In The Last Frontier state, utility storytelling is evolving to overcome shorter audience attention spans and crowded communication channels. Facing the same challenges? Focus on people, not power, and show your story to make instant connections with readers.

That’s the advice from Michael Rovito, deputy director of Alaska Power Association. An avid photographer and former beat reporter, he’s watched the change in storytelling tactics make a difference in Alaska. 

“When it comes to writing about what utilities are doing, find those common stories,” he says. “Utility storytelling has really evolved from focusing on kind of nuts-and-bolts type of stuff, though we still do that, to how can we connect this to the people who are actually doing it? People care about other people in the long run. They want to know what they’re doing. That’s how we try to write these stories.” 

Several recent Alaska utilities Ruralite magazine stories demonstrate the trend: 

• Golden Valley Electric Association followed food scraps from a fourth-grade class to a pig farm, a project sparked by an energy efficiency program from the Renewable Energy Alaska Project.

• Barrow Utilities and Electric Cooperative featured a two-page spread on an upcoming Kivgiq Celebration, which translates to Messenger Feast. The Inupiat and Yup’ik peoples’ celebration marks a successful harvest.

• Alaska Village Electric Cooperative told the story of the men who built a sandbag wall to keep water away—and power flowing—from a power plant during Typhoon Merbok.

Show Connections 

Utility communicators love words; nothing beats writing long, beautiful stories. But Rovito says pictures featuring local faces are critical to draw readers into stories.  

“When people look at photos, they can connect really quickly,” he says. “They don’t have to do a lot of work, which may be depressing to people who like to write long articles. But there’s a connection where somebody looking at a photo can quickly identify, ‘Wow, this person or event is happening; how can I relate that to my life?’” 

Scholarships are an easy story to show. Kotzebue Electric Association prints winning essays by scholarship winners and showcases their pictures.

Golden Valley Electric and Barrow Utilities spotlight local scholarship and youth program participants when encouraging students to apply for programs.

You might not be able to be everywhere in your community, but your members are. Invite them to show your community’s story, too. 

For example, Copper Valley Electric Association invites members to show their community on the cover of Ruralite magazine with an annual photo contest. Co-op employees vote on the winners, who each receive $100.

Focus on People 

To engage readers, stop writing about the utility. Instead, write about the people impacted by utility programs or projects, starting with why it matters to the community. 

“A lot of our members have begun doing that,” Rovito says. “They find young adults who have done something great in the community and they highlight that, even if it has nothing to do with the electric cooperative.” 

What story topics hit home in Alaska that other utilities could use as inspiration? Rovito shares several story prompts: 

• Spotlight solutions; when there’s a challenge in a community, profile someone who found a fix. It could be a long-standing challenge or something the utility helped solve. 
• Highlight the impact of technological advances on a business or family, showing how it makes life easier for community members. 
• Feature the people impacted by utility-sponsored charitable foundations, scholarships and community partnerships. 
• Showcase community members and events.  

“People get news from so many different places,” Rovito says. “The co-op can be a place for news, because the co-op is connected in everyone’s lives. Everyone’s got to flip a switch once in a while to get power. People will say, ‘Wow, this is great.’ And that’s also good for the co-op, because that really further bolsters their own connection with the community. And people say, ‘My co-op cares. They’re highlighting my kid.’” 

Balance people-focused stories with traditional utility news. High electric rates are no stranger in Alaska, where generation costs are higher compared to the lower 48 states. Storytelling plays a critical role here, too. 

“Our members work really hard to keep rates low,” Rovito says. “There’s a lot of interest in, ‘What are you doing kind of for me? What are you doing for the environment? What are you doing to keep prices low? How are you innovating?’ Those stories really resonate with people.” 

Get Out There 

Over Rovito’s career, both as a reporter and working at the statewide association, one storytelling tactic always rises to the top — to tell stories, explore your community. 

“The No. 1 thing is getting out there,” he says. “I take these photos and people say, ‘Wow, how do you get that picture?’ There are technical aspects, but really if you want to get a great sunrise, you’ve got to get out there. It’s the same for writing. You have to be out there in the community. You have to be at these events. You have to meet with people, because you really can’t experience the things that create a good photo or a good story by sitting behind your desk.” 

He offers four pieces of advice: 

1. Take notes: Keep a small notebook handy to jot down notes about where you visit, what you saw and how you felt. 

1. Use your five senses: When you’re writing something, talk about what you smelled, what you saw. Give someone the whole picture. 

1. Make connections: If a utility is doing something, a construction project or program, connect it to the people doing the work.  

1. Start strong: The first paragraph is key; pull a person in the story quickly. 

“Alaska is a community-driven place. It’s dark and cold for many months. It’s remote. People rely on each other in a lot of ways. When I write a story, I try to find those connections. You’ve got to be out there,” Rovito says. ” You’ve got to get out in the world and experience things. You’ve got to see things. You’ve got to report on them. And you can make things beautiful. Anything’s beautiful if you’re looking at the right angle and report on it the right way.”