Microsoft Stories Editor Rajat Agrawal's top tips for a successful owned media property

 15th June 2022    Podcasts 
 Paarul Chand

The latest Chai Talk focused on how communication teams can produce engaging owned media properties. 

Rajat Agarwal, senior communications manager - lead, Digital Communications, & Editor, Microsoft Stories India shared his thoughts with PRmoment on the best approach to this.

Agrawal stated, "Our storytelling is about people. It's not about us. It's about topics that people would love to read about. So think of it as stories that you would read in the weekend edition of a newspaper, or a feature magazine long-form still has its own charm."

He added, "Some of the things that we are triggered by the fact that the media itself had stopped telling great stories, you know, the media environment right now is they're all chasing news. There is a 19-year-old kid selling luxe sneakers second-hand, (Brandon Webb). That story would not have ever been covered in the media, had it not come on social media first. So similarly, if you think of organisations, there are so many stories out there that we want to talk about, but there is no space in the mainstream media for those kinds of stories. So that is another way we would use Microsoft stories."

Sharing another example  Agrawal mentioned the example of a story on a startup that makes swappable batteries for e-rickshaws, "shaws, "We told that story from the perspective of a rickshaw driver. So, the lead images of that story were of the rickshaw driver in his auto-rickshaw, we see him talking about how shifting to an E rickshaw has saved his time, you know, he's out on the road more, because he does not have to wait to charge his vehicle. 

And then we come to the company behind it, and how they do it. And then where does Microsoft come into the picture. Now, this is a story that the World Economic Forum picked up for its Davos agenda."

Chai Talk is produced by PRmoment India in partnership with Weber Shandwick India