3 ways to tell a Story that audiences will never forget
By Clare Cavanagh | May 13, 2019
The month of May celebrates National Share-A-Story Month in the UK and, established by The Federation of Children’s Book Groups, it encourages people across the world to share, tell, listen and celebrate the art of storytelling.
From folktales and fables to fiction and films, storytelling is part of every culture. Before people relied on the written word, narratives were explored and expressed with speech and gestures. Now, digital continues to offer new methods for telling and sharing points of interest and entertainment, from the humble newsfeed to the Stories format.
By the end of 2018, Facebook and Snapchat users preferred to use Stories over newsfeeds and over 300 million Stories were generated on Instagram. Due to the popularity of the Story format on mobile apps, the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 predicted that “Stories will surpass feeds as the main way people share” this year. Other platforms such as WhatsApp, Netflix, YouTube and Google have taken note, and LinkedIn started testing their own version of Stories as audience numbers continue to rise.
Storytelling in this way can be seen as ephemeral content but, if the right focus is applied, an inviting platform can be built to enhance brand awareness and develop a humanized view. Although this is a project that takes time to set up, media companies are noticing that it’s time to fully embrace the Story format.
So what can be done for Stories to make a big impact?
- Lean on the power of visuals
Think about how much information can be told in an image alone. It is important to seek impactful content – images, videos and graphics – that are powerful and provoke immediate understanding.
Apps also provide tools for text, music, GIFs and swipe links which can provide additional creativity, but a strong picture that says it all is the best place to start. - Invest in knowing your audience
Stories provide a base in which you can connect to users and understand their wants and needs. By providing polls and questions for them to answer using ‘Yes/No’ swipes, they not only engage with entertaining and interactive projects but also provides key information and engagement for a social media strategy.
Asking questions, listening to suggestions and requirements provides a intelligence to develop topics and information that they will tune in to. - Keep it simple
Stories only appear for a few seconds so it’s important to consider how much can really be told in that time. Audiences immediately connect to short videos or pictures that are submitted with emojis. They have their own value, especially in relation to younger audiences who are particularly aware of human stories that can also be easily shared.
Check out the gallery below for some striking images taken in the last month with each picture telling a whole story of their own.