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Originally posted on: www.carnsight.com

“Story, as it turns out, was crucial to our evolution – more so than opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs let us hang on; story told us what to hang on to.”

Lisa Cron, Wired for Story

Did you know that this week is National Story Telling Day? (April 27th)

Storytelling is built into our DNA. For as long as we’ve existed, humans have shared stories. As Margaret Atwood once said “You’re never going to kill storytelling because it’s built-in the human plan. We come with it.”

Quotes aside, storytelling is absolutely vital to humanity (can you tell how passionate I am about this?!) and therefore storytelling is of course absolutely a vital tool in creating a successful business. You may not think so, but here is why being able to tell a good story is key:

People buy from people

What’s your story?

People don’t buy from businesses, they buy from people and this has been proven time and time again. Humans look for points of connection. We want to be understood and to understand. We want something to relate to. You have to be that for your customers.

Having a clear story that highlights who you are as a person, the journey you are on, and how far you’ve come thus far is key for building strong relationships with your customer or client base.

Especially in this day and age, where social responsibility is increasingly important to consumers, people want to know who is behind the brand.

They answer the why?

And the why should we care?

Stories provide the background information that gives the consumer context. It tells them why you were driven to do what you do, and perhaps most importantly, why they should care about that. In PR, the why is incredibly important – if we can’t communicate to a journalist or publication why their readers would care to hear about a business and its news, then it simply won’t get featured.

What makes a good news story is another topic entirely – and definitely one we’ll cover in a later blog so be sure to keep an eye out for that.

Stories inspire engagement

Being able to relate to something and having a good understanding of it gives us a reason to engage. We all have stories to share and our experiences are very likely (undoubtedly in fact) going to overlap in one way or another. Stories offer us a point of connection and are a great springboard for conversation and engagement.

Storytelling in business is a mammoth topic with so many areas to cover (I’ve written a post in the past about finding your business inciting incident that you may also find helpful) and so I want to write a whole series of blog posts covering different elements of storytelling in business. We’ll talk about what makes a good story, how to structure your business story, personal brand and telling your story, and so much more. Reach out to us on socials and let us know what you’d like to read more about with regards to storytelling in business.

First posted on: www.carnsight.com

The story feature on Instagram first launched in 2016 and allows your followers to view a more personal side of who you are as a business. This means less advertisement-based and more story-lined to encourage conversation. This engagement, whether it be likes, shares, or comments, works to boost the algorithm which then prompts Instagram into showing your posts on more users’ feeds. Read on for my seven top tips for boosting engagement using the stories feature on your Instagram page.

Schedule your stories

Although most users enjoy watching stories in real-time, it can be a good idea to have a schedule for your story posts to gain optimal coverage and engagement. Instagram stories can only be watched for 24 hours, so it is also important to have knowledge on what days are busiest in the world of Instagram and aim to post your stories on these days.

Location, tags, and mentions

Make sure to add as much information to your stories as possible. If you are at a nice cosy coffee shop, or a market or fair that you think your followers might be interested in, make sure to tag it! These organizations are then able to re-post your story on their stories, which may encourage traffic to your page (if your story is interesting enough!) Instagram users who search the locations you have tagged will also be able to view your story, which increases story views and may provide you with some new followers.

The same goes for mentions, which is the feature where you tag other people/businesses that are involved.

Collab with influencers

Nowadays, a lot of influencers are running campaigns of their own where followers can tag them or use a certain hashtag that they have promoted. Take part in these campaigns as if your story may get re-posted by an influencer with thousands of followers which will bring in more views.

Referencing your photo feed through your stories

Sharing behind-the-scenes footage from a recent post in your Instagram stories is another way to keep your followers interested and engaged. It shows the more human side of business and encourages followers to interact with your page.

Offer solutions that others can’t

Remember that the story feature on Instagram is a place to be genuinely helpful. This could be sharing relevant articles, free guides, or discounts that you have spotted online. This also encourages followers to be loyal fans of your business.

Encourage conversation through question / poll / survey option

Instagram stories allow you to post questions, polls, and surveys in which your followers can take part. This is an incredible feature as not only does it allow you to engage with your followers, but it also allows for data collection. Polls can be fun and silly, or they can be used to analyse what your followers would like to see from you in the future.  An example could be “Are you enjoying our cute dog posts? Y/N” or “Do you want us to post more PR tips or more blog posts?” Results will help you tailor better future content to your followers.

