Copy
Brad runs Yelram Media, a company built to help your company tell your stories better.
Your Story Doesn't Need To Mimic Fiction
Somebody once said -- was it Wes Craven? -- the two most compelling parts of any story are the beginning and the end. If you screw up those parts, you can't have a good story. 

When it comes to works of fiction, I would agree with this statement. 

Nobody wants to become invested in a story without a definitive end. Imagine reading a 500-page page-turner only to get to the end and not find out who did it? You wouldn't be happy, that's for sure.

[Editor's Note: Just as an aside, I binged the excellent
Exit Scam podcast last week. It's about a bitcoin exchange operator who may or may not have faked his own death and ran off with $200 million. But like so many other podcasts, there is no definitive end. There are too many true crime podcasts without conclusions. It's frustrating.]

The story of your business, however, doesn't have to have a beginning and an end to be effective. 

Sure, if there is a beginning you can mine for stories. Everyone loves a good origin story.

But if the business is humming along, there is no end to the story, meaning there is also no end to the number of stories you can tell to your current and prospective customers.

Business storytelling is the exception to the rule when it comes to what makes a great story.

If you are telling stories the right way -- meaning you are constantly researching good topics and brainstorming the best platform for telling those stories -- the possibilities really are endless. And since there is no end, there is no need to worry about what happens when you are done telling this story.

You can tell stories ad nauseam as long as you don't become nauseating.

It's what makes being a storyteller so intriguing: we get to make up the rules when it comes to our storytelling efforts. 

There are guides written to, well, guide, but nobody has written anything that lays down in stone the rules.

We get to amend and mold how we see fit, as long as the story we tell remains compelling.

If you are digging into storytelling in 2022, don't think of it as a work of fiction. While the truth does remain stranger than fiction, you're not going for strange. You're going for a narrative that helps your customers and gives them something they can use to become better at whatever it is they do.

Leave the twists and turns for the creative writers.

But don't worry about not having a beginning or an end. The people who consume your content don't necessarily care about how it all started, they just want to know how it impacts them right now.

If you can nail that, you're 95 percent of the way there.

As always, thanks for reading.

Brad Marley
five and one
with Christy Laverty, Media Coach & PR Strategist
You bill yourself as a media entrepreneur. What does that mean?
Using the term media entrepreneur for me just means that I am an entrepreneur working in the media landscape. There are many in the media and PR space who work for agencies and corporations and I wanted to use a term that would help me stand apart while allowing entrepreneurs who I work with know that I understand what it is like to be in the entrepreneur space because I am there too!
You've been working on your own in the writing/media industry for a long time. Why does this work call to you?
There are is a lot of independence in working in a contract/freelance capacity. I have independence with the type I work I take on and the schedule that I work with and around. I also like that I get to work with a lot of different people in a wide ranging number of industries and niches. Variety helps to keep me engaged and interested.
In a world where the media is fractured and there are so many vehicles to tell your story, why is it still worthwhile to spend time trying to get the media to cover your story?
I might be slightly biased here, since I worked in broadcasting newsrooms for more than 20 years, but I still believe in the power of the media to tell stories and move people. It is true that there are more places than ever before to connect with your customers and community but I think traditional media still holds weight with a large number of people. You can also reach a lot of people via traditional media. I don’t think you have to choose one medium over another here though.

For me the key to a solid media and PR strategy and plan is diversification so it makes sense to share your story in as many places as possible. Social media, digital, TV, radio, magazines, newspapers and podcasts should be avenues that are part of a full scope strategy. It’s all about figuring out what you are trying to achieve and then finding the right medium to help you achieve that.
You are also a professor at Sheridan College in Canada. What do students who want to break into this profession need to focus on in 2022 and beyond?

I think embracing entrepreneurial journalism is something to focus on. What can you create on your own that can connect with an audience and inform? Think about news newsletters, digital news publications and podcasts that you can monetize.

! I also think that journalists need to know how to do a lot of things across  several mediums. For example, they need to be able to report for TV, radio, and podcasts while also being able to write website copy. I think the old way of corporate news organizations will remain but there is no denying newsrooms are shrinking so you need to be flexible and nimble.

Everyone can relate to stories. How do you integrate storytelling into the work you do on behalf of your clients?
I think when it comes to PR and media relations story is always key. I always recommend crafting story ideas and media pitches that connect with the audience. I think it is always important to think about how a particular story is going to resonate with the audience…for example, will it make them laugh, cry, make them happy, sad, or angry or will it help them do something easier, better, or simpler. There has to be a takeaway for the audience. I like to boil it down to a few different areas…will the story entertain, enlighten or educate the audience?
Finally, the question I ask everyone - what is the best book, fiction or non-fiction, you have read recently?
I don’t have as much time as I would like to sit down with a good book but I do have a few audio books on the go right now.  I am listening to Will Smith’s new book Will and A Promised Land by Barack Obama. Both are really great so far! I loved Michelle Obama’s book Becoming!
Christy is a media coach & PR strategist. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn
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Copyright © 2022 Brad Marley, All rights reserved.

Brad Marley is the CEO of Yelram Media, a PR & marketing company built around the business of storytelling. If you'd like to get in touch with Brad, send an email to brad@yelrammedia.com
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Brad Marley · P.O. Box 625 · 111 S. Lafayette St. · South Lyon, MI 48178 · USA

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