Here are 3 public relations lessons you can learn from Sesame Street.
As my daughter’s been getting older, we’ve started watching more and more Sesame Street at our house. Whether we watch it together or she watches while I get a little bit of work done, you can bet on us joining our friends Cookie Monster, Super Grover and Elmo for at least a few minutes several times a week. As I was responding to a few emails this morning, I started thinking about everything you can learn from the show’s fun collection of characters. In addition to learning the number and letter of the day, here are three public relations lessons you can learn from Sesame Street.
3 Public Relations Lessons from Super Grover, Cookie Monster, Elmo & Friends
- Repeat your message in different ways. Whether you’re trying to reach 3-year-olds or 30-year-olds, you need to repeat yourself over and over again. Take a page out of Sesame Street’s book and reiterate your point in different ways. On the show they might have Super Grover explain what a rectangle is, followed by a song with rectangles dancing on the screen and then a couple of kids showing viewers how they like to use rectangles when they build with their blocks. As you think about your company’s public relations strategy, think about how you can repeat your message in different ways. For example, if you want to establish yourself as a creative baker, make a video that shows how you made one of your cakes, write a blog post about the creative process and share what inspired you, and take a few professional-quality photos and share them on your Facebook and Pinterest pages.
- Relate to your audience. Have you watched Sesame Street with a little kid recently? They interact with the characters. When Ernie sings a song, they sing along. When Super Grover asks a question, they answer. Sesame Workshop clearly knows who their audience is and what they’ll respond to. In the same way, you need to know who your target audience is and what they’ll respond to. For example, if you’re trying to reach stay-at-home-moms (or dads), you’re not going to post an article on your Facebook page that shares tips for the workplace. Remember, everything in your public relations strategy needs to come back to your target audience.
- Make it fun. The more fun it is, the more engaging it’s likely to be. Of course you want to stay on message, but if you can add a little humor or excitement, the more your target audience will engage. After all, Sesame Street’s iconic songs like “Rubber Ducky” and “C is for Cookie” are all pretty fun – even before I had kids I found myself singing them from time to time!
As you think about Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Super Grover and all the other friends on Sesame Street, can you think of any public relations lessons I’ve forgotten? Share them in the comments below!
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Photo Credit: Michelle O’Connell