Why I’m creating a comedy sketch around PR

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Why I’m creating a comedy sketch around PR

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What better way is there to end the year than with a laugh? After all of those Zoom quizzes, boozy evenings and two national lockdowns, you might need to shake off those pandemic blues with a round of hilarious jokes about how strangely this year has turned out.

Just look at all of the ‘merch’ out there, including Christmas baubles, poking fun at 2020 – we all need a chuckle!

As the last month of 2020 arrives, I’m reflecting on a pivotal year for us all in life and in business – and the first thing I choose to do is to LAUGH!

It struck me recently, that we need to find joy, and perhaps laugh at the stuff which is upsetting us – as most of that stuff is trivial; a storm in a teacup, arising from being more stressed and anxious than we would normally be…

Finding light in the darkest of places

 At a time of great trauma, let’s not sweat the small stuff – the stuff that can be sorted out over a nice cup of tea. This led me into thinking about how fantastic laughter, humour and comedy is in life – and also in business. Something that is quite often overlooked and underappreciated.

Comedy is such an underused tool in PR, so this seemed the perfect time to bring those two things together and show you how you can use laughter and humour to share a message.

We want ourselves, our brand or our business to be well thought of, and comedy is a top tool for ensuring this happens, since laughter is one of the social ‘glues’ that helps us form and strengthen relationships.

I’m showing you what I mean by doing it myself – and this can be a very disruptive type of PR – often called guerrilla marketing. This is an advertisement strategy in which a company uses surprise and/or unconventional interactions in order to promote a product or service. In essence – it’s a type of publicity.

Humour can attract highs and lows, the likes and the dislikes – and you have to be ready for that. It won’t be for everyone. One size does not fit all when it comes to humour, it can indeed be a bit like marmite, you either love it or you hate it, but, either way, it can have a huge impact.

Proof is in the pudding

 If you look on my LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefionascott/ today or my Facebook Scott Media page https://www.facebook.com/fionascottmedia you’ll see a comedy sketch I worked on in partnership with a company called ‘Sketchhouse’ – the home of outrageously effective comedy content for PR and marketing. They create bespoke sketch comedy videos for PR and event companies and advertising agencies. For more info check them out – http://sketchhouse.net

I saw a film they’d done on LinkedIn and just loved it. This led to a comment, which led to a call and then a discussion about subjects in my world of PR which could be ‘comic’. After a few back and forwards, and a budget discussion (and you need to think in four figures here as it’s a lot of work with professional actors ), I went ahead and signed on the dotted line.

Highlights 

My next blog will talk more in depth about the process and what’s involved, so you can understand what you get for your investment – after all, it’s not easy handing over ££££ of pounds.

However, the result is a comedy sketch, which, for me, highlights two main things.

1, The BS that some PR companies spout when trying to turn something that’s not a story into a story – this is not only a waste of time, but it’s giving your client false hope. Maybe the PR agent has not been honest with a business owner about what the story is and what is not a story for the media. They may not even know what a story is themselves (a bit worrying hey). I can think of two press releases I’ve received over the last few years from two PR companies where the real story has been completely missed. In this scenario you’ll find a PR person left trying to sell a ‘turd’ to the media.

2, The fact that some business owners are so sure what they are doing is exciting that it should deserve media coverage – and even national coverage – when it’s not exciting. These people won’t ever listen. Why? They operate in the world of ‘what they want to be’ rather in the world of ‘what is’. They want journalists to cover their ‘story’ free of charge when the substance simply isn’t there. Come down from the ceiling and back to earth.

A dose of hard truths

 These two scenarios are very common to us in the hybrid world of journalism and PR and I’ve always taken the view of being honest – even when the person doesn’t like what I have to say. Honesty is inescapable, and for that reason it’s best to embrace the truth sooner, rather than later, so that we can get serious and down to work.

There is no point whatsoever in leading a business owner, a business team or board of directors down the garden path when it comes to the media. My USP (unique selling point) has always been that I’m not only a journalist, but a journalist for a business – and that comes with a very high dose of honesty; whether it is welcomed or not!

If you want to discuss in great detail the technical aspects of your new product that might work in ‘Technical Products Weekly’ but it’s dead boring anywhere else. Really think about this – ‘anywhere else’ is where your new clients might be. Some may read ‘Technical Products Weekly’ but you have to offer more than that to reach more people and broaden your horizons. You have to do that again, again, again, again….

If you want to see the sketch you can also view it here – https://youtu.be/J9ANHmfLn8I

If you feel you need a dose of that honesty, why not book a virtual power hour with me in the new year for £150 plus VAT. Drop me an email on  

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