Storytelling and PR

I read a really excellent interview in the Bulldog Reporter with Will Csaklos, a story consultant and former senior creative executive at Pixar. Over his career he has worked on such films as “Finding Nemo,” “Cars,” and “Ratatouille.” In the interview, Csaklos was asked what PR professionals could learn from people who pitch stories to movie execs. It’s a great interview and worth reading from beginning to end. Here are a couple excerpts that I found noteworthy:

• My advice to PR people … is to think of and position your company or client’s story in framework of change and evolution. That’s what people, reporters included, respond to emotionally. Essential to that are obstacles.
• You can’t just share or pitch the high points. Nobody wants to hear about the village of happy, smiley people. They don’t want to hear about the CEO who inherited $50 million. They want to hear about someone who rose to the challenge.
• PR people may find themselves pitching stories they don’t believe in–I’ve heard that happens. My advice is that you have to find something compelling or it’s not worth doing. Try again. Push back on the client to find the angle or idea you can get passionate about or don’t do it.
• If you can’t boil your company or client’s idea or product into a one-sentence logline that is simple and compelling, you’re not going to get any traction outside of [the client].
• Think of the audience first. Not yourself. You have to connect. You do that with authenticity, and by conveying a real knowledge and passion for the story. Infect others with it.