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So What’s Your Story?
July 11th, 2011
If you want to persuade a person to buy what you’re selling, focus on a great story about your brand.
This quote says it. And it’s so true.We remember stories, and we like to tell them. And people who are buying products and services remember them.
But you need to make your stories special. In fact, remarkable. You do want people to remark about them.
This is a point my colleague Regent Ducas I make all the time to clients ranging from business owners to multimedia journalists.
What stories do you remember?
What exactly was it about those stories that makes them memorable for you?
TAKEAWAYS
See if you can put these takeaways to work today…
Look for opportunities to tell stories to build your brand, including your personal brand.
Think of something you did that others would consider remarkable, or special, or at least memorable.
Use video so others can tell your stories through testimonials.
Learn from this blog, which includes the work of great storytellers. Watch this:
Great Storytelling that Captures an Unforgettable Guy
(The quote from Tom Durel came to my attention through material written by Michael Margolis, another great believer in the importance of storytelling.)
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Great Storytelling that Captures an Unforgettable Guy
February 25th, 2011
Some people are unforgettable. You just need to find them and bring their story to life. Bob Dotson, who’s kind enough to praise this blog, is a master of this.
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Benefit from the largest on-demand 24/7 library of learning videos in the world for multimedia journalists. Look under Recent Posts to the right or search for topics that interest you.
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Multimedia Minutes: Where are You with Enterprise Reporting?
October 28th, 2010
Enterprise reporting can separate you from others.
You’re not just reacting to the news of the day –
you’re driving the news agenda for the market. Plus you have more control over your story. Where do you stand?
It all starts with first time sources, then builds to the point of a so-called “whistle blower big story” revealing something big.
Contact people in a position to know what’s going on — especially people in government. Tell them you want to do a better job and would like to meet with them for an hour so they can answer your questions. No cameras, just background information.
MMJs who take this approach say it works well because most officials never hear from reporters simply wanting to do a better job.
You can also take the opportunity to say: ”To put this story in perspective, this isn’t the first time this has happened. The city manager told me during a briefing I requested…” You rarely hear that, so it’s an efficient way to set yourself apart. And it works well for on-camera storytelling when you’re your best video.
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Multimedia Minutes: Bob Dotson on “Does the Web Take a Toll on Storytelling?”
October 24th, 2010
Is all this convergence and the rush to “get it online” taking a toll on old-fashioned storytelling, or will we still have the Bob Dotson’s around 10 years from now?
Bob Dotson:
No question journalism is changing, but the techniques of storytelling are unchanged. Poets have been composing compelling stories at Twitter-length since the beginning of time.
We’ve always had deadlines that sliced time too thin for thought. But I’m hopeful. Visual storytelling used to be like writing on smoke. The story appeared one time and then faded away. Not any more. Digital technology puts your best efforts on an electronic shelf that viewers can find when they have time. Six million people see my stories on TODAY. On the Web many, many millions more. That reality provides production money for would be Bob Dotson’s to keep telling stories about us.
Look for people who are practically invisible, the ones who quietly change our lives, but don’t send out press releases. After all, America was built, not just by great heroes or great politicians, but by ordinary people with wonderful ideas — by thousands whose names we don’t know, but should. They may not run for President or win a “Reality Show,” but without their contribution, the kind of country we know would not exist.
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Multimedia Minutes: What Irritates Bob Dotson the Most about TV News?
October 24th, 2010
What irritates you most when you watch news?
Bob Dotson:
In this age of endless live shots we rely too much on press release storytelling. Local news now has to fill 24 hours. That leads to formula reporting. Live Open. Voice over. Interview with the mayor. Live tag.
“Back to you, Biff. I’m Bob Dotson and you’re not.”
Formula reporting kills communication. It either puts viewers to sleep or sends them clicking somewhere else.
Those big layoffs in local news aren’t just happening because of the bad economy. We are running the risk of becoming irrelevant, chasing celebrities and letting politicians spout talking points like stuck records.
People want something from your reporting — understanding and insight. Look for ways to help your viewers feel something about the story and it’s subjects. If feeling is present, the story will be memorable. It will stick in the viewers’ minds.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 7 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Bob Dotson on Finding Stories Others Miss
October 24th, 2010
Any suggestions for helping digital journalists come up with story topics and interview subjects that must be covered quickly?
Bob Dotson:
Look for stories people might miss, even standing next to you. Try covering a basketball game from the Mascot’s point of view with your camera inside the headgear. Be curious about seemingly ordinary lives. Is the custodian who raises the flag at your school a veteran?
I asked that question to a guy last week who works as a greeter at Wal-Mart and found out he had eight brothers all in the military at the same time. Eight. The man saved hundreds of lives as a combat medic. Great stories can come from people nobody else bothers to talk with in depth.
I’ve made an effort — all of my career — to look behind the media mirror that reflects celebrity and power to find compelling tales about the rest of us. A lot of people standing in the shadows have such stories.
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Multimedia Minutes: Bob Dotson on “Being Seen”
October 24th, 2010
I see a lot of stories on the Web where there is no reporter on camera. The whole story is told in the subject’s words with close-ups and b-roll. What does having the reporter on-camera add to the story? Why is it important to have the reporter seen?
NBC’s National Correspondent Bob Dotson responds:
Why did you want your mom to tell you a bedtime story and not some stranger? You liked the way she told it. You trusted her. She was family. That’s an important lesson in communication.
If the viewer knows you are the storyteller and trusts your work, it forms a powerful bond. People will return again and again.
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Multimedia Minutes: When to Appear on Camera
October 24th, 2010
How do you decide when a reporter should appear onscreen during a report? When is a stand-up more appropriate than reporter narration?
NBC’s award-winning national correspondent Bob Dotson responds:
In every story there is important information that may be difficult to visualize. That’s what I put into my stand-ups. I once had to do a piece on the NBC Nightly News about skyrocketing meat prices.
Visually, pretty boring stuff. I figured out how much stew meat you could buy five years ago for five dollars. Tossed the meat onto a butcher block, picked up a cleaver and asked, “How much would five dollars buy today?” WHACK! Half the meat was gone.
That was much more powerful.
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Multimedia Minutes: The Secret to Asking Questions to Get Great Answers
October 23rd, 2010
People answer questions in threes.
NBC’s National Correspondent for the Today Show and great storyteller Bob Dotson says that once you know the three, your questions will be much better.
WHY THIS BLOG IS VALUABLE: WHAT A GENERAL MANAGER SAYS
Regarding the blog videos, I’d say the most value is in their regularity and frequency. It’s good having something like that coming at the younger talent in the news room because it not only helps them in their growth, but makes them feel they’re on the “inside” and we’re engaged with them. — Greg Raschio, General Manager, KVAL-TV/Eugene, OR
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Multimedia Minutes: People Power
October 22nd, 2010
Easy to get soundbites with officials dominate many newscasts even though most of those soundbites bore viewers.
Here’s one way to connect with viewers according to award-winning storyteller Bob Dotson.
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