Human nature is a funny thing, because while we like to believe that we’re logical and make decisions based solely on facts and data, that’s rarely the case.
In reality, we tend to make a decision based on emotions, and then look for the facts and data to support it after the fact.
That’s where story telling comes in. When you tell a story instead of just presenting the facts, you drive people to create a visual representation in their own heads which makes the whole thing more relatable. And because of how our brains are hardwired, this also causes a release of oxytocin—the hormone that creates a sense of trust. That comes from the fact that since the beginning of recorded human history, we have passed information down from generation to generation through storytelling.
So how can we leverage this principle in a pitch to improve our chances of getting featured in the media?
I’ll give you a perfect example.
A few years ago, I started working with a client who is still to this day one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He would regularly share his insight on social media and from stage, breaking complex financial topics down in a way that made them easy to understand while providing actionable advice. By all accounts, he was a top tier expert, but despite his clear expertise, he hadn’t been able to earn any media coverage.
During the onboarding process, we asked a lot of questions you might expect about his knowledge, experience, and credentials, but we also asked a lot of questions you probably wouldn’t expect to learn about what drives him on a personal level. And that’s where we struck gold.
It was here that I learned his career started in the medical profession, where he ran a successful dental practice for many years. Then, his family was blindsided when his daughter suddenly faced three separate life threatening health issues. As he evaluated the situation, he quickly realized that he wouldn’t be able to continue running his practice while giving his daughter the support she would need through this crisis, so he did what any good father would do. He sold his practice so he could focus on her recovery.
He put the proceeds from that sale into real estate, which served as a safe and predictable asset, and while it did produce cashflow, it nowhere near what his dental practice has produced. But he continued investing, and as he did, his revenue continued to increase.
When the holidays rolled around, he sent out Christmas cards sharing what had been going on with his family. These friends and family—many of whom were in the dental industry, reached out both to offer support and to ask what he was doing for money now that he had sold his practice. Once they learned he had been investing in real estate, several became interested in following his path. Initially, he just shared some advice here and there. That quickly evolved into more formal coaching, and eventually, it grew into a comprehensive real estate investing education community. Today, his focus is helping others develop the financial freedom, like he did, to live their lives on their own terms.
That was a powerful story that set him apart from other financial experts because it got people emotionally engaged. And over the next several years, it played a critical role in earning hundreds of organic media features.
It’s important to note a few things here.
The first is that as entrepreneurs, while perhaps not quite as dramatic as the example I shared, we all have an origin story. Think back to why you started your business in the first place. You were probably facing a significant challenge that required a bold decision to solve. In my case, it was a health crisis that left me on my deathbed for two years while my business withered away. I later leveraged public relations to put myself back on the map. That propelled me back to the top in record time, and when I saw how powerful that approach was, I pivoted my agency to focus entirely on PR, using the same strategies I used in rebuilding my own brand.
The second thing is to remember that you’re not writing your autobiography here. You need something powerful but concise that separates you from everyone else who does what you do. This is something I call a Core Positioning Statement, which essentially distills your origin story, what you do, why you do it, and who you do it for, all into a few powerful sentences. The idea is to convey both your story and the impact you create with maximum emotional impact.
And the third is that you need to use this to support your pitch—it should never be the opening or the focus of your pitch. In my agency, I typically open a pitch with breaking news, a startling statistic, or some other form of emotional hook, then explain how that impacts their audience, and finally, I’ll use the client’s Core Positioning Statement, which may need to be modified depending on circumstances, to demonstrate how my client is uniquely qualified to share their opinion with that journalist’s audience.
You’ve got a powerful origin story, I guarantee it. It’s just a matter of finding it, distilling it, and then using it to craft your Core Positioning Statement to be used in your pitches. This is a powerful tactic that helps you stand out from your competitors and it makes you significantly more likely to earn media coverage, which is the key to becoming a recognized authority in your industry.
