Visual Storytelling, Online Radio ...

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The grab bag post is back.

Here goes.

Visual Storytelling from VentureBeat

VentureBeat publishes stories every day on the latest startups to secure venture funding.

As you might imagine, the visuals that usually accompany these stories might  be called uninspiring (to be kind).

So I enjoyed the double entendre when VentureBeat channeled Breaking Bad in the photo that accompanied the SpareFoot story on fund-raising to expand its storage unit business.

Breaking Bad - visual storytelling venturebeat

Walter brings a certain “je ne sais quoi” to any story. I’ve had a good bit of success working him into our storytelling workshops.

(h/t to Craig Matsumoto who flagged this on Twitter.)

Online Radio on the Rise

When was the last time you pitched online radio?

That’s what I thought.

Check out these numbers:

Online Radio Chart reach consumption

Such an up and to the right growth curve should get our attention. Specifically, 44 percent of Americans age 12 and up listen to online radio on a weekly basis.

As you drill into the numbers beyond the music category, you find that niche programming  — a byproduct of low barriers to entry — is thriving.

It reminds me of the blogging market as a sphere of influence. It’s a quality, not a quantity game, identifying those online radio targets with relevance and influence (or what I call “rinfluence”).

SEO and Storytelling — a Dynamic Duo

I’ve been on the soapbox for some time for PR to expand its game into earned search (organic search).

With Google squeezing the technical gamesmanship out of earned search, it’s all about the content in determining what shows up on the SERP (search engine results page). Variables such as third parties linking to the content, how long visitors stay on the content, etc., constitute signals of worthiness.

I’m noticing that the media properties focused on the SEO community are getting that old time storytelling religion. For example,  Search Engine Journal recently published “Brand Storytelling 101: The Essential Elements.”

Over 1,000 words and not a single mention of how to optimize a Web page for search. Bravo!

On the not-so-good side, this passage caught my attention.

“Not only well-known operations can have motivating stories. The dry cleaners down the street may well have been founded by someone who noticed that people smile more when they feel good and confident in their appearance — and clean, pressed clothes can affect that. This business’ story? They empower people.”

I’d call that a stretch.

The root beer yogurt at Willow Glen Creamery has been known to cause smiles, but “empowerment” doesn’t make its value proposition.


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