” brand forever.
Even the best story eventually gets stale. Storylines that attract widespread attention will lose their luster, and what enticed reporters even six months ago can feel old and overdone today. Successful PR campaigns not only understand this cycle, they proactively plan for the inevitable downtrend. To maintain media coverage, a brand must evolve its storyline and provide fresh, new perspectives.
The news cycle is constantly moving. Some stories last several news cycles; some don’t survive a single cycle; and no story endures through every news cycle.
How do you keep a story fresh? A constant unearthing of new information to present to the public.
Take, for example, the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial. This celebrity trial received wide coverage for several news cycles, including numerous storylines that advanced the overall story (the entire trial and verdict) for several weeks. New testimony, courtroom behavior, the firing of a PR firm, and the final decision all sparked new headlines from countless sources. When the trial concluded, coverage skewed toward the takeaways, then to Amber Heard’s costly appeal. It’s unlikely you’ll find a recent headline about Johnny Depp’s testimony from two months ago, as that’s old news today.
The same holds true for business storylines. Netflix’s earnings reported earlier this year won’t drive headlines in the weeks ahead. However, its advances relating to poor earnings news may very well be covered. It’s all about advancing the story.
When considering how to generate sustainable media coverage for your brand, think about how to advance your story. Did you recently announce a funding round? Is there a follow-up story to demonstrate how that investment is impacting sales or hiring numbers? Can you pen a piece outlining how you secured that funding? Can you add interesting or provocative details to the fund-securing news?
This becomes more challenging once a brand is established. It’s both easy and inevitable to become old news once you’ve made headlines. Over the long term, brands must be willing to embrace new ideas and tactics to maintain fresh and interesting stories. What worked two years ago will not generate the same results today.
For example, a novel product (air fryer, delivery app, etc.) may have generated press fairly seamlessly when initially launched, especially in cases of a unique and perhaps unprecedented product. However, once that story is told, the public quickly loses interest as its attention turns to the next novel product. To remain relevant, quickly hyped brands must dissect their stories and offer new storylines: Who uses the product? What type of impact is it having and on whom? How is it made? How has the company grown?
Reinvention is the key to long term PR success.