What is storytelling?

Storytelling is the process of using fact and narrative to communicate something to

your audience. Some stories are factual, and some are embellished or improvised in
order to better explain the core message.

While this definition is pretty specific, stories actually resemble a variety of

things. This graphic from ReferralCandy helps outline what stories are and are
not.

Storytelling is an art form as old as time and has a place in every culture and
society. Why? Because stories are a universal language that everyone —
regardless of dialect, hometown, or heritage — can understand. Stories
stimulate imagination and passion and create a sense of community among
listeners and tellers alike.

Telling a story is like painting a picture with words. While everyone can tell a
story, certain people fine-tune their storytelling skills and become a storytelleron
behalf of their organization, brand, or business. You might’ve heard of these
folks — we typically refer to them as marketers, content writers, or PR
professionals.

Every member of an organization can tell a story. But before we get into the
how, let’s talk about why we tell stories — as a society, culture, and economy.

Why Do We Tell Stories?

There are a variety of reasons to tell stories — to sell, entertain, educate or
brag. We’ll talk about that below. Right now, I want to discuss why we choose
storytelling over, say, a data-driven powerpoint or bulleted list. Why are stories
our go-to way of sharing, explaining, and selling information?

Here’s why.
Stories Solidify Abstract Concepts and Simplify Complex Messages

We’ve all experienced confusion when trying to understand a new idea.

Stories provide a way around that. Think about times when stories have
helped you better understand a concept … perhaps a teacher used a real-life
example to explain a math problem, a preacher illustrated a situation during a
sermon, or a speaker used a case study to convey complex data.

Stories help solidify abstract concepts and simplify complex messages.

Taking a lofty, non-tangible concept and relating it using concrete ideas is one
of the biggest strengths of storytelling in business.

Take Apple, for example. Computers and smartphones are a pretty

complicated topic to describe to your typical consumer. Using real-life stories,
they’ve been able to describe exactly how their products benefit users …
instead of relying on technical jargon that very few customers would
understand.
Stories Bring People Together

Like I said above, stories are a universal language of sorts. We all understand
the story of the hero, of the underdog, or of heartbreak. We all process
emotions and can share feelings of elation, hope, despair, and anger. Sharing
in a story gives even the most diverse people a sense of commonality and
community.

In a world divided by a multitude of things, stories bring people together and

create a sense of community. Despite our language, religion, political
preferences, or ethnicity, stories connect us through the way we feel and
respond to them … Stories make us human.

TOMS is a great example of this. By sharing stories of both customers and the
people they serve through customer purchases, TOMS has effectively created
a movement that has not only increased sales but also built a community.
Stories Inspire and Motivate

Stories make us human, and the same goes for brands. When brands get
transparent and authentic, it brings them down-to-earth and helps consumers
connect with them and the people behind them.

Tapping into people’s emotions and baring both the good and bad is how
stories inspire and motivate … and eventually, drive action. Stories also foster
brand loyalty. Creating a narrative around your brand or product not only
humanizes it but also inherently markets your business.

Few brands use inspiration as a selling tactic, but ModCloth does it well. By
sharing the real story of their founder, ModCloth not only makes the brand
relatable and worth purchasing, but it also inspires other founders and
business owners.

Source: ModCloth
What Makes a Good Story?
Words like “good” and “bad” are relative to user opinion. But there are a few
non-negotiable components that make for a great storytelling experience, for
both the reader and teller.

Good stories are …

  … entertaining. Good stories keep the reader engaged and interested in what’s
coming next.
 … educational. Good stories spark curiosity and add to the reader’s knowledge
bank.
 … universal. Good stories are relatable to all readers and tap into emotions and
experiences that most people undergo.
 … organized. Good stories follow a succinct organization that helps convey
the core message and helps readers absorb it.
 … memorable. Whether through inspiration, scandal, or humor, good stories
stick in the reader’s mind.
According to HubSpot Academy’s free Power of Storytelling course, there are
three components that make up a good story — regardless of the story you’re
trying to tell.
1. Characters. Every story features at least one character, and this character will be the
key to relating your audience back to the story. This component is the bridge between
you, the storyteller, and the audience. If your audience can put themselves in your
character’s shoes, they’ll be more likely to follow through with your call-to-action.
2. Conflict. The conflict is the lesson of how the character overcomes a challenge.
Conflict in your story elicits emotions and connects the audience through relatable
experiences. When telling stories, the power lies in what you’re conveying and
teaching. If there’s no conflict in your story, it’s likely not a story.
3. Resolution. Every good story has a closing, but it doesn’t always have to be a good
one. Your story’s resolution should wrap up the story, provide context around the
characters and conflict(s), and leave your audience with a call-to-action.

Now that you know what your story should contain, let’s talk about how to craft
your story.

The Storytelling Process

We’ve confirmed storytelling is an art. Like art, storytelling requires creativity,
vision, and skill. It also requires practice. Enter: The storytelling process.

Painters, sculptors, sketch artists, and potters all follow their own creative
process when producing their art. It helps them know where to start, how to
develop their vision, and how to perfect their practice over time. The same
goes for storytelling … especially for businesses writing stories.

