Key Takeaways from Brett Pulley

Rachel O'Morrow
rm118414@ohio.edu

Each seat in Schoonver 450 was occupied by an aspiring journalism professional. Executive Vice President at Weber Shandwick and Dean of the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communication of Hampton University, Brett Pulley made a visit to Scripps Journalism students to talk about the importance of storytelling in both reporting and public relations careers. Weber Shandwick is one of the world's leading communications firms. Pulley's career at Weber Shandwick involves writing op-eds and speeches for corporate executives, issues and crisis management, developing communications marketing content, and overseeing various other content-related projects.

Brett Pulley -

Image from Hamptonu.edu

The first takeaway I noted from his presentation was that storytelling is paramount in journalism and public relations. It's the key to a successful career. The remainder of his presentation revolved around this principle.

Digital platforms can only be as great as the content that is distributed. There are numerous stories that are told over these platforms. Pulley emphasized the recent development of the 'story' capability on social media platforms such as Snapchat and now Instagram. People had a fascination in what the platform can achieve over the actual content on it. Now, quality of content overrules the fascination of the platforms technology.

"We're starting to see a shift...young people are increasingly willing to pay for news content because they want credible, high quality content," said Pulley.

When I heard this, all I could think about was how well this reveals the importance of the SPJ Code of Ethics. I was happy to hear that people of my age are wanting quality content. Many people my age get their news from false headlines and don't even read an article. It was comforting to know that the awareness of fake news is increasing, so people are paying for the real deal. High quality content with facts.

Content is king. These platforms allow for the content to engage the consumer. Pulley asks the question, "What kind of engaging stories can you tell in this new world of digital media and what exactly is this brand new world of content and storytelling?"

"In many ways it's a new art form, but one very basic thing has not changed," Pulley said. "No matter what the platform is, it's to communicate with one word after another or one image followed by another...in all of these cases it's important for brands to be extraordinary communicators and tell their stories well."

Well, this is the job for journalists and public relations professionals. Certain elements are required to produce high quality content. One of the most important elements to include is personification. Make sure you can humanize the story and bring it to life. Like the SPJ Code of Ethics emphasizes, you need facts and background for your claims.

"You must have a clear and concise understanding of the action you want the reader to take," Pulley highlighted. A response is crucial to the story. A reaction will produce results and show you what further action your story should take.

Pulley states our reality. "The reality that we know have multiple ways to combine one of the oldest art forms of storytelling with the latest digital tools."

There hasn't been a more exciting time for journalists and public relations professionals. It's a critical time to utilize modern technology, but use traditional storytelling techniques to reach an audiences core. Pully inspired the sea of students to embrace their digital literacy and discover the beautiful art form of storytelling in relation to brands and selling an emotion.