How do you make your stories work on all platforms?
You have a great story to tell, but how do you make sure it reaches and engages your audience on different platforms? Whether you are creating content for social media, podcasts, blogs, or videos, you need to adapt your storytelling to the format, context, and expectations of each platform. In this article, you will learn some tips and tricks to make your stories work on all platforms, without losing your core message or your unique voice.
The first step to making your stories work on all platforms is to know who you are talking to and what they want. Different platforms have different demographics, preferences, and behaviors, so you need to tailor your stories accordingly. For example, if you are telling a story on Instagram, you might want to use more visuals, hashtags, and emojis, while if you are telling a story on a podcast, you might want to use more sound effects, anecdotes, and questions. You can use tools like analytics, surveys, and feedback to understand your audience better and create stories that resonate with them.
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Além de conhecer seu público, é crucial lembrar que cada plataforma tem sua própria linguagem e ritmo. No Twitter, por exemplo, a concisão é a chave, enquanto no LinkedIn, um tom mais profissional e informativo pode gerar mais engajamento. É como se cada plataforma fosse um país diferente, com seu próprio idioma e cultura. Ao adaptar sua história a esses diferentes 'países', você não apenas fala a língua deles, mas também respeita e celebra suas peculiaridades. Isso cria uma conexão mais profunda e autêntica, tornando sua história não apenas ouvida, mas também sentida e lembrada.
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Choose one platform and get really good at sharing a story on that one first. Really understand where your clients are, and how they will be viewing/listening to your content. Invite the audience to use their imagination. Be clear on your purpose.
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Understanding who you are telling your story to is vital, and this will vary dependant on the channel. While it is common practice to segment the People in your storytelling, it is super important to remember that they are all individuals ... we are all unique. So try not to over segment them.... not everyone is going to engage with all of your storytelling, and that's OK.
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I also try to always think about what the audience *needs* on that specific platform. That may mean that I change the lede or the key message slightly to ensure they get the message.
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Coming from the games industry, I've contributed to stories on mobile, PC, console, web, podcast — each with its unique audience and unique needs. On mobile, you're competing for attention. You keep things short, sweet, and breadcrumbed so as to draw the player back for the next session. On PC/console, you've got time to let the story breathe. You're entering into a fairly safe assumption that the player is sitting down for an extended period of time, and so you can allow the story to unfold at a slower pace. On web, players come for more — longer form stories, videos, extended universe content. You can break form from the common formats of video game storytelling. Audio relies on descriptive texture, theatre of the mind, rich detail.
The next step is to choose the best platform for your story, based on your goals, resources, and audience. Not every story is suitable for every platform, so you need to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each one. For example, if you want to tell a long and complex story, you might choose a blog or a video, while if you want to tell a short and catchy story, you might choose a tweet or a TikTok. You also need to consider the time, budget, and skills you have to create and distribute your story on each platform.
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You do not need to be active on every social media platform and medium, especially if you're a lean team or a team of one. Select where to share your stories based on your audience, your message, and how YOU feel most comfortable showing up. If you're a writer at heart and you feel uncomfortable on video, lean into blogs, newsletters, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other text-focused platforms to share your stories.
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Ao determinar a plataforma ideal para sua narrativa, pense em um diretor de cinema escolhendo o cenário perfeito para uma cena. Se seu objetivo é gerar impacto visual e emocional profundo, uma mídia visual como o YouTube pode ser o seu 'grande palco'. Para histórias que se desdobram e evoluem com o tempo, um blog ou podcast pode ser seu 'episódio semanal'. Se a essência da sua história vive em momentos rápidos e marcantes, plataformas como Twitter ou Instagram Stories podem ser seus 'flashs cinematográficos'. Avalie cada plataforma não apenas pelo seu alcance, mas pela capacidade de transformar sua história em uma experiência memorável para o público, mantendo-se fiel aos seus recursos e habilidades narrativas.
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Again, it ties back to the intended audience. You will want to choose a platform where at least one segment of your intended audience is active.
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The same content can be reused as well on various platforms. For example a blog can be converted into a podcast, a long video and even carousels. The content needs to be curated as per the platform. On one platform visuals work better while at another place text only content could work better.
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Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts offer possibilities for short-form storytelling that is appropriate for quick attention and reaching a broad audience. Conversely, audio storytelling is ideal for entertaining audiences on the go. Podcasts or audio actings allow for a more personal experience, leveraging voice, sound effects, and music to sweeten the narrative. It's perfect for creating an emotive bond with listeners. Also, another way is traditional print books or digital e-books offer a traditional and universal platform for storytelling. So, choose what works for you and you are comfortable with.
Once you have chosen your platform, you need to adapt your format to fit the style, tone, and length of each one. Different platforms have different conventions and expectations, so you need to follow them to avoid confusing or boring your audience. For example, if you are telling a story on a blog, you might use headings, subheadings, paragraphs, and images, while if you are telling a story on a video, you might use scenes, transitions, captions, and music. You also need to adjust your language, voice, and tone to match the platform and the audience.
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Understand your audience on each platform. Who are you trying to target? What kind of language resonates with them? If you’re telling a story, figure out how you’re going to reach your audience. Is it a video, caption, carousel? Figure out how your voice will translate on each platform.
