About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

B2B Marketing, B2B PR, Guides and advice

Great B2B PR is all about good old lateral thinking

I recently held a training workshop for the Skout team all about creating and pitching stories from scratch. In B2B PR agencies are jostling with each other to get their clients into some pretty tough media. In the face of stiff competition we passionately believe that topical, original, and authentic storylines are the best route to success. As I’ve said in previous blogs, marketing content for Owned, Paid and Shared channels is often out of kilter with the needs of Earned media. This channel requires a different mindset – casting the net wider to look at ways of making a brand relevant to the news agenda of the publications you want to be in. The team workshop went down well, and they encouraged me to share the basics in a blog. So here it is.

First, know your sources

Understand what sources of information you have, to find the ideas and story sparks you need. I break this into three groups:

The brand/business

The business holds loads of information, data, anecdotes and knowledge but doesn’t always realise what is the basis for a good media story. Our job is to have the right conversations with the right people within our clients to uncover these and then develop them. Two of the ways we do this are through regular story foraging sessions, and by improving our ability to listen and spot ideas during conversations in meetings.

Other people and organisations

Your business may have given you the story spark but often you need other inputs to make it grow. The media often want multiple perspectives and good PR people will seek these out to create a balanced idea with better chances of being jumped on by the journalist. One way we do this by looking for symbiotic relationships where other organisations could also benefit from being included in the story.

What’s going on in the world?

In B2B PR it is easy to think we don’t have ‘wider world’ relevance. After all, we’re not talking to consumers – right? In reality, everything ends with the consumer, citizen, or worker, and I challenge B2B PR people to find the link, however tenuous it may seem. For example, you might manufacture a small sensor that is used widely in products such as vehicles, heating systems or white goods. So why not talk about the impact your sensor has on the everyday lives of the users of those products? One of our common methods is making simple PESTEL comparisons, as well as regular reading and listening to current affairs. We follow this up with internal news agenda discussions to explore ideas.

Second, think laterally!

Map your story flow

There’s no set order for this but it’s essentially a case of whiteboarding or drawing a flow between your story spark and your final media angle. It might start with a ‘raw’ client hook – some gem that you have gleaned from a client meeting for example. Then you might map this to PESTEL factors to see how it applies in the world today. After that, it could be taking the ‘person on the street perspective,’ to boil it down to basics. Perhaps then looping back to the client to think about how their product or service links to the ‘need’. You then may try and capture a point of change – what is the axis of your story? Finally, scoping out what action needs to be taken by whom as a result of this change.

Build the story

Once you have an angle, what materials are needed to build out the story? Think about what matters. What elements would your target publication want? A certain job title as spokesperson or some data to corroborate what the story is about, for example. There’s no hard and fast rule about what materials to include but think about: The Cast (the people I want to bring into the story); The Evidence (original and desk research, data, case studies); The Change (what is happening?) and; The Relevance (reasons why the journalist/reader should care).

Add flavour

The final step is thinking about the flavour your story needs to have. This is about wrapping the whole thing up within a trend. You could be exposing a widening gap, foretelling a crisis, showing a breakdown, or predicting a downturn – or many other flavours! It’s not essential but it is a good way of ensuring your story hinges on something relevant.

And that is it.

Lateral thinking, in my opinion, is what makes a PR angle fly. Even if a client doesn’t say yes to every idea you come up with, making suggestions will eventually pay off and lead to improved results. It is a case of trial and error, however, and it can take time to find the story that sticks. As much as the PR professional needs to exercise his or her grey matter, the client needs to exercise some patience!

Thanks to the below for the great images:

Cover photo by Tachina Lee on Unsplash

Second photo by Med Badr Chemmaoui on Unsplash

Want to find out more about Skout but don’t have the time to scroll through the website?

Here’s a two minute video that tells you all you need to know.

About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

B2B Marketing, B2B PR, Guides and advice

B2C by name, B2B by nature

Top 5 AI tools for PR & marketing 

Browse more blog posts

Posted on
byRebecca Brown
There are many brands out there that are typically associated with their consumer products, but their heritage actually lies within the B2B market. In most scenarios, the consumer side of the business has grown so big, that it can easily be forgotten that they also sell to a business audience too! GPS specialist and smart watch developer, Garmin, is a...
Posted on
byJack Snell
It’s evident that AI is becoming increasingly beneficial in the daily responsibilities of marketing and PR professionals. Whether it’s streamlining processes or eliminating mundane tasks, there seems to be an AI software tool for everything. But with advancements in AI seemingly happening every day when we log on to work, sometimes it can be hard to keep up, or even...
Posted on
byJack Snell
With summer in full swing, we thought this was the perfect opportunity to have a little fun! Take our quiz and test your knowledge – a perfect excuse to take a well-earned break (we know you marketers are very busy 😉). All answers are at the bottom (no cheating!) And please do let us know your score. PR & marketing...
Posted on
byClaire James
I recently attended a leadership training course where we were asked to define our leadership style and our core values. We were guided through this exercise during the course but it got me thinking about my core values – the things that, when challenged, can prompt a physical reaction and an emotional response. It didn’t take me long to work...
Posted on
byClaire James
The construction sector has long struggled with issues around insolvency. This could, in part, be due to the fact that there are so many sole traders and small firms out there sub-contracting that have struggled financially with the Covid-19 situation and then with the supply chain price increases. But the industry has been sitting at a rate of between 750...
Posted on
byJames Weaver
The fintech industry is renowned for its innovation. In a highly competitive and fiercely contested landscape, connecting with your target audience is crucial, especially when aiming to penetrate a market as dynamic as the UK’s. Therefore, leveraging the power of PR can be a game-changer for your fintech business. Here, we detail how B2B PR can help your fintech brand...
Posted on
byJames Weaver
Times of change are afoot. With the UK general election poised for July 4th, the population of the UK will make a collective decision and if early polls are to be believed, it’s highly likely that we’ll witness a change in government. Experts and political analysts are anticipating that this election will bring a wind of change, and whoever celebrates...
Posted on
byClaire Lamb
OK I admit it, I’m a secret Swifty. I can’t help but admire her. Not only is she a prolific song writer, incredible businesswomen, a true artist and performer, but she can tell a story like no other. I was lucky enough to witness her amazing performance at Wembley on Friday night. (Actually, there was no luck involved in getting...
Posted on
byJames Weaver
HR technology is moving at relentless speed. According to research, the HR tech market is projected to grow from $40.45 billion this year to a staggering $81.84 billion by 2032. With the HR tech landscape becoming increasingly competitive, businesses operating within this industry should prioritise tactics that will help them stand out from the crowd and attract new customers and...
Posted on
byJames Bentley
We recently hosted another LinkedIn Live event in which we learned from experts in their field. Named ‘Look into the tea leaves and find your HR tech story’ in honour of International Tea Day which shared its date, our head of technology practice Lee Simpson spoke to two guests who told us about their B2B HR founders’ stories. This is...

Get in touch

Skout
11 Market Place
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 1EB
Send us a message
Name(Required)

Send us a message