Developing a good story

You can’t underestimate the power of a good story. A well told story can really grab the attention of your audience, capturing their imagination and influencing their perceptions.

Bringing your story to life means conveying simple, effective messages in an interesting way, with an element of human interest and ‘bigger picture’ relevance. The audience must be able to identify with the issues raised, and importantly, instantly understand the benefits presented by the product or service in question.

So how do you develop a good story?

• The essential components of storytelling are having a point of view or theme, focusing on one person or subject (the hero) and taking the audience on that hero’s journey through various trials and tribulations to arrive at a new destination – having benefitted your company’s offering!

• Memorable language is important, as well as a strong narrative flow and a clear structure. This is where good writing comes into play.

• Humour is important – particularly when it’s unexpected. Fun, thought-provoking stories can be useful in conveying an otherwise serious message.

• The way companies talk about their products and services should reflect their brand identity and remain consistent throughout.

• Images are also invaluable, as are all visual media (including video, animations etc), and visual social media such as Pinterest. Humans process images more quickly than words, so selecting the right picture to help complement a story is vital. The overall combination of a well told story and compelling image resonates well with audiences.

• Sharing stories via the right channel for the audience is key, whether it’s via traditional media, social media, in stores, via direct mail or advertising, is also fundamental.

If you’d like to discuss how intelligent storytelling could help your business, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01787 226995.