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This also means you may want to "serialize" your story for some shorter-form platforms, whereas on a blog, you can publish quite lengthy pieces all in one go.
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Adapt your stories to fit each platform's language and features, making sure they sparkle wherever they go. Making your stories shine on all platforms is like being a chameleon of content. Mold your content to match what people like on each spot. Quick and snappy for social media, more chit-chat for blogs, and flashy visuals for Instagram. Adjust your style like you're changing outfits. Stay flexible with your format; it's like rocking different hairstyles for different moods. Basically, you're the storyteller who slays on every digital stage!
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Be format flexible. Adapt your story to fit the format of each platform. A blog post might become a series of tweets on X or an infographic on Instagram. The essence of your story remains the same, but the format changes to suit the platform.
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Telling a better story, regardless of the media platform, all comes down to how you structure it. If you level this up then your storytelling will level up across all of your platforms. Through my lens and my unique storytelling model, the sprout model, if you can consider the 6 key layers ... Impact, People, Start Point, Main Event, End Point and Nurture .. and ensure each are incorporated ... then you will see clear improvements.
Another way to make your stories work on all platforms is to use cross-platform strategies that link and leverage your content across different channels. For example, you can use teasers, trailers, summaries, or snippets to promote your story on one platform and direct your audience to another one where they can access the full story. You can also use hashtags, keywords, or calls to action to encourage your audience to share, comment, or interact with your story on different platforms. This way, you can increase your reach, engagement, and loyalty.
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Considere adotar uma narrativa em camadas, onde diferentes aspectos da sua história são destacados em plataformas variadas. Por exemplo, você pode compartilhar os bastidores no Instagram, discutir os temas centrais em um podcast e aprofundar-se nos personagens principais em um blog. Essa abordagem 'transmídia' cria um ecossistema de conteúdo que enriquece a experiência do público, permitindo-lhes mergulhar na história de múltiplas formas. Além disso, considere parcerias estratégicas com influenciadores ou outras marcas em diferentes plataformas para expandir o alcance da sua história. Isso não só aumenta a visibilidade, mas também adiciona camadas de credibilidade e diversidade ao seu conteúdo.
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However, be careful not to expect your audience to always change platforms to 'follow' your story. Give them the "payoff" on the platform where they are, and also offer additional context.
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A.Leverage cross-platform strategies to optimize your stories across channels. Employ teasers, trailers, summaries, or snippets to promote your content on one platform and guide users to another for the complete story. Utilize hashtags, keywords, or calls to action to prompt audience interaction, encouraging sharing and comments on various platforms. This approach enhances reach, engagement, and loyalty by seamlessly connecting your audience with your stories across different channels, creating a cohesive and impactful storytelling experience.Z
The final step to making your stories work on all platforms is to test and optimize your content based on the results and feedback you get. Different platforms have different metrics and indicators that can help you measure the performance and impact of your stories. For example, you can use views, likes, comments, or shares to assess the popularity of your story on social media, or you can use downloads, ratings, reviews, or subscriptions to assess the quality of your story on a podcast. You can also use surveys, polls, or interviews to get more qualitative feedback from your audience. Based on the data and insights you collect, you can improve your stories and make them more effective and appealing on all platforms.
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Without experimenting and testing different things, it’s impossible to find which type of content is resonating with the audience. There’s no one size that fits all. Understanding the data and analytics can help in building further content strategy accordingly.
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A.Testing and optimizing your content is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of your stories across platforms. Different metrics on various platforms provide insights into performance and impact. For social media, evaluate views, likes, comments, and shares, while podcasts may benefit from assessing downloads, ratings, reviews, or subscriptions. Qualitative feedback through surveys, polls, or interviews further refines your understanding. Utilize the collected data to enhance and tailor your stories, making them more appealing and effective across all platforms based on audience preferences and engagement.Z
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Adding to the 'test and optimize' recommendation, I will add "don't be afraid to try new things". You never know what might happen if you take a bit of a risk to try something new. In all cases, you will learn something from it.
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You can follow these easy steps that have worked for me and the brands I have worked with. 1. Consistent messaging- Now make sure your message stays consistent. Don't contradict yourself to please people, (especially if they aren't your target audience) 2. Adaptation for each platform- Tailor your brand story to fit the specific format and audience. ex- Yout might have a slow start in a blog, but you would start with a hook in Twitter/X. 3. Visual Cohesion- You can use the same colour, fonts and imagery. 4. Interaction- Encourage interaction in every platform. Comment! Subscribe? Upvote, or whatever it is. 5. Analytics and feedback- In the end, you would only know your customers when you listen to them so stay ready to iterate.
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Motives of people active on a variety of platforms might be different, but they all are same. They are human. Write stories for humans, that's all you'll require.
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Leverage Platform Strengths. Different platforms have different strengths—visual, textual, or interactive. Use these to your advantage. E.g. Use Instagram Stories or Reels for quick, engaging video snippets, LinkedIn for in-depth articles or professional updates, and Twitter for real-time updates and conversations.
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Supongo que da igual la plataforma. Lo importante es que lo que contemos aporte, importe y haga de este mundo un lugar un poquito más amable y mejor. Si cumple estos requisitos, no habrá red o plataforma que se resista. Los seres humanos estamos sedientos de verdad.
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