At Trevi, we spend a lot of time helping clients craft messages that make people sit up and take notice, which invariably starts by answering a deceptively simple question: What’s the story?
Not: What services do you provide?
Not: How is your product made?
Not: How long has your company been in business?
Whether you’re pitching a reporter, introducing a new product, promoting an executive, or trying to establish an attorney as a thought leader, facts alone rarely make someone say, “Tell me more.” But, stories do. Which brings us, naturally, to Woody, Buzz Lightyear and one of my all-time favorite movie franchises: Toy Story.
Pixar, one of the world’s most successful movie companies, knows a thing or two about telling stories. It has also distilled the basic structure of storytelling into a remarkably simple formula that works surprisingly well for pitching almost anything.
Key Takeaways
- Great media pitches are stories, not company descriptions. Reporters are more interested in what is changing, why it matters and who will be affected than in a list of credentials or services.
- The Pixar story structure is a useful framework for PR. Establish the status quo, introduce the change, explain the consequences and show where the story may lead.
- Every strong media pitch needs a “Buzz Lightyear moment.” Identify the new development, disruption, conflict or trend that changes the status quo.
- Ask “because of that” repeatedly. Moving from what happened to why it matters helps uncover the real news value of a story.
- Not every company announcement is news. Strong PR connects organizational developments to larger trends, consequences and audience interests.
There’s a PR Lesson in Andy’s Toy Box
The storytelling framework commonly associated with Pixar Animation Studios is wonderfully simple:
- Once upon a time…
- Every day…
- One day…
- Because of that…
- Because of that…
- Until finally…
This six-sentence framework, shared by former Pixar story artist Emma Coats, has become widely known as the Pixar Pitch. And while it may sound like a formula for animated movies, it is also a remarkably useful way to think about PR and media pitching. The reason is that reporters aren’t looking for a list of factoids or credentials. They’re looking for change, conflict, consequences and resolution. In other words, they want a story.
Consider Toy Story.
Once upon a time…There was a cowboy named Woody who was Andy’s favorite toy.
This is where you establish the setting and set the stage for the story to come.
Every day…Woody ran the show in Andy’s room and enjoyed his position at the top of the toy box.
This is your context and establishes the status quo. For a business story, maybe customers have always purchased a product a certain way. Maybe law firms have traditionally handled a particular legal issue with the same approach. Maybe a market has operated under the same assumptions for decades. Nothing particularly newsworthy has happened yet.
One day…Buzz Lightyear arrives. And suddenly everything changes.
This is where the journalist starts paying attention. A new technology emerges. A regulation changes. Consumer behavior shifts. A competitor enters the market. AI turns an established business model upside down. A court ruling creates uncertainty. A company develops a dramatically different solution.
Buzz has entered the room!
That “one day” moment is often the heart of a successful media pitch. Your pitch needs a Buzz Lightyear, but too many PR pitches begin and end with Woody: “Our company has been serving clients for 25 years…” “Our attorney has extensive experience in…” “Our CEO is pleased to announce…”
All perfectly respectable facts. But imagine Toy Story if nothing disrupted Woody’s comfortable existence. Woody is Andy’s favorite toy. He continues being Andy’s favorite toy. The end. Even I am not watching that movie.
Media pitches need tension. Something has changed, or is about to change, and your source can help explain what it means. The difference between a corporate announcement and a compelling story is often the arrival of that metaphorical Buzz Lightyear.
The next part of the Pixar Pitch may be even more important for media relations:
Because of that…Something happened.
So what? That question should be hanging over every pitch you write. Imagine a cybersecurity company announcing a new AI-powered security platform.
- Because of that, companies can identify threats they previously couldn’t detect.
- Because of that, security teams may need different skills.
- Because of that, organizations may rethink their technology budgets.
- Because of that, certain cybersecurity jobs could change.
Now we have possibilities. The same approach works beautifully for professional services. Suppose a new regulation takes effect.
One day, the rule changed.
- Because of that, companies face new compliance obligations.
- Because of that, certain contracts may need to be rewritten.
- Because of that, businesses that don’t respond could face significant financial or operational consequences.
Until finally…Where does the story lead? In PR, you may not know the ending and that’s often precisely why there’s a story. Position your expert to help the reporter understand what happens next: how the market may respond, what businesses should prepare for, how a ruling could affect future cases, or what consumers should watch. That’s far more useful than simply saying your CEO or senior partner is “available to comment.”
Please Don’t Pitch Like Buzz Lightyear
There is, of course, one more Toy Story lesson worth remembering. Buzz spends a good portion of the movie convinced that he is an actual space ranger. Companies sometimes suffer from the same problem. They believe every announcement is groundbreaking. Every executive is visionary. Every product is revolutionary. Every development is transformational. Your friendly neighborhood PR professional occasionally has to play Woody and say: “You. Are. A. Toy.”
Translated into PR: “This is interesting to your company. It may not yet be interesting to a reporter.”
That doesn’t mean there isn’t a story. It means we need to find the larger context, tension or consequence that makes the story relevant beyond your own organization.
Build Your Next Pitch Like Pixar
Before sending your next media pitch, try running it through the Pixar Pitch structure:
Once upon a time…
What is happening in the market?
Every day…
What is considered normal or status quo?
One day…
What changed?
Because of that…
Who is affected?
Because of that…
Why does it matter?
Until finally…
Where might this all lead?
You probably won’t send the pitch in exactly that format, but if you can’t fill in those blanks, you may not have found your story yet. And that may be the most important Pixar lesson of all. The best media pitches don’t simply announce something. They take the reporter, and ultimately the audience, somewhere. Preferably somewhere more compelling than Sid’s backyard.
To infinity and beyond!
Want Help Creating Your Own Buzz?
Not sure you’ve found the Buzz Lightyear in your story? That’s often where an outside perspective helps. At Trevi, we help companies and professional services firms find their story and figure out how to tell it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Pixar Pitch?
The Pixar Pitch is a simple storytelling framework that moves a narrative from the status quo to a change, its consequences and an eventual outcome. For PR professionals, it can be used to identify the elements that make a company announcement or expert insight feel like a genuine story rather than promotional messaging.
How can the Pixar storytelling framework improve a media pitch?
It forces you to identify what has changed and why that change matters. Instead of leading with information about your company, the framework encourages you to establish the broader situation, introduce a disruption and explain the consequences for the reporter’s audience.
What makes a media pitch newsworthy?
Strong media pitches typically include a timely development, meaningful change, conflict, surprising insight, new data, significant consequence or connection to a larger trend. The most important question is not simply “What happened?” but “Why should this reporter’s audience care?”
How do you find the story angle in a company announcement?
Start by asking what is different today than it was yesterday. Then ask “because of that, what happens?” several times. This can reveal the broader business, legal, financial, technological or societal implications that turn an internal announcement into an external story.
Should a company be the main focus of its media pitch?
Usually not. Effective pitches focus on the people or organizations affected by the issue. The company, attorney, executive or expert should serve as a credible source who helps the audience understand the development and what it means.
What is the biggest mistake companies make when pitching reporters?
One of the most common mistakes is confusing what is important to the company with what is newsworthy to the media. Anniversaries, executive appointments, new services and product announcements may matter internally, but they often need to be connected to a broader trend, problem or consequence to attract meaningful media interest.
How can professional services firms use storytelling in PR?
Law firms, accounting firms, consulting firms and other professional service organizations can use storytelling to translate complex expertise into timely, accessible narratives. Rather than simply promoting credentials, they can explain how changes in laws, markets, technology or business practices affect the audiences their clients and prospects care about.
