Why Video Storytelling Is A MUST-HAVE for PR Professionals

Ron Watermon • February 1, 2023

Exploring the Benefits & Impact of Video Storytelling in PR

St. Louis, MO – February 1, 2023 - In today's digital age, video storytelling has become an essential tool for PR professionals to effectively communicate their message and engage with their audience. With the rise of social media and the increasing use of video content, PR professionals must adapt to this new medium to stay relevant and make an impact.

In this blog post, we will explore the benefits and impact of video storytelling in PR, and why it has become a must-have for PR professionals.

Video Storytelling to Increase Engagement & Reach

Video content has been proven to increase engagement and reach on social media platforms. According to a study by Cisco, video content accounted for 82% of all internet traffic in 2022.

By using video storytelling in PR, PR professionals can reach a wider audience and increase the chances of their message being seen and shared. This can also help them to build a loyal following and increase brand awareness.

Video Storytelling for Emotional Impact

Video storytelling has the ability to evoke emotions and create a personal connection with the audience. This emotional connection can lead to increased brand loyalty and advocacy. Videos allow PR professionals to tell the story of their brand or organization in a way that text and images simply cannot match. They can capture the essence of a brand and communicate it to the audience in a way that is both relatable and memorable. Be sure to check out some of the emotionally compelling video storytelling we have been doing for INSynergy, an outpatient medical practice that helps patients break free from their addiction.

We were hired to help humanize the work they do with those battling alcoholism and other addictions. We have told honest and inspiring stories of recovery that help them help others in need. It speaks to the emotional aspect of making the decision to get help. As someone who has been in recovery since 2015 I know how difficult and emotional the decision to get help is and seeing others like you helps.

Video Storytelling for Increased Credibility in Your Area of Expertise

Using video in PR can increase the credibility of a brand or organization. Video content allows PR professionals to showcase their client’s message in a more professional and polished manner, increasing the chances of their message being taken seriously. This can also help to establish trust with the audience and position the brand as a leader in its industry. I would suggest to you that our work for INSynergy has been doing that in a profound way.

I recently referred a friend to their treatment program. He watched every video on the website. Sometimes you are not trying to reach a massive audience with your work, but simply the most relevant. Conveying your expertise is important and video storytelling is a great way to do it.

Measurable Results for Your Video Storytelling

Video storytelling in PR allows for measurable results. By using analytics tools, PR professionals can track the performance of their video content and adjust their strategy accordingly. This can help them to identify what is working and what is not, and make changes to their strategy to optimize results.

Video Storytelling is an Essential Tool for PR Pros

Video storytelling has become an essential tool for PR professionals to effectively communicate their client’s messages and empower clients to engage with their audience. With the benefits of increased engagement and reach, emotional impact, increased credibility and measurable results, it is clear that video storytelling is a must-have for PR professionals. You are committing PR malpractice if you are not providing your clients video storytelling services today.

As the use of video content continues to grow, PR professionals must adapt to this new medium in order to stay relevant and make an impact. By incorporating video storytelling into their PR strategy, PR professionals can increase the reach and impact of their clients message, and help their clients build stronger relationships with their audiences. It is a STORYSMART way to do PR today.

--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.

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There are moments in your career that don’t feel particularly significant at the time, but years later, you realize they changed everything. The television show we started when I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cardinals Insider, is now heading into its 11th season. In an industry where most things don’t last, there’s something meaningful about building something that endures. While I've already shared the story of how the show almost didn’t happen, what’s been on my mind recently is what we were doing before it ever aired. For me the show was never the starting point, it was a destination on a journey that began seventeen years ago when I decided to fully commit to becoming a brand journalist. A Baseball Brand Journalist When I moved over to the Baseball Operations Department to work with our Media Relations team in September 2009, the media landscape looked very different than it does today. Social media was still in its infancy. We had exactly one platform we controlled, Twitter, and even that was a bit of a mess. Our account was @MLBstlcardinals, while Major League Baseball operated @stlcardinals out of New York. It was confusing for fans and limiting for us. But it also created an opportunity. Instead of waiting for others to tell our story, we decided to start telling it ourselves. Not as marketers, but as actual storytellers. More specifically, we adopted a mindset rooted in journalism. The fundamentals I learned years earlier in college—who, what, when, where, why, and how. The discipline of getting it right. The importance of clarity, structure, and credibility. We weren’t trying to spin the story. We were trying to tell it honestly, accurately, and from a clearly defined point of view. That point of view mattered. We made a promise to our audience: we would cover the team like journalists, but from the inside. We weren’t going to pretend to be something we weren’t. We were insiders. That was the advantage. And instead of hiding from it, we leaned into it. At the same time, we understood the responsibility that came with that position. We didn’t need to be first. We needed to be right. That meant establishing standards. It meant covering the good moments like the wins, the milestones, and the behind-the-scenes access fans couldn’t get anywhere else. But it also meant not ignoring the harder stories when they arose. Credibility was always at stake, and we treated it that way. I knew were building something. A system. A mindset. A way of approaching storytelling that went beyond promotion and into something far more durable. Over time, that approach evolved into a weekly TV show that’s still on the air more than a decade later. But none of that happens without what came first. The decision to think as brand journalists with a point of view. Brand Journalists with a Point of View What we were building in those early days didn’t look like much from the outside. There was no studio. No formal production schedule. No distribution strategy beyond posting to social media and linking out to photos and video. In fact, some of the earliest tools we used would feel almost laughable today.
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