Public Relations: Great Storytelling Won't Get You Far

First attention. Then the numbers on conversion to opens, likes, followers, sales, market share, shift in public opinion, boost in name recognition and more. Those are what clients want. Not storytelling per se.

As in many law practices (see Paul, Weiss partner Brad Karp's observations in Lawyer Monthly) and throughout management consulting (see David Duncan in the Harvard Business Review), AI has made what used to sell and at a premium price a commodity. And, the glut of commercial messaging out there has made it more and more difficult to capture, hold and grow attention.

Platforms that rely on storytelling, such as BusinessInsider, frequently are floundering. That venue lost almost 30% of subscribers during the past three years. Somehow they haven't effectively connected the dots between the narrative and how does it move the needle on helping the audience accomplish their objectives. 

Telling her story in the memoir "View from the East Wing" hurt, not helped, Jill Biden. 

Who gives much of a damn about David Solomon whatever at Goldman Sachs now that investor interest has become succession. That is, who gets power, who loses power and the implications for the strategy.

The professional branding that is marketable in public relations includes:

Information strategist

Credibility broker

Relationship connector.

And you better do that right. 

Long in the collective memory bank is the attempt through The New York Times guest-column section by Ankrush Khardori to explain the motivation driving Kathy Ruemmler's Epstein friendship. Most of the 1,394 comments comments to the article are negative. Here's a typical one: 

"Serioulsy, this piece sounds like it's from a PR firm devoted to reputation rehabilitation. Did Terkeet write this?"

In addition, less marketable are:

Polished writing

Opinion-editorials

Content put out there in volume

SEO (search engine optimization).

Also, as we know, an overabundance of attention invites all the usual negatives. 

The recent FT profile of Paul, Weiss London office rainmaker Neel Sachdev, which other media ran with, has produced amusement and skepticism in some circles. Featured was his flamboyant lifestyle as well as his possible pivot to elected office. About the latter: Is this guy really focused on my legal transactions?

No, Sachdev hasn't become a joke. But the implications of that branding and sucking so much oxygen could already be doing damage. Three prominent partners in the London office have exited. Will more follow? Shade gets thrown also on new Paul, Weiss chair Scott Barshay.

Overall, corporate leaders are sticking to the knitting. Instead of being out there advocating stances in politics and culture, they have gone silent except on what's directly related to their business. 

In coaching, I advise to hold the personality and hammer the results you can achieve for employers and customers/clients. This is the outcomes economy.

Careers. Forget all that. It’s about earning a good living, no matter what.

Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova, StreetSmart Coaching (janegenova374@gmail.com)






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