Presenting a bunch of facts in a press release does not make it very memorable for the reader. It is important for PR professionals to be able to tell a story through their message. Creating an emotional response is one of the best ways for a message to stick. The amount of content we see in a day can be overwhelming to think about, and it’s important for a message or campaign to truly stand out in the midst of all the information that we consume on a daily basis.
The Strategy of a Story: Making Memorable Messaging
Humans have used the art of storytelling throughout history. From the ancient Greeks and Romans, all the way to us, storytelling has been crucial to how humans perceive and share information (Kent, 2015, p. 481). The compelling nature of storytelling makes it effective to society as a whole. It can create shared experiences and create an emotional response (Kent, 2015, p. 481). The idea of storytelling is not a new concept, nor does it have a lack of research.
The article “The power of storytelling in public relations: Introducing the 20 master plots” states that, “ A Google phrase search for ‘storytelling and ‘public relations’” returns 1.5 million results” (Kent, 2015, p. 481).
Storytelling can be utilized in many different contexts to help information or news resonate with various audiences. For example, an article by Minh Tung Tran elaborates on how storytelling can be used to draw attention to and engage audiences in incidents that are related to the climate and environment (Tran, 2025, p. 1). Taking advantage of how influential good storytelling can be should not only be essential to PR professionals, but to other fields that want awareness for specific issues as well.
The Rhetoric and Storytelling Combo: The Trick to Make a Message Stick
Humans have always found a way to communicate with each other. The concepts of rhetoric and storytelling go hand-in-hand. The concept of rhetoric is a well-established technique which also comes from Ancient Greek and Roman traditions (Indraccolo, 2014, p. 333) .Rhetoric is essential for communication and forming the necessary relationships required for society and community (Shin, Heath, 2020, p.115). These concepts used correctly, and together, can create effective PR messaging that sticks and stands out.
Craft a Lasting Message
There is no shortage of professionals in the field of public relations. This means that PR professionals need to stand out and impress organizations and clients with their ability to utilize everyday storytelling and professional rhetoric (Kantola, 2016). People are going to remember the stories and messages they see where they feel an emotional connection, not something with no depth. Understanding how to make a narrative work in your favor from storytelling is a non-negotiable for setting a PR professional apart from the rest.
Keywords:
Storytelling, rhetoric, strategy, messaging
Resources:
Indraccolo, L. (2014). What is “rhetoric” anyway? Briared in words in Early China. Asiatische Studien – Études Asiatiques, 68(1), 331–341. https://doi.org/10.1515/asia-2014-0019
Kantola, A. (2016). Cleaning rotten politics, selling exclusive liaisons: Public relations consultants as storytelling professionals between markets and politics. Public Relations Inquiry, 5(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/2046147×15625713
Kent, M. L. (2015). The Power of Storytelling in Public relations: Introducing the 20 Master Plots. Public Relations Review, 41(4), 480–489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.05.011
Shin, J-H., & Heath, R. L. (2020, December 22). Public Relations Theory: Capabilities and Competencies.
Tran, M. T. (2025). Harnessing the power of storytelling in public Relations: Mobilizing public action against climate change. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 12, 101825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101825