{"id":754,"date":"2025-11-13T13:17:03","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T18:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/?p=754"},"modified":"2025-11-19T10:52:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T15:52:03","slug":"beyond-the-press-release-using-university-stories-to-win-in-pr-and-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/2025\/11\/beyond-the-press-release-using-university-stories-to-win-in-pr-and-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Press Release: Using University Stories to Win in PR and Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Universities generate remarkable stories every day \u2014 student success, groundbreaking research, real-world impact. But press releases alone can\u2019t carry those stories far enough. Today\u2019s audiences expect content that feels human, visual, and accessible across multiple platforms. A single strong idea should live well beyond traditional news distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cross-platform storytelling expands reach, boosts engagement, and helps universities show the full scope of their impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why press releases aren\u2019t enough<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Press releases are essential for media relations, but they don\u2019t meet the needs of every audience. People now consume information through short videos, social content, web features, and email \u2014 and they often connect more with emotion, personality, and visuals than with formal announcements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A press release can launch a story, but it shouldn\u2019t be the final stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How one story can work harder<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Great stories are timely, relevant, human-centered, visual, and flexible enough to work in multiple formats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>For news and media<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Emphasize timely angles, broader relevance, and institutional significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>For marketing and content<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Shift toward emotion and impact through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Web features<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social posts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Short videos<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blog articles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Email campaigns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The core story stays the same \u2014 the emphasis adapts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What makes a story worth amplifying<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Look for stories connected to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Media trends, like AI or global issues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>University responses to current events<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Notable research and achievements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students or faculty doing exceptional work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Many stories start in expected places, but digging deeper reveals new angles that travel further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Finding the \u201cwhat else?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Students and faculty are multifaceted. Their major or job title is only the beginning. Involvement, personal background, internships, community engagement, or global connections often create additional entry points for storytelling \u2014 and additional platforms where the story fits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cross-platform examples<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One student profile might fuel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A LinkedIn feature<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A web story<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A video spotlight<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A Miami Matters article<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A viewbook or recruitment message<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>With the right assets (interviews, photos, b-roll), stories become reusable instead of one-and-done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key lessons<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Collaborate early.<\/strong> More coordination = more opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Start with the audience.<\/strong> Tailor each angle to who will care most.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use strong visuals.<\/strong> Photos and video dramatically increase reach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Turning one student into many stories<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A student involved in academics, internships, organizations, and campus life has multiple angles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Internship success \u2192 press release<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Campus involvement \u2192 social spotlight<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interdisciplinary study \u2192 blog<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Career readiness \u2192 recruitment email<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Student experience \u2192 video or web feature<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One profile becomes a suite of content tailored to each platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where to find stories<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Search existing assets in MediaValet or submit promising story ideas through University Communications and Marketing. Often, the content is already there \u2014 it just needs the right angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final thought<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A press release is a beginning, not an ending. When universities think beyond traditional distribution and shape stories for multiple platforms, they broaden impact, deepen connection, and highlight the true value of their people and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find transcripts, photos, and more at <a href=\"http:\/\/miamioh.mediavalet.com\">miamioh.mediavalet.com<\/a>. You can search names and relevant keywords or explore by academic division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have a student who would make great content for the university?<br><a href=\"https:\/\/miamioh.edu\/university-communications-marketing\/index.html\">Submit a project request<\/a> to UCM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/presentation\/d\/1PraFTEGyeKoQlc1_u4ENEOzztp33PSZ6e2k8mOOxWEY?usp=drive_fs\">Review the Presentation Sildes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Universities generate remarkable stories every day \u2014 student success, groundbreaking research, real-world impact. But press releases alone can\u2019t carry those stories far enough. Today\u2019s audiences [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9485,"featured_media":756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content","category-storytelling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9485"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":789,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754\/revisions\/789"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/in-the-loop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}