Engage

Respond to your story replies! This is extremely important when using stories to improve engagement. You must encourage users to interact with your page. Take the time to write a personalised response to each of your messages and take part in other users’ stories as well. This proves that you are not just trying to sell but are truly interested in building relationships and strengthening bonds with your followers.

First posted on www.carnsight.com

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s used to promote organic traffic to your webpage via SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). The importance of this is that it increases both the quantity and the quality of page viewers, which results in more attention from prospective clients or customers. SEO also helps your website and web pages appear higher up in SERPs. This is very important as studies show that 75% of users do not look beyond the first page of search engine results.

Choosing your blog title

This may seem a little obvious, but the way you choose to word the title of your blog post is essential for SEO. Your title must include target keywords (without overdoing it), be interesting enough to capture the attention of potential viewers, and convince them to click onto your page. It is recommended that your title is 55-60 characters long so that it’s shown without breaks in SERPs. Good title examples include “How to… “ or “A step-by-step guide to… “

Structuring an SEO-friendly blog

It is important to use headings to your benefit when writing an SEO-friendly blog. Headings help search engines grasp your main topics and rank your page appropriately. You should try to use keywords in some of your headings, but not all of them! If it doesn’t sound natural, there is no issue with skipping this step. Keep in mind that long, in-depth posts give more clues to search engines which allows a more organic flow of traffic onto your page. Aim for a minimum of 300 words but remember to keep paragraphs short. Many readers are on their mobile devices and larger chunks of writing may be off-putting.

Targeted keywords

Using appropriate keywords throughout your post helps search engines identify your page as relevant to users who are searching for specific information. It promotes organic exposure to your webpage and draws in potential clients/customers. A tip is to always keep your audience in mind. It may seem like a good idea to cram as many keywords into your posts as possible, but this is not necessary. Remember that at the end of the day you are writing for human beings, not search engines.

Use links

Using appropriate links gives search engines hints on your page content and allows the discovery of new pages on your website. Links also encourage users to branch off onto other posts on your blog that they may also be interested in, resulting in more time spent on your website. An important tip is to only use links when it makes sense to do so.

Optimize your META description

A Meta description provides a brief summary of your blog and appears on SERPs. They should be short but stand out. Make sure your meta description includes 1-2 keywords and is informative as well as interesting. The more users you can get to click onto your webpage, the more exposure your post will get.

Proofread your work

Proofreading is a crucial step that cannot be overlooked when writing an SEO-friendly blog post. Search engines favour quality over quantity so do make sure to have someone else read through your work and give you their input before you post online. It’s easy to overlook typos and grammatical errors when you’ve spent a long time typing away in front of a screen. Make sure your piece is polished and always aim to post a better piece of writing than what is already available on SERPs.

For more information on this, you can read our blog post containing our top tips for avoiding typos.

First published on Carnsight.com

Working in PR, we are constantly networking – making connections through meetings, conferences, social events or social media. It really is one of the most crucial factors of working in Public Relations.

But, the last two years have proven tricky. We couldn’t network in person with a pandemic thrown into the mix, which has meant many of us have been left working from our homes and feeling a bit isolated.

Though networking was previously based mainly on face-to-face exchanges, the birth of social media and the pandemic has meant online networking is rising faster than ever.

Have you ever questioned why networking is important? In this blog, I want to share with you a little more about the importance of networking and why we should value it.

Why is networking important?

1. Connections

Working in PR, you can never have too many contacts. Building key relationships with other PR professionals, journalists and clients can all assist in obtaining the best results. Through networking, we build connections with people from all kinds of different industries. These contacts are great and can be mutually beneficial. Even if we don’t have a direct contact, people in our network will often know the person we need to reach. By having a good relationship, we are often able to help each other out and lift other businesses and professionals. This also increases our reach and exposure.

2. Opportunities

Through networking, we often meet new clients. By connecting with these contacts online, we are able to develop our relationships which often leads to further collaborations.

3. Exposure

It’s inevitable that the more connections and contacts you have, the more exposure you will get. Creating ties with journalists alongside other influential business leaders opens up opportunities to reach new audience members that you haven’t been able to reach previously.

4. Knowledge

Another key advantage of strong networking is that it opens up opportunities to learn about other businesses and their industries. The more knowledge you have on current affairs and key industry players, the easier it is to appeal to journalists and your contacts.

In summary

As PR professionals, we pride ourselves on building great relationships. The give-away is in our title… Public RELATIONS. There is no denying that building strong relations is one of the biggest components of what we do.

