What we’ve learned from Dolly Parton about the power of authenticity - and good work
What’s a small PR agency in Chiswick doing writing about the life of Dolly Parton? Besides it feeling like a cathartic release for the one of us for whom Dolly meant so much (yes, it’s me), we can’t help but feel that it’s a fitting time to talk about the power of shaping an identity and telling a story that is bold, genuine, and memorable.
When we talk to clients about stories that will resonate with journalists, there’s a word that sits prevalently towards the front of every discussion: authenticity. Journalists like to read about a story that comes from a place of honesty and lived experience, because they know that their readers will too. Despite countless advances in technology that have changed the ways in which we communicate, what we want to hear and what resonates with us as humans tend to stay the same: we want to feel sincerity in the stories we are told, and if we’re entertained at the same time…well then that’s a winning combination.
Image: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s many stories were authentic. The creation of the Imagination Library, as so many now know, was inspired by her own father not being able to read or write. She started small(ish) with the charity, supporting children in her home county by giving them books - and today, the programme spans five countries. Over its 31 years of existence, the charity has registered nearly 3.2 million children, and given away more than 332 million books.
As a charity PR agency, we frequently see the exponential power that the actions of one or just a handful of people can have in creating change for a community.
Her steadfast commitment to her values is also worth touching upon, if we look at her legacy and draw from it lessons in telling an authentic story. She was revered by so many, but not by all, as she took a stand on certain issues and never wavered. Trust is gained by audiences when the person they’re listening to has shown them who they are time and time again. It doesn’t matter if you’re an 11-time Grammy Award winning artist, or the founder of a small charity, you must be proud of what you stand for and you have to make your values clear. Those you hope to reach will listen if they trust the words you have to say (or sing!).
So that’s what a small charity PR agency in West London has to say right now about just some of the lessons we can take away from a human that came from so little and grew to mean so much to so many.
Be authentic in the stories you tell, don’t waver when it comes to sticking to your values, and the result will be a trusted audience that wants to hear more.
/Stef, Goodwork
