Why is creativity important in PR?

When you think of Public Relations, the first things that come to mind are press releases, article placements, promotional events, and media coverage. PR is promotional and content-driven.

All that content is fighting for attention in a world of information overload and click-baits.  So, why should we take the time to make what we say look interesting? And, how do we make it engaging and set itself apart from the noise?

Be a Good Storyteller

No one wants to read a dissertation. I’m bored already. Writing is an artform. The best and most memorable writing is a story. We connect with stories; we become intrigued; we become invested. You need to turn your content into a story. I don’t mean getting out your best pencil and crafting the next Hans Brother’s fairy tail. But, inject some personality that readers can empathize and connect emotionally and have fun reading. That takes creativity, especially in industries that don’t typically display this type of content. It is the best opportunity to set yourself apart and get noticed!

Eye Candy

Words are super important, but again, with everyone’s attention being pulled in so many directions you need to get your audience to pause and make the decision to pay attention to you. Visuals do that … and if you are communicating in an arena like Social Media, visuals increase views. That is a fact, not opinion. So, when planning your campaign include appropriate visuals that spark interest and make people stop.

Out of the Box

There are times where you really need to wow an audience and pull out all the stops. You have something to say, but words won’t be enough. The recipients need to experience something. I remember working on a project for a headphones company. They wanted to introduce a new line of products to journalists and explain all the features and differentiators making this line different. We created a beautiful package that slowly opened, the deeper they got into the package the more we revealed different aspects of the product to the viewer. In the end, a pair of new headphones sat nicely at the bottom staring. By the time they got to the headphones, they could wait to try them on. The visuals, the experience, the expectation, the payoff—that was a creative moment that was more memorable and more exciting.

We are bombarded with messages all day long. When you see something interesting, it gives you pause. But, we are so busy that we forget that how something looks is just as important as what something says. When it comes to Public Relations, creativity and content go hand in hand.