Storytelling should be approached as a way to connect with people.
And it’s the core of every piece of content you create. You’re trying to get a point across. But what makes a good storyteller on social platforms? How can you draw people in and hold their attention? Check out our top six tips to find out.
1. Create macro and micro content for social storytelling: what will resonate with your target audience most?
The beauty of storytelling on social media is just how LIMITLESS creativity can be. You have an opportunity to create macro content that comes from videos, long forms, podcasts etc. across your website. You can chop that content up into micro bits and distribute it across your social channels, giving people a taste of your story and using it as an opportunity to connect with them.
2. Tell a story that provides value
Finding the formula for what resonates with your target audience is an integral part of social storytelling success; create something that provides value to someone else—on the right storytelling medium. With storytelling on social you have the opportunity to share real value that will reach your target audience—but think about it. You also only have the few seconds that they are scrolling through their phone to capture their attention. So, now that you’ve snagged it, how do you hold onto it? Center your storytelling with the goal of providing authentic value to your target audience—give the people want they want and make it something they won’t regret clicking on.
3. Create the unexpected
It’s the plot twist in every good book or movie. It’s what causes human reaction. The same thing applies to storytelling on social media and it fits perfectly to inbound too. It’s one thing to delight your customers with “buy one get one free beer” on national beer day (you and every other brewery and pub in town), but it’s another to post a Facebook live video on a completely random Wednesday afternoon saying, “Fellow beer fans! Stop by and enjoy a brew on the house today. From 4:00-6:00!” If you draw in your customers with the unexpected, you will evoke an even greater response and established storytelling that exceeds expectations by creating delight in the unexpected.
4. Always think about the context
Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, all of these and more are vastly different platforms that require a different approach to storytelling. Think about it this way: you’d probably tell your legendary ’06 spring break story differently to a group of your close friends than you would to your grandma. Long story short, context always matters. Work with the platform to tell a story that best resonates with the audience already established there.
5. Put your stuff out there
At the end of the day, you can’t expect your content to be perfect. Good storytelling is an artform, it takes time to learn how to best resonate with your target audience. At the same time, it’s a bit spontaneous. But you can’t keep waiting around and working on it to make it perfect—because it never will be. You can constantly question if your content is ready to share with the world. But why not put it out there and let your audience be the judge of your content and learn what works and what doesn’t? Document your storytelling along the way and share the process with your audience, it will make them appreciate your authenticity even more.
6. Don’t shift the storytelling, shift the platform
It’s a lot of pressure given the few second window for people to simply scroll past the content you’ve been working on. Don’t let the pressure get to you. Just stay true to yourself and don’t pretend to be something or someone you’re not—you will enjoy your work a lot more and your audience will appreciate your authenticity. Keep working hard, tell good stories, and create quality content–your audience will come. Because when it comes down to storytelling, no one tells a story like you.
Lastly, in some cases you don’t necessarily have to shift your storytelling, just shift the platform(s) you’re on to meet your target audience where they’re at. You still have the same opportunities you had to bring your storytelling to life—you can be sarcastic, funny, uplifting, positive, anything you want to be on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and any other social site. What’s more, these places give you room to grow and expand on your storytelling.
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