People make stories

What has the front page of today’s Financial Times and today’s Sun got in common?

Their main stories are both people-led.

Whether it’s how people are affected by a situation, or doing inspirational things…

This is what makes us want to read on.

The same principles must apply for your next campaign.

Too many big brands and corporations miss out on this vital – seemingly obvious – nugget.

You want to change audience behaviours and attitudes. You want to forge deeper emotional connections with your brand. You want to get their buy-in and inspire loyalty.

So never forget the most important ingredient – people.

Here’s your ‘people in the middle’ checklist:

Your campaign needs a case study – full stop. It doesn’t just bring the story to life, it is the reason the story exists in the first place. But how you source and use your case study makes a huge difference. Find someone who’s passionate about your brand, has a story to tell that backs up a current trend or makes a new one. That they are happy to speak to the media. And interview them yourselves first so you can check how they answer questions and how they sound. Challenge yourself to make your case study be more than a case study – not just a side-bar, a clip-on to your story. They ARE the story.

Our own research in partnership with Opinium shows that a person appearing in earned media can sell your product or service as effectively, if not more, than any kind of paid for content. The survey of 2,000 UK consumers showed 60% of 18-34 year olds bought a product or signed up to a service purely because they’d seen someone talking about it in the media. Journalists love them too as they bring boring pages to life.

You already have ready-made people stories right under your nose. You work with them or they buy from you. Many businesses shy away from using their own employees or customers as brand advocates for their external campaigns – which is bizarre. Here are people already invested in what you do and already know your brand. Who better to connect with your audience? If you worry that the press and social media will find this approach contrived, it won’t. All that counts is that it’s a genuine story.

We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Get in touch if you want to talk more about putting people in the middle of your campaigns.

And if there’s someone you know who you think might benefit from The Nugget, please tell them about it.