They don’t just appeal to people with their heads in the clouds. They are everywhere, in every possible form. Visual, digital, creative and brand storytelling. People consume stories through books, plays, podcasts, films, reels, shorts, and socials. The list goes on.
Why have humans been so invested in telling stories since the beginning of time?
Because creative storytelling about human connection fills a basic need. Stories allow us to see ourselves reflected and to understand what we have in common with one another. When we meet new people, we often start by telling anecdotes about our own lives. It’s so we can say ‘look, this part of our experience is different but here’s what we share.’
Connection alone doesn’t make a good story. There are other ingredients too. When it comes to creative storytelling for your brand, three pillars are fundamental.
1. Storytelling should create magic for your brand
My childhood was defined by a slightly unhealthy obsession with Lord of the Rings. Mount Doom with Frodo and Sam was infinitely more appealing than the sleepy high-street near my house. Fantasy books are the most literal interpretation of bringing magic to a narrative. Their success proves that audiences connect well with creative storytelling that is slightly weird or wonderful.
You need curiosity to generate unusual ideas. It’s not an easy attitude to cultivate amidst a deluge of zoom calls, admin and an overflowing inbox.
Ideas can just come from conversations with the people around you. It’s probably not revolutionary advice, but asking others for help has always been really important for me. When you gain an outside perspective, you can hold an idea up to the light and anticipate whether it will land. The best ideas are propagated in environments where no idea is a bad one, and individuals feel confident enough to share their perspective.
Sylvia Plath said, ‘the worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt’. Creative people are often introspective. Questioning the worth of an idea is often a knee-jerk response. Sometimes that means the best ideas aren’t volunteered at all.
Whether workshopping a creative concept or creating a story, it can be helpful to expand the range of communication options available. Great storytelling ideas come from spoken conversations, but mind maps, post-it notes, pictures and videography can be just as effective.
2. Being economical with language
“The more you leave out, the more you highlight what you leave in.” - Henry Green
Being economical is probably one of the most important storytelling skills a PR professional can hone. Journalists receive a daily deluge of emails, so a pitch from your brand running over 300 words will inevitably end up at the bottom of the pile.
I don’t find it easy to be concise because I often want to show the reader every single thing that interests me. Prioritizing can be tricky so it’s helpful to ask the question: what is my target audience, and what interests them specifically?
To tell a story creatively, you don’t necessarily need complex language. A simple sentence is trickier to construct than 500 words that say nothing. When I was thinking about famous writers who write economically, lots of examples came to mind – Ishiguro, Hemingway, McCarthy.
But better than all of them was my grandpa. I loved his stories because they taught me about a period of time I’d previously only accessed through history books. The Blitz in Southampton when he was a boy, the shock of the raids shaking the walls of the house. His time playing football for Southampton FC, how he used to get the steam train to Waterloo for training.
He never told these stories using fancy language. He just let the memory speak for itself. I think that’s proof that if your story is interesting enough, you don’t need to be verbose. The most meaningful pieces of writing are those that are true, honest and personal.
3. Connecting with your audience
To capture your reader’s attention, you need to give them a reference point. If you’re explaining something complex or unusual, find a way to make the story relevant for them. Once you’ve connected with their own lived experience, you’ve captured their attention.
That’s why writers rely so heavily on metaphor, because it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book to elicit emotion. It’s evocative because we often understand the world through association. I love this passage from Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore:
“Anyone who falls in love is searching for the missing pieces of themselves. So anyone who’s in love gets sad when they think of their lover. It’s like stepping back inside a room you have fond memories of, one you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s just a natural feeling.”
It’s a great example of the role metaphor can play in helping the reader to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Maybe the reader of Kafka on the Shore hasn’t been in love, but they have almost certainly felt nostalgia. Comparison is a powerful tool.
Frames of reference aren’t just useful for beautiful fiction but create accessibility for readers too.
Collaborate whenever you can because good ideas don’t happen in isolation. Remember less is often more. And finally, remember you are always writing for someone: your audience should guide your storytelling every step of the way.
Now you’re ready. Go forth and write that magnum opus (or pitch or presentation or poem or even just email). Oh, and the last thing – read your work and read it again!
