How to use data to boost your PR campaign?

Public Relations

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Using hard data in the Storytelling of our PR campaigns does not mean illustrating them with hundreds of charts and numbers out of context or narrative. While numbers enrich the editorial content and give it more relevance, we must know how to use them and introduce them to our audiences.

We must keep in mind that data is useful as support for any narrative, but if there is no story, they will just become irrelevant figures. The biggest challenge for brands, content generators and media is to distinguish relevant data that sets a significant trend from all the information available.

Where we can can get valuable data?

Most Brands or Businesses want to become a reference within their industry, and in order to do so it is important to produce, collect and analize data that highlights a trend, a change in the sector, or reflects the behavior and interests of users and consumers. What kind of data? And where to get it? Are the main questions when it comes to building a hard data storytelling strategy.

Surveys, common costumers's enqueries and behavior data from an app or web platform... are all valuable information that can take relevance through storytelling.

Having a context

To be relevant, data must have context and be relevant. Annual trends, Holidays, summer breaks, national events are an excellent starting point to communicate your data within the storytelling. Only within a context can figures become relevant information.

Relation between data and audience

Although data may seem very important, we must always ask ourselves what is the impact it has on our target audience? For instance, the increase of sales from secondhand items through e-comm platforms can become much more interesting when linked with personal finances data.

Info combination

The use of a single figure, percentage or indicator probably will not give strength to a PR material or narative. We need to cross reference data, make comparisons and ask ourselves which elements would be important to add..

For example, how many apps related to the No Driving Day were downloaded after the environmental contingency in 2016? What were the most frequent searches? What day of the week was the most active? What percentage of men vs. women downloaded those apps? And, how all of this is compared to the contingency days in 2017? Compare and grouping data will help us support the storytelling and consolidate ourselves as an interesting and valuable source of information.

The use of hard data in storytelling will add value to all your content, and it makes the difference between a pitch that is worth publishing and one that's only good for the junk folder.