Statistics can increase the power of your message. Data in business presentations can help persuade your managers and peers. Statistics in media pitches can gain the attention of editors. Numbers can make your content more interesting and trustworthy, whether you’re creating blog post, SlideShares or videos.
PR pros can mine data from a number of sources, including Google Analytics, in-house resources, and media monitoring services, to tell more persuasive stories and bolster their credibility.
However, simply loading piles of numbers into content will only cause eyes to glaze over and minds to go numb. The audience will likely fall asleep or move on. It’s essential to balance data with your message and place statistics in context.
Jon Gatrell, a certified instructor at Pragmatic Marketing, explains how to use data to strengthen your message, in a Convince & Convert blog post. Here’s a synopsis of his four main points.
How Numbers can Strengthen your Stories
Think like a journalist. Remember the five “W”s of journalism. Data is the “what” of the five Ws and “who” is the character of the story. Relating data to the story’s character helps make data relevant and concrete.
Dig deep. Don’t prioritize the data over the story, or compromise the story just to display data. When looking over the data, the key is in-depth examination to identify that bigger story behind the superficial numbers.
Personalize the data. Find an emotional hook, and then support it with data. Perhaps the character of the story faces a significant challenge. “Once you’ve personalized it, begin to reveal core data to support your point, then sprinkle in qualitative data,” Gatrell advises.
Get visual. The right images reduce bulky data, simplify complexity and make data more memorable. Carefully selected numbers combined with good design can instantly relay the message. Well-selected visuals also add information without detracting from the story’s main message. Stories with no more than two to three major facts or issues avoid overwhelming audiences.
Context Explains the Meaning
Forbes contributor Carmine Gallo agrees about the importance of placing data in context. Steve Jobs used context brilliantly when Apple introduces an MP3 player with 5 gigabytes of storage. The number, 5 GB, meant little to the average consumer, so Jobs said, “5 gigabytes is enough for 1,000 songs.” He went a step further with the marketing line “1,000 songs in your pocket.”
When Golden State Warriors point-guard Stephen Curry made a record 402 3-pointers in the regular season, The New York Times put the feat into context by explaining that it was equivalent to hitting 103 home runs in a major league baseball season.
“A statistic left on its own doesn’t often tell us much and that’s why journalists like New York Times sports writers are trained to put statistics ‘into context.’” Gallo writes. “Without context, a data point simply doesn’t mean much to people who don’t closely follow a particular topic area.
Bottom Line: Data can bring your stories to a new level. Data in your presentations, blog posts and media pitches can boost your credibility. However, data by itself is merely meaningless numbers to most readers. With these key insights, numbers can help establish an emotional connection with your audience and prompt readers to remember your intended message.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
