“I have a lot of great photos of the farm on my phone but what do I say? What do I write about? I feel like I am so boring!”
This was a question I heard more than once at a recent rural women’s event. I just wanted to put my hands on their shoulders and say, “You have a story that people want to hear! Share it m’friend!”
I get it. It’s easy to think that other people don’t care what we have to say. That being said, you would be surprised how curious people are about what you do - especially if you are authentic. You don’t have to be the most interesting man in the world to have a story to share.
Here is a classic example.
We received this photo from a GRM friend who took this shot and this is what he asked, “I changed a switchboard in a shearing shed and I got this great shot of the old board, but I don’t know what to ay about it. Help!”
Rather than give a couple words, we decided to throw a couple questions he could ask himself.- Why is this important for my people?
- What inspired me to take this shot in the first place?
- What are my clients/customers thinking about this time of year?
- Why do I think this was a cool shot?
- How can I explain to the Average Joe what makes this shot special to my industry?
- Can I use this as an opportunity to bust a myth?
- How can I use this opportunity to educate about a little part of my day-to-day job?
- Can I use this opportunity to tell a short story about my day or the history of this location?
- Is there a relevant statistic I can use in this space?
- Can I use this as an opportunity to shout out or thank others in my industry?
Think of the stories that switchboard can now tell!
What questions would you add?
Don’t forget that we have a sweet offer up for September! I’d love to catch up with you over the phone and help you develop a bespoke content calendar for the month. I seriously get a kick out of it.
Also, if you are still struggling where to get started, be sure to check out this post and our free downloadable.
Good luck ya’ll!
Trista Burn is an American-born-Kiwi-by-marriage communications specialist. She studied Communications and Business at Whitworth University and is currently learning the fine art of toddler negotiations.
A dairy farmer’s daughter and a legacy deeply rooted in ag, Trista firmly believes in the value of agvocating for the primary industries and sharing their stories with consumers. In other words - the heartbeat of GRM.