Networking is hands down an essential part of our day to day lives. It’s important that we maintain a healthy relationship with our contacts. It’s also really important that we give back to our network and not just benefit from what they offer us. We must remember to interact often with others to develop and build on our existing relationships; whilst helping others where we can.

Ask others about their projects and show a genuine interest in what they are working on. Where you are able to, offer your help and if you don’t have the knowledge of that particular topic, share your contacts instead. Just by sharing this information you are helping them yourself.

Remember that relationships are two-way. If you are supported by your network along the way remember to be appreciative. Show your gratitude to them.

Are you thinking of starting out on your PR journey? Why not take a look at Seven things every small business should know about PR

First appeared on Brand You Magazine

Jessica Morgan, founder, Carnsight Communications

Firstly, get ready to celebrate the coverage you achieve for your product. There’s no reason you, your business or your product can’t be featured in the media and even as a one-woman band you can still make an impact if you have an interesting story to tell. Read on for my seven top tips.

1. What’s unique about your product?

You should be incredibly proud of your product, but it’s time to look at it objectively. What does your product offer that others don’t? What makes your product or range so special? Why should someone choose it over all others? Establishing this and distilling it down into a line or two is essential to be able to pitch it effectively, but it’s not always easy to do.

Whereas you might have space and time to talk about it online or on social media, you have less time to pitch a product in to a busy journalist. Getting to the crux of it quickly can be really powerful.

If you’re struggling with this, try explaining it out loud or discussing it with a friend or partner. Sometimes it’s easier this way, and they may also have ideas about the most impactful way to phrase it.

• What’s your story?

PR is all about telling stories. So, the background or story behind a brand or product is as important as the brand itself. How did you start your business or begin selling your product? Was there a lightbulb moment?

Think about some of your favourite online brands. One of mine is Abel and Cole, whose founder started off selling a farmer’s surplus potatoes door-to-door with his mum, before realising there was a market for full organic boxes.

As another example, a client’s business, Limewedge, was started by Chris Mead, who left his job in finance just before the pandemic hit. Realising his life was about to take a different turn, he thought back to his passion for cocktail-making and decided to create lockdown cocktail boxes which he started selling online. We were able to secure coverage for him in The Telegraph, Olive magazine and The Mirror based on his interesting story and strong product.

• Images are all-important

A good, high-resolution image can be the difference between being included in an article or not. Try not to skimp on images and always use a professional photographer if you can. It doesn’t have to be very expensive but it’s always a good investment. Beautiful, high resolution (which means 300dpi) colour images of the products as cut out shots (just the image with a plain background) and lifestyle shots (images of the product in situ) are really important.

As are images of you – either just you or the team, if you have one. If you can pay for some professional images that you like, you’ll be in a great position to promote yourself alongside your products, tell your own story and open yourself up to even more media opportunities.

• Be clear about your audience

Understanding who you’re trying to attract is fundamental for your PR targeting. Identifying some general demographics is helpful – such as 40 – 60-year-old men, based in the South West. Going one step further, personas can bring your audience to life. These are pen portraits of your target/s – such as “Sue is a 50-year-old teacher from Liverpool. She has a cat called Bob and two grown up children…” Once you have these, you can get a feel for what kinds of media your targets consume.

Also think who tends to buy your product – is it your end user or could it be a parent or partner? If so, always keep them in mind when you think about publications you’d like to appear in. A useful tip – search for “media packs” for a publication online. These are aimed at advertisers, but they also include audience information, including male/female split, circulation and geographical areas covered.

• Understand different media opportunities

As a product business, you might immediately think of appearing in gift guides and product round-ups, which could be great opportunities. But how about a double page spread interview on you and your products in a local glossy magazine? We recently helped floral wreath creator, Bramble & Velvet, to secure a lovely interview in a Cotswold glossy title and the images of the wreaths founder Belinda creates – alongside images of her – made it a particularly attractive piece for the editor.

There are a range of opportunities to promote what you do – from news stories, such as a new product launch, to being involved in a feature, which is a more in-depth piece around a particular subject. Don’t discount the business pages, which are still about telling stories. A large increase in sales of a particular product could be newsworthy not just locally but nationally. We saw this recently with toy retailer client, bopster, who we sold into the BBC to talk about Black Friday sales.

And understand that the journalist is interested in a good story, rather than in selling your product – so you may have to meet in the middle and talk about one aspect of your business or personal story if that’s what they’re writing about. For example, they might be interested in talking about the fact you’re a family business, rather than your full product range.

