Pre-Summit Panel Preview on "Strategic Media Coverage for Community Growth"
Next month at the Annual RoleCall Summit in Buffalo, Whitney Martin, Program Director of Made for Rockford, will join April Mason, President and Founder of Violet PR, for a panel conversation on how strategic storytelling can fuel community growth, talent attraction, and retention. Here is a glimpse of what attendees can expect to dive into more at the event.
Positive storytelling showcases momentum, opportunities, and quality of life within a community, while also building pride among current residents.
Whitney’s message is simple: positive storytelling is critical to a community’s growth and ability to attract and retain talent. The challenge is making sure those stories are being told locally and nationally so outsiders can see the full picture.
People are not just choosing a job, they are choosing a place to live, raise a family, and build a life.
Communities grow when people can see themselves living there. Media coverage helps showcase the momentum, opportunities, culture, and quality of life that make a place worth investing in whether that investment comes from businesses, families, or future residents. Just as importantly, it builds pride among the people who already call the community home.
Rockford knows firsthand what it's like going from bad to great media coverage.
Communities who actively tell their story are better positioned to compete nationally because they are defining themselves instead of allowing outdated stereotypes or negative headlines to define them.
In 2013, Forbes labeled Rockford the “most miserable city in the nation.” But, fast forward to today, and Rockford is making headlines as one of the hottest housing markets in America by the Wall Street Journal! An “improbable turnaround” powered in part by intentional storytelling, momentum, and community pride.
Your community is not short on good things happening. It’s important those stories are shared both locally and nationally so people outside the region can see the full picture.
Good press signals that people are paying attention, talking and investing in your community, and that ultimately strengthens talent attraction and retention.
Brag! Brag! Brag! (Everywhere!)
One great media story should never be treated as a one-time win.
A single press hit can and should become content that lives across social media, newsletters, websites, recruiting materials, tourism campaigns, and partner organizations. The more a positive story is amplified, the more momentum it creates.
Communities can also extend the life of media coverage by:
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Embedding stories on websites
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Repurposing headlines and quotes into social content
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Incorporating media mentions into talent attraction campaigns
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Highlighting coverage in recruitment, tourism and economic development efforts
Having a strong team SOP (standard operating procedure) in place ensures that when good news happens, it is immediately distributed to key stakeholders who can then share it with their own audiences, expanding the reach organically.
Consistent amplification helps extend the life of a press hit and reinforces a positive, ongoing narrative about the community.
That’s why having a strong internal process matters. When good news breaks, communities should be ready to immediately distribute it to stakeholders, partners, employers, and ambassadors who can share it with their own audiences and organically expand the reach.
What success looks like for effective storytelling about your community.
Checkout more of Rockford's recent mixer for new residents on Facebook!
Success looks like people genuinely starting to see your community as a place they could picture themselves living, working, and building a life. It’s when candidates Google your city and the stories that come up reflect opportunity, momentum, culture, and quality of life instead of outdated perceptions. It’s also when your community stops being the “surprising city” on listicles because people already know what’s happening there, it’s no longer a secret.
One of the biggest signs of success is when the people who already live there start proudly sharing the news themselves. That’s when you know the narrative is sticking and the community truly believes in where it’s headed.
Interested in more examples? Click here to view more Rockford media success stories!
Attend the Summit to learn Strategic Media Coverage Strategies to Accelerate Your Community Growth, Talent Attraction and Retention.
Discover how strategic media coverage can become one of your community’s most effective talent attraction tools. This session will explore how to pitch compelling stories that resonate with reporters, generate positive press that builds credibility and community pride, and turn media attention into long-term momentum for attracting and retaining talent. Attendees will gain practical insights for elevating their community’s narrative and showcasing the opportunities, energy, and quality of life that make people want to live and work there.
Join us at the Talent Attraction Summit to hear this conversation in full, along with additional sessions from leading practitioners and thought leaders shaping the future of talent strategy.