Making Public Relations “Sticky”

(Image from madetostick.com.)

My PR writing education at the current moment is focused on “stickiness.” When I say “stickiness,” I am referring to making ideas stick; creating memorable ideas that will stand the test of time.

I am currently reading (or through the first chapter) of Chip and Dan Heath’s Made to Stick. This book illustrates why some ideas thrive and others die.

Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” There is truth to this observation, and the Heath brothers lay it all out in Made to Stick: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus public-health scares circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas—businessmen, educators, politicians, journalists, and others—struggle to make their ideas “stick.”

So how do we, as public relations professionals, make our ideas stick? The Heath brothers have found that sticky ideas have six key attributes in common: simplicity, unexpectedness, concretenes, credibility, emotions and stories.

Think: You are John F. Kennedy and your PR plan is to put a man on the moon.

Strategy:

“To become a leader in the space industry through a maximum, team-centered innovation to specifically target successful aerospace initiatives.” (Blah, blah, blah.)

OR…

“Put a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade.”

Is this idea simple? Yes. Unexpected? Very. Concrete? Yes. Credible? The idea seems crazy, but the source is certainly credible. Emotional? Yes. Story? Yes.

Abstract, dense messages don’t motivate or inspire people. Concise, relatable messages do.

I suggest all aspiring, current and up-and-coming PR practitioners check out this book. It would be great for all of you advertising hopefuls, too. This book is opening my eyes to how I can make my public relations ideas stick. My PR plans will survive, not die, and yours should too.