• An A – Z of media

You may have a publication in mind, or you may be open to ideas. A good way to get some inspiration is by looking where your competitors have been featured. And, don’t overlook local press. Being a local retailer is an angle in itself, giving journalists a reason to write about you.

National glossies often work up to six months in advance (that’s why the industry talks about Christmas in July – when journalists typically get invited to Christmassy press shows). Whereas online publications can have very quick turnarounds, so think about seasonality.

• Hitting the perfect pitch

Email could be the right way to make contact, but bear in mind journalists get hundreds of emails a day, so you can always stand out by sending information through the post. That’s also a good way to provide samples, which could be a great investment if you’re sending to a national publication.

Always try and find the right person to pitch to rather than emailing a general newsroom address, if you can. A good way to do this is to find editorial contacts and look at what kind of things they’re writing about. While a reporter is interested in news stories, a features writer is interested in more in-depth, longer pieces. In smaller publications the editor might cover everything.

When you find the right person, check they’re still active by searching for recent news or looking on LinkedIn or Twitter. Journalists move around frequently. And when you’re pitching, keep it short and to the point. Include what’s unique about the product and a summary of your story. You can embed a small image but try and send large images through a link, as journalists may not trust attachments from people they haven’t heard from before.

So there’s the steps to take to make your product famous. Don’t lose heart if it doesn’t happen straight away. Research and persistence pays off. Good luck!

Click here to learn how to make the PR process work for you.

First published on Carnsight.com

Typos are those annoying typing mistakes we all make from time to time. Words that we know how to spell but somehow always get wrong!

There are few things more frustrating than an ugly typo, and they can look unprofessional. We’re all human and we can’t avoid them 100% of the time, but those grammatical mistakes are a lot easier to avoid than you may think.

Here at Carnsight Communications, we create practical and powerful PR that delivers tangible results. Through carefully crafted and managed content, we get companies and individuals known – for their skills, products, and expertise.

But to get these results, we work hard behind the scenes to make sure we deliver high-quality content. Content that has been proofread and checked over a number of times and always by another member of the team, before we send it anywhere.

Making sure your content is free from typos is something we pride ourselves on. By paying strong attention to detail and using some foolproof steps, we can help you to get typo-free content.

In this blog, we wanted to share our top tips on avoiding typos.

1. Read your content aloud

It may seem strange but reading your work aloud helps you to pick up on any grammatical errors or typos and helps with the rhythm and pace of your work.

The rhythm and pace are vital to any piece of writing, but our appreciation of them is so much stronger when we read aloud.

Alongside this, the art of reading aloud has a number of benefits for adults, from helping improve our memories and understand complex texts, to strengthening emotional bonds between people. Many of us intuitively use it as a convenient tool for making sense of the written word, and are just not aware of it.

When you read aloud, you allow your mind to slow down along with your mouth, which increases the chance that you will catch those hidden typos.

2. Have someone else read your work

Most printed publications are vetted by a whole editorial team before they are published. That might not be the case with blog posts and other forms of online content, which may be written and published by the same person.

But everyone’s writing can benefit from another set of eyes.

Ask your colleagues to have a read over your work before you go any further. It’s often that fresh pair of eyes that can spot minor typos or any errors.

3. Use autocorrect, spell check and add-on tools – just don’t rely on them!

We have a great selection of tools available to use that will help us to ensure our content is typo-free!

Often, we just need to familiarise ourselves with the functionalities on offer with our technology or software packages.

Remember though, these are not foolproof techniques to rely on. There will be times that they auto-correct certain words or grammar when actually, it’s not needed.

4. Print off your work

Just like having someone else read your work, printing off your document can assist with a ‘clear’ proofread!

This in turn will catch those typos out.

Having a break from the screen can help you to pick out the errors.

5. Give your work some time and read again with a clear head

Sometimes, it’s best to just take a break from your work and come back with a clear head having had some time away.

A fresh, recharged mind can make a huge difference in spotting any grammatical errors or typos.

6. Learn from your mistakes

Last but by no means least, remember to learn from those mistakes.

Don’t rush or be too hasty when trying to work with tight deadlines. Take a moment away from your work and come back with a fresh pair of eyes!

If you have enjoyed reading our top tips on how to avoid typos, then why not take a look at another of our recent blogs’ where account manager, Leigh-Ann Hewer takes us through the best pieces of writing advice she has ever received.