The 5 Ws and H of Storytelling: Who Should You Tell Your Stories To?

I have a confession. Despite being an avowed political junkie, I've never watched House of Cards. I know, I know.

Even as my husband binged it and sang its praises years back, I just never got around to it. (I've also never watched Game of Thrones...I know!)

Anyway, last week during a discussion about politics, he made his pitch again -  "you have to see how House of Cards portrays this!"

And since we're inside and I'd binged a whole lot more shows during our first lock down last year, why not?

Immediately the first season of the show called to mind some of the things I've been meaning to blog about as it relates to the who of storytelling, particularly the mutually beneficial (until it was very much not) relationship between Frank Underwood and ambitious young reporter Zoe Barnes.

While the relationship was toxic because ... House of Cards, there was a kernel of real life experience there in the depiction of who Frank chose to give his stories to. It might seem counterintuitive that he chose to leak the stories to a low-level cub reporter rather than someone more senior and powerful with an established reputation, but that's the point.

The more senior person is already a known quantity while an ambitious and talented young journalist is just trying to get known. Journalism is notoriously competitive and even moreso in this day and age of increased digital competition, 24-7 news and increased news consumption (even if media revenues no longer match our voracious media appetites). Cultivating a relationship with someone eager to make their name can work out better than building one with someone already senior who has lots of reliable sources and gets lots of tips and the best assignments sent their way. 

At the end of the day, a good story is a good story and if you have a good story to tell, someone new to the profession is more likely to have the time and inclination to hear it and share it.

These kinds of calculations have to be top of mind when it comes to storytelling because who you get to help you share your organization's stories is an essential element.

The right storytelling partners can help your story get a long way, by getting in front of the most receptive audience, on the right day and time and in the right places. To come up with your 'who' strategy, here are some questions to ask and research the answers to.

Who covers what you're into?

Whether it's climate action, fashion, business tech or pies, there are media houses who cover what you're passionate about promoting. It may not be the whole publication, blog, podcast, account or show but they may have a section or segment within or have a leaning more towards a particular kind of content. 

This is where it helps to be voraciously well-read and well-informed on your area, even if you're new to it. Read up the newspapers, magazines and blogs, subscribe to podcasts, look out for newsletters and radio and tv shows that focus on your subject area. What is their voice? What is their approach? Are there gaps that you and your organization can fill, as subject matter experts for quoting or with useful stories or interview subjects?

Who are the up and comers?

Having established the relevant media sources, look at who's within them. Who's talented with a distinctive voice or approach? Always, always pay attention to who's new and who shows hunger for covering your area. They may have small opportunities - a segment further down, a page deep in the publication, but they are usually beautifully and thoughtfully reported. Pay attention to those ones, praise them, build a rapport. If you see something they worked on that you like, send them an email, tweet the link and tag them with praise. Journalists are humans too (I promise!) and in a profession where there is so much public critique, some sincere praise goes a long way.

Who are the behind the scenes movers and shakers?

Not in the sense which we usually think of, the kingmakers and powers behind the thrones but the ones working in the key, behind the scenes roles that determine what content goes out to the public. So while a relationship with a powerful editor-in-chief is great, unless it is a small publication, they aren't necessarily  the one dealing with the  nuts and bolts. Dig deeper to find out who are the bookers, the producers, the publication or section editors who actually determine placement and inclusion on a day to day basis.

These can be key allies because the truth is, media professionals don't have all the stories. They don't have all the sources. Sometimes the content is flowing like a mighty river and other times, you're looking at a blank set of plans wondering how you're going to get enough content to fill it or wondering how you're going to get enough interviewees and pundits with fresh view points for a slot. Be a solution for these people.

How can I be nice to journalists?

After all, they don't bite...

Kidding they do! I should know as a former journalist myself. The profession has a reputation for being a haven for the prickly, the combative and the difficult. It's... not entirely unfounded and to be perfectly honest, a little bit cherished.

In his book My Trade: A Short History of British Journalism, former BBC journalist and newspaper editor Andrew Marr, in trying to answer the question 'what is a journalist?', noted:

More often, it's all those tens of thousands of men who thought that rumpled suits, battered trilbies, chain-smoking, a whisky habit and a lifetime's avoidance of responsibility were the thing itself, and not merely life-stylistic quirks around it. The memoirs of journalists are reeking and rancid with this romanticism, the smell of cologne and Senior Service cigarettes' mingled with damp ink and hot collars.

The truth is, journalism isn't a career for wussies - it's a lifetime of asking questions people don't want to hear and seeking out information people don't want to share. And hence, even if one isn't a tough, brash personality, many journalists at least cultivate the appearance of such. The portrayal of the media in popular culture doesn't help the cause either. 

That said, journalists are just like me or you. Giving compliments when you enjoy their work, being helpful and well-prepared when you are pitching to them and being conscious and conscientious of the fact that they live and die by deadlines, will get you a long way. Going for coffee or taking the time out to come to them and meet with them, is also useful. It's like any other kind of networking - find something in common and build from there.

Depending on the nature of your organization and theirs, there may be leeway to give small gifts, especially at holiday time. If you can, do that. Most people like to know they are remembered and not just when you need them. When it's their birthday, send them a card or a message.

Again, depending on the nature of the market, providing training and development opportunities for journalists, especially up and coming young journalists, can also be hugely helpful. This works better in international affairs and development organizations which tend to fund or provide training workshops and even better, reporting tours, particularly in developing nations or underserved communities. I have built sound, long-lasting relationships with journalists through thoughtfully planned reporting tours.

However, please always remember this -  there is only so far a good relationship will take you with a journalist of conscience. Don't expect your good rapport, coffee and training opportunities to mean that they will bury stories for you in a crisis. Moreover, don't feel wounded by it and for pity's sake, don't act like a terrible ex who whinges about all the gifts you bought.

Journalists are not your enemies but they're also not your friends either.

And even if they actually are your friends, this still needs to be borne in mind. For instance, there are journalists who literally danced at my wedding but when not-too-flattering stories came up about my organization, they still carried them. 

My feelings weren't hurt because I respected that they had their job to do. If a story comes up that is going to put my organization under pressure, they owe me a chance to give our side but they do not owe it to me to make the story disappear.

So don't have that expectation. However, what a good rapport can get you is some grace. It could get you a heads up that something is coming or a little more time to get your statement together. Sometimes there is not much you can say for a variety of reasons but a good rapport and trust could give you an opportunity to comment on background (a good definition of what that is and when it's appropriate to use it is on the Throughline Blog).

And perhaps most importantly, a good rapport can help you when the times aren't dire but simply boring. Sometimes the story you have to tell... isn't sparkling. But it's important. Good relationships can get a dull press release or a less than gripping executive into a publication or onto a show.

However, over here, we're aiming for a high percentage of sparkling. I'll leave that as a teaser for the next part of the series - the 'what' of storytelling.