Scrolling through LinkedIn and TikTok these days feels like sitting in on a motivational TED Talk rather than engaging in a serious PR discussion. You know the ones – where the speaker uses grand metaphors, lofty concepts, and catchy phrases to get the audience nodding along. It’s the same with these so-called PR influencers on social media who talk endlessly about “brand stories,” “bigger picture thinking,” and other jargon. Having been in PR for many years, I found myself wondering: What does all this fancy talk even mean?
In the real world, my clients and stakeholders want one thing—coverage. Sure, brand storytelling sounds nice, but how does that play out in the day-to-day grind of PR work? What does it look like in an actual PR plan, and, more importantly, how are you measuring it?
What Does “Brand Story” Even Mean in PR?
When people talk about “brand stories,” they often make it sound like some magical concept that elevates the entire business. But let’s be honest—most clients aren’t interested in flowery narratives unless they can see tangible results from it. The reality is, PR work always circles back to one thing: media coverage. You can dress it up however you like, but if you’re not getting press, you’re not getting results.
So-called PR gurus and influencers throw around a lot of buzzwords, but does anyone ever explain what these ideas look like in practice? I’ve yet to see a LinkedIn or TikTok post from an influencer that provides a concrete, day-to-day framework that goes beyond what we’re already doing—getting clients in the media.
The Metrics That Matter
When a PR campaign wraps up, what do clients care about? Not how well you “anticipated bigger-picture needs,” but how many placements you secured. Did you land that feature in Forbes? Did you get them quoted in a trade publication? In my experience, the brand story starts and ends with media hits.
Sure, there are other aspects to PR like crisis management and influencer outreach, but those, too, are about getting coverage or building perception through visibility.
The New PR Influencers: All Talk?
Here’s the thing—these LinkedIn & TikTok PR influencers, while annoying, might be doing a service. I get it, there’s a lot of misperception about what we do in PR, and their posts may help explain the industry to outsiders. But do they add value for people in the field? Doubtful.
Much of what they say feels like overinflated motivational speak. It’s like those annoying, clichéd posts where someone’s dead plant somehow teaches them about stakeholder relationships. PR isn’t a motivational TED Talk, but these influencers seem determined to turn it into one.
It’s All About Results
At the end of the day, PR is about delivering results. If your client wants media coverage and you’re delivering media coverage, you’re doing your job. All the hand-wringing over storytelling, brand narratives, and shaping perception? That’s just noise unless it leads to actual results.
And if those results don’t show up in coverage, none of the storytelling in the world is going to matter when you’re up for review.
