How to Effectively Apply the 5W’s in PR

For any case scenario, there are always the 5W’s — Who? What? When?  Where? Why?  

As a recent journalism graduate, these questions were drilled into my brain when generating a story. While working in PR, I found these questions still apply. To write a true and captivating story, it is important to understand every detail to provide the audience with context as to why they should care about it. Especially in PR campaigns, telling the truth that promotes the values of a company will intrigue audiences and help them understand the goals and motives of the brand.  

The 5W’s in PR not only apply to the story you’re telling, but they also apply to the pitch and campaign strategy. Below is a list of the 5W’s and how to apply each of them to both the story and strategy.  

Who 

When telling a story, the first thing you ask yourself is who the players are. Who is involved? Who caused the story? Who is being impacted? Gathering this data allows you to tell the story accurately. Once you have the data, you could utilize key individuals to strengthen your story through interviews to gather more information and quotes, or a general explanation as to who impacts the story and/or how they’re being affected.  

For example, a campaign for a hair product can be strengthened through product reviews, quotes or information from the product’s company, scientists, hairdressers, customers, or statistics on the demographics of customers. This type of information strengthens a story and validates a brand further.  

This leads to how we apply the ‘who’ in the actual PR and marketing strategy. Who is the target audience? Who are we trying to reach? Who is interested in this story? Who can promote the campaign? Would macro or micro-influencers help promote the brand? Are there any celebrities who are relevant to the campaign and can help build an audience?  

These questions are crucial in the marketing strategy. Aligning with the client’s goals and needs is the guide to asking these questions and generating a strategy.  

What? 

The ‘what’ in the story is essentially asking, “what happened?” What is the plot and context of the story? What events took place? What were the outcomes? This is the heart of your story and the question everyone is asking. Have a clear understanding of the ‘what’ to be able to explain what happened clearly and concisely.  

The ‘what’ in the strategy is asking what the goal is. What is the goal of telling this story? What is currently going on in the media that might affect the storytelling or angle? What do I want to achieve? What do I need to achieve the goal and reach the desired attention? Finding the answers to these questions will involve media monitoring, research and settling on a strategy with your client and team.  

When? 

When did the events take place (time of day, day, month, year)? When was the last update? When can you expect to learn more? When will the effects be felt? Acquiring a timeline of your story is important so you can gather all your facts to ensure accuracy. You can also easily update your story while you continue to gather more information and keep monitoring the media, news and the story.  

When it comes to strategizing, asking ‘when’ is key to figuring out when to publish a campaign, when to post on social media and when the best times are to broadcast a commercial or campaign. Being strategic in the ‘when’ will allow you to reach your desired audience.  

Where? 

In storytelling, the ‘where’ is asking “where did the event take place?” However, when considering marketing strategies, asking “where” can be asked in the following of ways: Where do we want to launch the campaign? Which social media platforms or media outlets are the most prominent for our target audience? Is our story a trade or macro-level story? Does this story fit better for digital, broadcast, or print? Which media companies would be most interested in pursuing the story?  

These questions are absolutely crucial for the PR and marketing strategy. Knowing where to launch the campaign influences the creative process, visuals, story angle and needed resources.  

Why? 

Lastly, the key question to tie it all together is ‘why?’ Why did the events happen in the first place? Why are people and a company being affected? Why should people care? Why is this important in the big picture? These questions hit home to your audience as they bring purpose, meaning and a call to action. These three outcomes are key to a successful PR campaign.  

Conclusion 

Asking the 5Ws applies to almost any profession. Police officers, journalists, scientists, investigators, lawyers, doctors, and even business owners all need to understand the 5Ws in their stories. Public relations professionals certainly fall in the mix as they are conveying a message to the public, seeking truth and responding to the media. Practicing the 5Ws allows you to become a stronger investigator, researcher, advertiser, media strategist and storyteller.