St. Louis, MO – January 26, 2022 - In the world of public relations and marketing, video storytelling has become an essential tool for engaging with audiences and building trust and credibility. As a modern communicator today, you are committing malpractice if you are not having your clients invest in video storytelling.

However, that said, let’s be honest in admitting that creating effective video content can be a daunting task for PR professionals. We all suffer from an OCD like obsession of wanting to control everything and make it perfect right?

Well don’t worry, we have you covered. In this blog post, we will explore how PR professionals can easily plan, create, and optimize client video storytelling for maximum impact.

Like all good marketing or public relations strategies, you have to start with a plan. An ad hoc seat of the pants approach to communications is a recipe for problems isn’t it?

STORYSMART Storytelling Step 1 - Planning a Video Storytelling Strategy

As some of you may know, I’m a big believer in having a plan. When I managed communications for the St. Louis Cardinals, I was a firm believer in being intentional with our communications. When I formed STORYSMART, I actually codified the idea “strategic” planning in the name of our company. The SMART in STORYSMART is mnemonic with the “S” representing “Strategic purpose”. You need a purpose for communicating. The “A” in SMART represents “audience” – the most important consideration with any communication or storytelling.

PR professionals need to start by identifying their target audience and setting clear goals and objectives for their video content. Once you have a clear understanding of who you are trying to reach, you can research and choose the right platforms for your video content. Your audience dictates where you will be to reach them.

A content calendar can also be useful in planning and organizing your video storytelling. We manage social media for a few clients and I swear by having a calendar.

STORYSMART Storytelling Step 2 - Creating Effective Video Content

For most PR folks, scriptwriting and storyboarding are critical for creating effective video content. They follow a top-down, Madison Avenue meets Hollywood approach to video creation. That can work if you have the time and budget. We tend to follow a much different model that is less top heavy, quicker and more efficient. We also know it yields a more authentic result. As a result of our simple approach it is also a lot less expensive.

We build an editorial calendar and plan our stories. Our story plans are short, simple, clear and concise. Our approach is a newsroom model akin to what I used when I led our team with the Cardinals. We produced a weekly magazine television show using this simple approach of identifying story topics, headlines and key people we would need to interview to tell those stories.

That brand journalism approach informs everything we do now with our STORYSMART clients. It should be see-spot-simple for you to do as well.

When it comes to video production, the key is to engage good journalist filmmakers and TV professionals to help you tell the stories on screen. If you go the more expensive traditional approach with scripted storytelling, it is essential to hire a quality production company.

No matter what approach you take you want to ensure the highest quality video possible. Filming and editing techniques can also play a big role in making the video visually appealing.

From my vantage point it is less about breaking the bank with fancy equipment and more about engaging the right video storytellers to help you bring your story alive on screen.

STORYSMART Step 3 - Optimizing Video Storytelling for Maximum Impact

PR professionals can use analytics to track the performance of their videos and make adjustments as needed. I’ve been amazed by the work our client INSynergy has been doing with SEO – it is driving incredible results to some high-quality storytelling we have done for them. It is the perfect one-two punch. Quality on screen storytelling and smart search engine optimization.

Promoting the video through different channels such as social media and email marketing can also help to increase reach and engagement. Creating a call-to-action is also important to drive conversions. And lastly, repurposing video content for multiple uses can help to maximize the impact of the video. This last area is the one that is driving the bus right now with STORYSMART.

We have been able to help our clients make the most of the video storytelling we are doing for them by creating short shareable companion videos using the footage we get when we tell a story. Your video storytelling mantra should be rinse, reuse and recycle.

In conclusion, video storytelling is a powerful tool that PR professionals can use to engage with audiences and build trust and credibility. By planning, creating, and optimizing video content, you can ensure that your client video storytelling has maximum impact. Remembering to identify the target audience, set clear goals and objectives, research and choose the right platforms, and optimize the video for maximum impact will help PR professionals to achieve great results for their clients. In short, be STORYSMART.

--Ron Watermon with ghostwriting assistance from OpenAI (ChatGPT)

About STORYSMART

You have a story to bring to the screen, but you don't have the time or resources to do it yourself. Telling your story well with video can be hard. And let’s be brutally honest. No app will turn you into a great filmmaker. Few can produce a do-it-yourself (DIY) video or film we actually want to watch, much less remember.

To do justice to your story on screen, you need the right skills and equipment, not to mention time, money and talent.

That is why STORYSMART developed our premium video storytelling as a service. We help clients tell their story in the amazing way they deserve with a proprietary done-for-you video storytelling service unlike any other.

STORYSMART provides a nationwide premium video storytelling service that empowers clients to have their stories told professionally while retaining their intellectual property rights as though they did it themselves.

STORYSMART provides clients an experienced television reporter or journalist filmmaker to help them tell their story following our proprietary high-integrity brand journalism system. Our transparently priced premium services for agencies, businesses and families ensures that each client gets an authentic, high-quality story they own the intellectual property rights on forever.

About Ron Watermon

Ron Watermon is the founder and CEO of STORYSMART, a premium video storytelling technology startup that empowers anyone to have their stories told professionally while ensuring they retain the intellectual property rights on their productions.

A creative and innovative communications leader with nearly three decades of experience, prior to founding STORYSMART, Ron was responsible for modernizing the St. Louis Cardinals communications by leading the team’s investment in video storytelling, brand journalism, fan engagement and social media.