Using Data to Drive Stories
What’s the point?
It’s a question that PRs need to ask every day about every client and each story they want to land. Because, for a writer, ‘what’s the point?’ is the point… Editors will always ask: ‘what’s the hook?’ It’s what makes a piece land, what anchors it, makes it relevant, and gives it meaning.
Our third edition of Conversations looks at data really closely. Because when a hotel’s new, or a travel package is outstanding, when a CEO goes the extra mile or when the backstory to a property is utterly unique, then the pitch is easy: it’s obvious. But for those valuable roundups, mentions and thematic pieces – on solo travel, female decision-making, what’s trending in year-off, or retirement travel for example – writers can be casting about for a central truth around which the story can be spun. They need something that encapsulates the story, that sets it on solid ground, and that confirms their commission and the improves the chances of the piece’s success.
We find that that’s where data can really play its part.
For a start, Grifco represents Opodo – the online travel agent with real heft – and that gives us access to huge data sets ideal for informing journalists’ stories. Our work with Opodo is a powerful example of the value of data in PR…
How? Well, at super-short notice we can pull Opodo data to ‘newsjack’: analysing whether searches are spiking for major sporting, music or astrological events (compared to the previous week or same time the year before, to give perspective) and sharing these widely to inform news, lifestyle, sporting or regular travel pages. Conversely, we might analyse vast data sets to create regular travel-trends reports: top and rising destinations for the year past and indications for the year ahead, how UK traveller appetite differs from (or aligns with) the US or other European nations, and more. In both cases, the data is fodder. It creates hooks, inspiring both time-critical news stories, and wider features throughout the year. It’s the stuff of SKY News, and the front page of quality national papers.
Polls also give insights that feed press appetite. We ask questions from large consumer sets that explore wide ranging topics – why travellers miss their flights, what’s the most outrageous thing they do while flying, how they use social media while travelling, packing hacks, pets and travel, reading habits and much more. We can then segment by gender, age, nationality and even region: giving genuine trend insights and moments of hilarity: all fuel for ‘content’.
Aside from releases and media blasts, we also pull data on an exclusive basis for media partners – reliably and with quick turnaround – building our relevance and trustworthiness as an agency. And here’s the reality: every client will be collecting and analysing its data. Some of the data sets from the larger hotel brands will be significant and some, from a boutique hotel, will be more focussed – but they can all help your story stand out from the crowd.
Data, properly used, gives credibility. It signals authority rather than opinion and demonstrates expertise. If the same research is repeated over time, its value is compounded: offering increasingly deep insight into modulating behaviours and appetites.
Data is the point when your story is not about the ‘new’. Cutting through a generic, noisy PR landscape, it signals real research rigour, and it offers a valuable (and often overlooked) pathway for PR success.
We’d love to hear how you use data to inform your stories, so do get in touch! And if you’d like to receive future editions of Conversations you can sign up here – we’d be delighted to have you with us. You can also find past posts on our Insights page here.
