How to Sell Your Story to Broader Audience

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How to Sell Your Story to Broader Audience

• Durhane Wong-Rieger, PhD
• Consumer Advocare Network

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Two kinds of PR Messages

• Content Messages Give Information
• Evidence-based information
• Given or Endorsed by Expert
• Effective if perceived as logical, accurate
• Two all beef patties, special sauce, and a
  sesame bun.
• Emotional Messages Create Impact
• Evokes emotional response
• Delivered by those affected
• Effective if personally relevant to receiver
• Im loving it.

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There Is No Such Audience as General Public

• Who is your Target Audience?
• What do you need them to do as a result of
  hearing your message?
• What message will convince them something needs
  to be done?
• What impact does message need to make to
  compell action?
• Remember
• Peanut Butter Theory of Public Relations
• The wider you spread it, the thinner it gets.

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Start with Strategic Plan
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Right Message to Right Audience At Right Time

• We try harder. PR Campaign part of strategic
  plan
• "Soon there will be 2 kinds of people. Those who
  use computers, and those who use Apples. Right
  message depends on who is buying
• Youre in good hands Good PR builds
  relationships
• Did somebody say McDonalds? Best PR may occur
  when you least expect it

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KEY INFLUENCE FACTORS
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Credibility Do I Believe You?

• Credibility is in the eyes of the beholder
• Credibility based on
• Expertise
• Trustworthiness
• Goodwill (cares about other)
• Credibility depends on situation and context (no
  one is believable all the time)

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Credibility Rule (Trust trumps substance)

• If the person is credible, the substance of the
  message is less important
• Credibility based on feelings of trust,
  sincerity, likeability
• Content is information, logically processed
• Credibility is emotional (trust, like) and has
  indirect impact
• Limit to rule if person is highly involved and
  message is highly relevant

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How to Increase Your CQ (Credibility Quotient)

• Be prepared (know your subject mater)
• Cite evidence and sources for position
• Cite own or sources qualifications and expertise
  on topic
• Build trust be honest and sincere
• Display goodwill (desire to help)

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How to Communicate Credibility

• Use language and style which fit audience
• Communicate with conviction (be assertive avoid
  hesitancies)
• Emphasize similarity to audience (You can
  believe me because Im just like you/)
• Involve audience make your message relevant so
  theyll pay attention to content
• Borrow credibility get endorsement from someone
  trusted by audience (especially if seemingly
  unsolicited)

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Know What Your Audience Already Believes

• Everyone has an starating point anchor judgment
  and zone of influence (range of opinions that
  could be influenced)
• Everyone has an anchor, or preferred opinion
  about a topic
• Zone of influence latitude of acceptance
  range of opinions that are somewhat close to own
• If too different, will reject
• If somewhat similar, will assimilate to own
  position (and therefore feel no need to change
  own)

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Capitalize On Audience Characteristics

• Cultural characteristics (individualistic or
  group orientation)
• Anxiety, self-esteem, ego-involvement,
  authoritarianism (dogmatism)
• Audience expectations of communicator and risks
  of violating expectations

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Structuring and Ordering Persuasive messages

• Hard sell, Explicit conclusion (Tell what to
  believe) vs. Soft sell, Implicit (let audience
  draw own conclusions)
• Explicit
• Straightforward message but people may resent
  being told
• If lack knowledge or motivation, drect message
  more effective
• Implicit
• Valued because engaged but may draw wrong
  conclusion
• If personally relevant, then implicit more
  effective
• If already knowledgeable

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Structuring Messages

• Quantity versus quality
• Quantity many weak messages more persuasive if
  audience not involved
• Quality few strong messages more effective if
  audience scrutinizing (central route)
• Mere and repeated exposure makes messages more
  likable, acceptable but only if messages were
  personally relevant (paid attention to by
  receiver, central route)

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Structuring Messages

• Primacy versus recency effects
• If motivated, will pay attention to most recent
  (last) information consolidate as go along
• If unmotivated, will be most persuaded by first
  information (not pay attention to later)
• Two-sided messages more persuasive
• If two-sided were refutational (undesirable
  presented, then arguments presented against
  undesirable side)
• Presenters perceived as more credible

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Motivational appeals

• Logical or emotional mainly in eyes of receiver
  (prior beliefs, mood)
• Compliance increases with reason given and size
  of request
• When small request, reason not that important
• When large request, reason (even if only
  semblance of reason), increases compliance
• Fear or anxiety greater fear, greater persuasion
  (under some circumstances)
• Danger control (solution to situation) more
  effective than fear control (dealing with
  emotion)
• Perceived efficacy appeal to action effective if
  receiver perceives effective response and feels
  capable of carrying out response
• So, use fear with workable, practical action

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Motivational Appeals

• Appeal to pity and guilt Jerry Lewis Telethon
• Used in fundraising if remove the pity or guilt
  (victim) factor, may not be able to succeed
• Caution if feel you have wronged other, may want
  to avoid further interaction save face
• If stigma was perceived as uncontrollable
  (disability) more effective than controllable
  (obesity)

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Motivational Appeals

• Humorous not change behaviour but can be useful
  adjunct
• Capture attention with humor or joke
• Distraction divert from content of message and
  ability to scrutinize
• Increase liking for presenter
• Related to appeal
• May or my not increase credibility