Public relations, when done right, can have a lasting legacy. Just ask William Laughead. While you might not recognize Laughead’s name at first glance, there is no doubt that you are familiar with his creation—Paul Bunyan, a child so large it took five storks to deliver him and a whole herd of cows to keep him fed.
Beginning in 1914 and continuing for the next 20 years, Laughead, a PR man and advertising copy writer for the Red River Lumber Company, began publishing a series of illustrated books recounting stories about a larger-than-life man that were already being shared around logging camps throughout the United States.
Although the result of his efforts did not create immediate attention, the legend of Bunyan eventually caught on and resulted in a spike in business for the Red River Lumber Company.
While PR and advertising have definitely evolved over the years, the power of a great story and the ability to capture the media and public’s attention remains important.
We don’t often get to create our own characters in the PR business, but we do have the ability to craft copy that will engage our reader. Here are a few things to consider next time you are getting ready to draft a blog, press release, column, Facebook post, tweet, etc..
• Write with passion and have fun
• Know what time of day you are most creative
• Don’t agonize over being perfect. There is plenty of time to go back and edit.
• Use the right style and tone for the audience you are trying to reach
• Ask yourself, are people going to relate to this?
• Use action words that are going to propel your audience along
• Be compelling: Ask yourself, why am I writing this?
• Be brief
Happy writing!
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.