Mon, 2019-10-07 11:34
Sam
Before Pitching a Narrative, Mock One Up
Most in-house PR pros crave lengthy Tier 1 narratives focused only on their company. Agencies want them focused on the lucrative client. Mock-ups can help. Why not write — at length — the story you envision? We did just that for a subscriber and here’s what we learned.
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Back in 2011, for a subscriber, we produced a slide deck titled “Cover Story: What It Takes” and last month rediscovered it deep in a sub-directory. Now here we are in 2017. Had anything changed? Story lengths sure have. Reporters lucky enough to write 2017 narratives almost universally complain of having to trim the copy... 
SWMS subscribers this year have told us two things loudly and clearly: they're having trouble pitching narratives and they're struggling to place contributed content. This week we explore something that's best done before building your story lines: it's understanding the three landscapes in which narratives shed light and bring value.
Mike Cassidy is among the last men standing at the venerable San Jose Mercury News. He also endures as a storyteller. Many pay lip service, but few of today’s journalists really know how to make a reader care — truly care — about a person they don’t even know.
Journalists pay lip service to the value of storytelling, but precious few practice it anymore. That's why Fortune senior editor at large Adam Lashinsky has agreed to conduct a 30-minute storytelling workshop with us. He'll be deconstructing three articles and two videos, discussing everything from how they came about to difficulties encountered to outcomes. Do NOT miss this session.