Why is this process important? Because, as an organization or brand, you

likely have a ton of facts, figures, and messages to get across in one succinct
story. How do you know where to begin? Well, start with the first step. You’ll
know where to go (and how to get there) after that.
1. Know your audience

Who wants to hear your story? Who will benefit and respond the strongest? In
order to create a compelling story, you need to understand your readers and
who will respond and take action.

Before you put a pen to paper (or cursor to word processor), do some
research on your target market and define your buyer persona(s). This process
will get you acquainted with who might be reading, viewing, or listening to your
story. It will also provide crucial direction for the next few steps as you build
out the foundation of your story.
2. Define your core message

Whether your story is one page or twenty, ten minutes or sixty, it should have
a core message. Like the foundation of a home, it must be established before
moving forward.

Is your story selling a product or raising funds? Explaining a service or

advocating for an issue? What is the point of your story? To help define this,
try to summarize your story in six to ten words. If you can’t do that, you don’t
have a core message.
3. Decide what kind of story you’re telling

Not all stories are created equal. To determine what kind of story you’re
telling, figure out how you want your audience to feel or react as they read.

This will help you determine how you’re going to weave your story and what
objective you’re pursuing. If your objective is to …

 ... incite action, your story should describe a how a successful action was
completed in the past and explain how readers might be able to implement the same
kind of change. Avoid excessive, exaggerated detail or changes in subject so your
audience can focus on the action or change that your story encourages.
 … tell people about yourself, tell a story that features genuine, humanizing
struggles, failures, and wins. Today’s consumer appreciates and connects to brands
that market with authenticity and storytelling is no exception.
 … convey values, tell a story that taps into familiar emotions, characters, and
situations so that readers can understand how the story applies to their own life. This
is especially important when discussing values that some people might not agree with
or understand.
 … foster community or collaboration, tell a story that moves readers to
discuss and share your story with others. Use a situation or experience that others can
 relate to and say, “Me, too!” Keep situations and characters neutral to attract the
widest variety of readers.
 … impart knowledge or educate, tell a story that features a trial-and-error
experience, so that readers can learn about a problem and how a solution was
discovered and applied. Discuss other alternative solutions, too.
4. Establish your call-to-action

Your objective and call-to-action are similar, but your call-to-action will
establish the action you’d like your audience to take after reading.

What exactly do you want your readers to do after reading? Do you want them
to donate money, subscribe to a newsletter, take a course, or buy a product?
Outline this alongside your objective to make sure they line up.

For example, if your objective is to foster community or collaboration, your

call-to-action might be to “Tap the share button below.”
5. Choose your story medium

Stories can take many shapes and forms. Some stories are read, some are
watched, and others are listened to. Your chosen story medium depends on
your type of story as well as resources, like time and money.

Here are the different ways you can tell your story.

 A written story is told through articles, blog posts, or books. These are mostly
text and may include some images. Written stories are by far the most affordable,
attainable method of storytelling as it just requires a free word processor like Google
Docs … or a pen and paper.
 A spoken story is told in person, like a presentation, pitch, or panel. TED talks
are considered spoken stories. Because of their “live”, unedited nature, spoken stories
typically require more practice and skill to convey messages and elicit emotions in
others.
 An audio story is spoken aloud but recorded — that’s what sets it apart from
the spoken story. Audio stories are usually in podcast form, and with today’s
technology, creating an audio story is more affordable than ever. (For a great story-
driven podcast, check out The Growth Show!)
 A digital story is told through a variety of media, such as video,
animation, interactive stories, and even games. This option is by far the most effective
for emotionally resonant stories as well as active, visual stories … which is why it’s
also the most expensive. But don’t fret: video quality doesn’t matter as much as
conveying a strong message.
6. Write!

Now it’s time to put pen to paper and start crafting your story.
With your core message, audience objective, and call-to-action already
established, this step is simply about adding detail and creative flair to your
story. Read more about our storytelling formula to help you with this step.
7. Share your story

Don’t forget to share and promote your story! Like with any piece of content,
creating it is only half the battle — sharing it is the other.

Depending on your chosen medium, you should definitely share your story on
social media and email. In addition, written stories can be promoted on your
blog, Medium, or through guest posting on other publications. Digital stories
can be shared on YouTube and Vimeo. While spoken stories are best
conveyed in person, consider recording a live performance to share later.

The more places you share your story, the more engagement you can expect
from your audience.

Storytelling Resources
Storytelling is a trial-and-error process, and no one tells a story perfectly on
the first try. That’s why we’ve collected these resources to help you fine-tune
your storytelling skills and learn more about the different ways a story can be
told.

For a written story

 OEDb’s writing resources
 HubSpot’s list of writing tools
For a spoken story
 The TEDx Speaker Guide
For an audio story
 HubSpot’s guide on How to Start a Podcast
For the digital story
 Vimeo’s Video School
 Animoto
Over To You
Storytelling is an art. It’s also a process worth mastering for both your
business and your customers. Stories bring people together and inspire action
and response. Also, today’s consumer doesn’t decide to buy based on what
you’re selling, but rather why you’re selling it. Storytelling helps you
communicate that “why” in a creative, engaging way. Plus, isn’t storytelling
more fun?