Top communicators at Yelp and Match Group share their advice.
Almost every modern company collects data of some sort. In addition to helping run the business, numbers and figures can also help PR pros tell a good story.
“When you think about the types of data companies have, every company has some kind of interesting data point,” said Will DeGirolamo, who leads B2B and enterprise communications at Yelp. “There’s something there, whether it’s transaction data, usage patterns, consumer behavior.”
Top communicators at Yelp and Match Group told PR Daily how they turn company data into compelling content that gets journalists to notice.
- Highlight the story, not the brand
“The biggest mistake brands make with data storytelling is assuming that data itself is a story — and it’s not,” said Michael Kaye, head of communications and partnerships for a portfolio of emerging and established brands at Match Group, the company behind popular dating platforms such as Tinder, Hinge, Match and OkCupid. “The story should be about the human behavior inside the data.”
Kaye noted that journalists don’t tend to care if the numbers are based on data from 500 users or a million — what matters is how the statistics shed light on a cultural insight, such as how people are dating, living or working. The more unexpected or enlightening, the better.
“Data works best when it helps explain a cultural conversation that’s already happening,” said Kaye.
When working on the OkCupid brand at Match Group in 2019, for example, Kaye remembers noticing people’s views on climate change were playing a growing role in whether they went on a date. If users aligned on the topic, they were more compatible. If not, they weren’t.
This discovery led to a ton of media attention that lasted for several years.
“The last time I checked there were 500-plus stories related to OkCupid’s data on how singles feel about climate change,” said Kaye. “The last time I spoke to a journalist about it was probably as late as 2023.”
Yelp’s DeGirolamo said it’s best to look for internal data that reveals something about a broader cultural or economic trend.
At the same time, DeGirolamo emphasized it’s important to “make the actual story the hero, not your brand,” he said.
In other words, lead with what’s interesting to readers, which generally isn’t a brand promoting itself. The company is the credible source behind the data, not the headline.
- Say something your brand has the authority to say
Whenever possible, it’s also wise to establish an ongoing series to establish your brand as an authority on the topic.
Yelp, for example, is entering the third year of publishing its annual Fastest Growing Brands and Most Loved Brands reports, which are based on user activity across its platform.
DeGirolamo said together both reports have driven more than 100 earned media articles.
The reports have also helped spread the word to journalists that Yelp can provide this kind of data, boosting inbound requests throughout the year to assist reporters with whatever story they happen to be working on at the time.
“We’ll see coverage weeks and months afterwards from reporters who are wanting to go back to dig into a trend or brand a little bit more,” said DeGirolamo. “The value of these kinds of reports is definitely longer tail.”
On this point, it’s smart for brands to turn their data into a resource for journalists by setting up a system for gathering it and sharing it in a clean and timely manner.
“It’s important to remember that it’s a two-way street,” said Julianne Rowe, senior director of communications at Yelp. “It’s not just the stories you want to tell; it’s finding ways to support reporters.”
Match is about to launch its 15th annual Singles in America study, which explores modern attitudes related to sex, dating and relationships.
“It’s one large dataset that yields multiple story angles, reaches multiple audiences, hits on multiple news cycles,” said Kaye, who noted the annual report, along with the brand’s longevity, has helped Match become an authority in the category.
Kaye added: “The strongest earned media stories come from data that only your company has access to.”
- Get comfortable with numbers
While PR pros can lean on internal researchers and data scientists to help analyze the data and come up with story ideas, they shouldn’t make it a habit.
Rowe noted that though every professional communicator doesn’t need to become a data expert, they need to be a good team player.
“You need to be really collaborative with your data partners and really curious,” said Rowe. “Ask a lot of questions and understand the types of stories that are going to resonate. That’s really where you need to be an expert in your field.”
As she put it: “Don’t be afraid of data sheets.”
Kaye, however, argued it’s better to be able to do the job yourself.
“Every comms person should challenge themselves to become a data expert,” said Kaye, who didn’t have a background on the topic before joining Match Group.
To learn the skill, Kaye asked his data science team to train him as though he were a junior data analyst. He requested access to the necessary tools and platforms to do the work himself, so he didn’t have to ask for help each time.
“The data team has a job, and that job isn’t necessarily sitting there and combing through insights and identifying stories for the comms and marketing teams to leverage,” said Kaye. “We should be the ones leading that charge — with their support.”
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