A few weeks ago I was having lunch and then some calls with colleagues who have “Been around,” as they say. Not complainers, learners, observers both in traditional media roles and in the communications space in and around sports and entertainment.
I kept hearing the same thing over and over again…that the storytelling business today is talked about widely, and is incredibly valuable to organizations big and small, yet so many who are now rising through the ranks…and that includes both “media” (anyone who holds a mobile device in their hands can really be classified as ‘media”) and many who are in charge of the proactive storytelling for a team, a league, a brand, an entity. While the ability to storytell…and self storytell…has maybe never been greater, those who are so vital to the business remain even more siloed than ever before.
Part of the reason I hear was pandemic related…we were driven behind these machines with glass in front of us so there was less of a need to actually develop face to face human relationships…part the reason is a lack of understanding of the value of human contact, debate and discussion…part of the reason is a rush to judge or just check a box that makes it easier to be faceless and personality-less via texts or emails…but it all makes growth and discovery more challenging than ever before.
Without a personal conversation, and understanding of who does what, an understanding of goals and objectives, the work of storytelling becomes more and more of a challenge, and frankly there is a lot of wasted time on both sides…those who can amplify and amazing success, and those who have a great story to tell.
Technology has made some form of “contact,” in many cases that’s also called spamming…so much easier. Just throw stuff out without context and hope someone replies. I get lots of strange emails because I am listed in Cision as a media member, and the majority have no idea as to why they are being sent to me. Often times they even come with followups asking about interest for everything from miracle drugs to authors looking for some buzz on a wide range of topics that have zero to do with anything I have posted about, shared on social or included in a podcast. I do write people back on some fronts. Frirst is to ask what they are offering, with the request usually coming from junior PR people just “putting it out there.” Most times when I respond, especially for an author or a brand official…I GET NO RESPONSE. Sometimes if it makes sense we have actually booked people or helped lift a story up, but those responses are rare sadly.
The second response I send is to ask people why they sent it to me…or on some occasions…to ask people to remove me from whatever list I am on. Again…usually zero response.
In a business built on relationships, these instances are sad. There is no interest by the sender in building something for the future, and in instance two, there is a huge time waste on the part of the sender, and frankly, for me for reading the email, schmuck that I am.
My hope in both cases is quite simple…to make a connection that can be relevant and to grow the learning pie. Sometimes, rare times, it works, but that doesn’t mean I stop trying.
I know both these instances also weigh heavily on traditional full time media types. You see them posting about the spam they get, and frankly it hurts everyone because they ignore 98% of the emails they get, including ones like I mentioned that I find value in. On the other side, there is the constant complaint from communications people that “media” do not respond, so everyone loses.
So how to avoid the spam pool and the silence?
Build bridges! Relationships…meetings, personality, inquisitive questions about someone’s life who you know…not who you just send emails to randomly. Ask questions. Find relevance. Express gratitude. Compliment people on work well done. Walk with your head on a swivel not tied all the time to your device. Understanding on both sides as to what people are interested in, and how either side can help the other expand the storytelling pool with quality…not just quantity.
Will both sides always get a response? No. But if you can build a personal relationship…and effectively use the time someone has without wasting it, you grow professionally, and more importantly personally.
I often roll my eyes when I hear communications people at the biggest platforms, the biggest teams the brightest stars, say they “don’t have time” to weed out relationships. Its even more vexing when people who work for startups, for niche sports and businesses, say they don’t have time to develop relationships big and small. What? This is a relationship business…one that is very easy to always say “no” in, or to convince someone looking for exposure that quality doesn’t always equate to size…and one never know what or how a relationship develops if the first answer is always, or usually no.
No is a definitive end. Maybe, or let’s see, is the door opener to a world we may not realize.
So as 2024 begins…my thought is to keep building relationships, find answers, and encourage people on both sides of the storytelling fence to build bridges…not walls.
In a people business, that’s the best part of the journey. Crossing the bridge and seeing what’s on the other side.
Reminder From Rudolph and Dick Van Dyke…Keep Moving Forward…