Are You Practicing Responsible Storytelling?

I set out to share some insights on a post about “What’s Your Story? The Art of Getting Featured In Top Tier Media.” I was going to talk about the importance of having a real story to share, not just fluff, and provide some tips on ensuring you have a strong angle to make it into these highly coveted media outlets. But a couple of recent travel stories hit me really hard and I thought it might be a good opportunity to talk about responsibility in PR and in journalism and the importance of having a real story. Both of the stories are about getting back to sustainable tourism.

The Guardian recent ran a story on Hit-and-run tourism and how the quest for the ultimate selfie is really clogging up tourist sites and demeaning the whole concept of tourism. The writer explains “Anyone who has been to Florence in recent years will have experienced how its major sites and the areas surrounding them are completely overrun and smothered…But all of this tourism must be managed, otherwise it stops being a resource and becomes only a problem.”

As a frequent traveler myself (especially to Italy), I see this way too often. Everyone is busy snapping photos in front of the iconic Duomo, but who is really taking the time to read about and immerse in the history of this artistic and historic wonder? There’s so much more to the story of this ancient church than its exterior architecture. For Pete’s sake, if you’re going to invest the time and money to visit Italy, spend the money on an actual tour guide. Your content will be much more valuable if you relate your visit - and even your photos - to the amazing story behind these historic sites. Who was Brunelleschi and what else was he famous for? Your followers would be interested to hear more.

In the Atlantic’s cover story on the “Great Serengeti Land Grab,” the author talks about tourism’s impact on the locals and how it’s displacing some indigenous tribes. She recounts that “Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, took office in 2021…and in one of her first major speeches, she emphasized the renewed role of tourism in the country and how ‘we agreed that people and wildlife could cohabitate, but now people are overtaking the wildlife.’” Again, this is not responsible tourism. But reading her beautifully written story and interviews with the people of this region certainly educated me on the plight of these locals and I’ll definitely be more mindful on my next visit to Africa. So getting that quick shot of yourself with an elephant in the background comes at a significant price to the local culture and economy. Trust me, just read the story.

So what does all of this have to do with PR? I’m guilty of two things. First, I’m certain that I’ve been a “hit-and-run” tourist on occasion, just snapping a quick photo against an amazing backdrop with little regard for the significance or importance of the site. I seem to recall taking a photo in front of a Mayan ruin in Belize, and I honestly have no idea the name of the site or the history of it. And second, as a publicist, I’ve allowed the media to cover clients in a “hit-and-run” article, namely today’s popular listicles. You know what I’m talking about - all of the “Top 10 places to…” types of lists, all self-serving articles to drive SEO to the outlet.

Sometimes, we get so entrenched in our craft that we need a bop upside the head to bring us back to reality and these two articles did that for me. They both reminded me to slow down, think, and uncover and write those deep, immersive stories on behalf of my clients that will attract travelers who are genuinely interested in learning, supporting local cultures, and becoming a sustainable traveler.

Yes, we’re a wellness PR agency, and wellness travel is one of our core focuses, but that also means we want our clients (destinations) to be well too. But this also all applies to other industries. I’m a firm believer that people buy stories, not products. If you’re a cannabis brand with a really unique story behind your founding, tell that story and I guarantee you’ll resonate with readers.

So I promised an article on getting into top tier press. I’ll cover this in more detail in a later post, but I hope this diatribe helped illustrate my first tip, that you MUST have a story.

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