Science tells me I only have 8 seconds before I lose your attention, so here I go.

We process more than 5x the amount of information we did in the 1980ies. In our leisure time, we process 34 gigabytes of information on a daily basis. Former Google CEO Eric Scmidt said we create as much information every two days as we did from the dawn of man through 2003.  

We are living in a hallmark era of history, where abundance instead of scarcity, is causing more problems in Western societies. An area of problematic excess is information, causing our attention span to become shorter, information more readily accessible without gatekeepers, and our only limits are our cognitive abilities to process and retain information.  

Tl:dr: we are overloaded with information.

The Echo Chamber

Now more than ever, it is easy to get lost in the noise. Or even worse, forgotten.

As PR professionals, we often are told to push our spokespeople and organizations to develop “ownable” content. But in today’s era, “ownable” content is becoming more rare. Thought leaders have access to more information, increasing their expertise and ability to share insights on their industry. Companies are converging on positioning as a “technology company,” and leaning more into the latest technology trends as areas of excellence. The media landscape has fewer reporters covering major trends, and PR professionals outnumber reporters at a rate at 6 to 1.

The result: there is less room for media coverage, which means that PR professionals need to find truly unique storylines that add value to both the reporter and their readers in order to stand out. They must break out of the echo chamber.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Before I dive into best practices to create memorable content, let’s first take a trip down memory lane. I’m not talking about reminiscing about the past, but actually walking through what memory experts call a memory palace.

A memory palace is a way of remembering loads of information. Through this exercise, a person creates a fictional location within their mind. Then, using mnemonic devices, a person associates the item they would like to remember with a specific physical location within their memory palace. Then, the person walks through this location in order to remember the items, and the right sequencing of the items by walking through the memory palace. This practice became popular in the public eye following U.S. Memory Champion Joshua Foer’s TED Talk. Here’s an example of how this works from Howcast.

Remember Me...

While memory can be related to a variety of different factors (as a new mom I can tell you sleep is certainly a factor!), there are some best practices that PR professionals can incorporate to make their content more memorable.

Say what you are going to say, say it, then say what you just said.  This includes outlining the big idea, bringing the big idea to life with supporting points, and then recapping the big idea. For example, during a media interview, a spokesperson can frame the conversation as: “I am going to tell you how the Red Cross is helping victims of hurricanes. We are helping victims of hurricanes by providing medical aid, providing shelter, and offering resources to distressed communities. By providing aid, shelter and resources, the Red Cross is helping victims of hurricanes.” While this may seem repetitive, keep in mind that 92% of employees admit to multitasking during meetings.

Make mnemonic devices. Ask any math teacher some of the most effective ways to teach equations, and mnemonic devices are high on the list. I bet you can still recite what PEMDAS stands for, even if you don’t use it on a day-to-day basis. We can take a page out of our favorite math teacher’s book, and use mnemonic devices within our own communications material to make it more memorable. For example: crafting content with structures like, “the 3 Bs,” or creating “OM” content (that’s Ownable and Memorable content). 

Incorporate spatial cues. One of the reasons a memory palace is so successful is because it taps into our spatial memory, a core part of neuroscience that impacts working, short-term and long-term memory. Spatial memory relates to how we remember objects within context of each other. For example, you may remember to always turn right at the third Starbucks in order to get to your friend’s house. However, spatial cues can also relate to hierarchical structures, including knowing that your second cousin Rita is the daughter of Marv and Helen from California, who grew up with your grandmother when she lived in Texas. As you think about creating content, providing the larger context of where a certain topic or idea sits within relationships to other ideas or topics can help make it more memorable.

Layout your speech. Is there anything harder than remembering what to say in a speech? Often times, we spend hours debating just the right thing to say in order to deliver the perfect speech with the right content that matches the visuals. But then, we get up on stage and our mind goes blank. Cue panic. Tools like a memory palace work well in this instance. When preparing for a speech, try to practice the speech onstage or in the venue you will be delivering the speech. Use the opportunity to choreograph where you would like to stand for each section of the speech, and create visual cues from objects in the room for certain sections of your speech. For example, “when I stand here, I am going to talk about the Nike case study. Since there is a scuff mark on the floor here, I am going to pretend that Michael Jordan made this scuff mark, which will remind me of Air Jordans, and then Nike.”

Engage your audience with a story. We have been telling stories for thousands of years, and there is one simple reason: they work. Our brains crave stories. We love the emotional connection to a protagonist, the tension and conflict the protagonist faces, and ultimately feel safe when the protagonist finds a solution. For more insight on storytelling, check out my past blog here. 

Or to put it another way, when you’re thinking of creating more memorable content:

• S: say what you’re going to say, say it, then say what you just said.

• M: make mnemonic devices.

• I: incorporate spatial cues.

• L: layout your speech.

• E: engage your audience with a story.

How do you create memorable content?