Chief Content Officer and Founder, Tippingpoint Labs. Abridged and reprinted with the author’s permission.
The art of storytelling has been around since the dawn of humankind for good reason – people love to be engaged and entertained. The essence of good content often falls back on a good story.
You can tell a good story if it ….
…is emotional.
If you want to produce an effective video or television commercial or an email campaign, make sure it’s emotional. You’ve got to make your audience feel something. Make them feel happy, excited, sad, or make them giggle. If it’s emotional it’s memorable.
… has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
I don’t care how short your TV spot is, or how small your banner ad is, if you don’t have a logical beginning, middle, and end to your story, it’s not a story! To connect with your material, your audience must feel a catharsis. They must feel like they can connect with your message. They can’t connect if they don’t understand the story.
… is simple.
Many of our clients are possessed with the desire to over-complicate their stories or their customers’ stories. Keep it simple. Leave out all the technical mumbo jumbo that complicates the story. Stick to the emotional aspects that resonate with your audience.
… is memorable.
Chances are, if you tell a simple, well-formed, emotional story, it will be memorable. But make sure that it is. Audiences love to retell a good story, and if you’ve created a memorable story, you’re enabling your audience to pass it along.
… is told in their words.
Don’t over-script your talent, or over-write your copy. Let them tell the story the way they want to tell it. The more honest and unrehearsed your talent is, the more powerful and emotional your story can be.
So, next time you’re working on a video production or some new blog content, remember you’re telling a story. The outcome will be more successful, more memorable, and more emotional than you thought possible.
Tipping Point Labs is a digital content creation shop founded in 2002.
