What's your strategy for selecting media and formats to tell your story?

Here are the best storytelling tips: - Engaging Opener: - Start with a captivating hook or question. - Relatable Characters: - Introduce characters or situations your audience can connect with. - Emotional Appeal: - Evoke emotions to keep the audience invested. - Conflict and Resolution: - Present challenges and provide satisfying resolutions. - Clear Message: - Convey a clear and impactful message. - Visual Imagery: - Use descriptive language for vivid mental images. - Consistent Tone: - Maintain a conversational and relatable tone throughout. 💜

It all starts not by just knowing your audience, but by defining them too. Who are they? What is their title? Their age? Their psychographic? Define them, then get to know them.

Observing what type of formats your audience engages with can help you in deciding what should be the format of your story as well. Also you can experiment different types of formats with A/B testing or refer to past stories. These can give good insights on the types of content that resonate with your audience.

Taking the time to understand where your audience lives and what they choose to engage with is critical. This information allows you to make intentional decisions about the formats in which you plan to share your story. Some examples of different storytelling formats you can consider are: - Gamification - Text - Video - Multi-media If you're unsure about the format that resonates best with your audience, you can always use surveys or empathy interviews to learn more.

When choosing media and formats for storytelling, I focus on how I want my story to be told based on the content. For instance, short films are great for conveying a story in a brief time through visuals and sounds. They can capture attention and evoke emotions. Podcasts, on the other hand, allow me to narrate longer, more detailed stories with sound effects and voices. Both formats have their own strengths for engaging people and bringing stories to life in different ways, and I enjoy using them to create impactful and memorable storytelling experiences.

Here is part of this Storytelling tip. - Show, Don't Tell: - Paint a picture with details; let the audience visualize. - Pacing Matters: - Balance fast-paced and reflective moments for engagement. - Unexpected Twists: - Add surprises to maintain interest and keep them guessing. - Authenticity Wins: - Be genuine, share personal anecdotes for a human touch. - Relevance to Audience: - Ensure the story resonates; connect to their experiences. - Leave Room for Imagination: - Don't over-explain; let the audience interpret. - Closure and Reflection: - Could you provide a satisfying conclusion and room for takeaway? 💜

Every strong and compelling story has a beginning, middle, and end. Identifying your primary purpose for telling a given story is key to understanding what those elements are. For example, if your purpose is to provide advice, you may begin with a personal antidote. Then, in the middle explain what you learned from that experience and share how your audience can use that information in their own lives at the end. Since what you share and how you share it can always change depending on your purpose, it's important to recognize this early in the storytelling process.

The purpose of a story, beyond ideal audience connection, should centre on the core message you're trying to convey. This might have to do with how your audience remembers your story. It might have to do with an action you'd like them to take. Storytelling for business is part of your marketing and communications toolkit and every story you tell is a micro-component of that toolkit. When you think of a story you'd like to share, always make your next question: What's in it for my audience? Once you're clear on that, you can select the format/media that will support the core message you're working towards communicating to your audience.

Every story has a heartbeat—a core message that needs to be conveyed. Once I have that, I match it to the most effective medium. A complex data story might benefit from an interactive infographic or a detailed blog post, while a motivational success story might shine brightest in a short, punchy video.

🎯 Set your story's mission! Clearly state your goals and what you aim to achieve. 🚀 What's the core message you want to convey, and what action do you want from your audience? 🔍 This step helps you pick the perfect media and format to support your story's flow, emotion, and persuasion! 🎨 For instance, if you're dropping knowledge bombs on a complex topic, throw in some sleek diagrams, charts, or snazzy infographics to simplify and jazz up the data. 📊 If you're all about serving up laughs with a hilarious tale, spice it up with animations, cartoons, or memes to sprinkle that extra fun and pizzazz! 🌟

Keep in mind that the best stories are the ones that connect to your audience's own experiences. Your stories have to connect to some larger experience that we all have or relate to. Your story has to have a purpose for existing and needs to make some statement of what it means to be your audience; to be human. A litmus test: why does your story matter to every person on Earth? Once you have that answer, you're on to something good.

Part 3 of the storytelling tips. - Simple Language: - Use clear and concise language for easy understanding. - Consistent Tone: - Maintain a conversational and relatable tone. - Cohesive Structure: - Ensure a logical flow from beginning to end. - Repetition for Emphasis: - Emphasize key points through subtle repetition. - Align with Purpose: - Ensure the story aligns with your overall message or goal. - Audience Engagement: - Encourage interaction or reflection from your audience. - Practice and Refine: - Rehearse your storytelling; refine based on feedback. 💜

If there are multiple formats and media outlets that you want to share your story through, you can always use a multi-media approach. This would entail telling the larger story in one space, in one way, and then segmenting smaller pieces across other formats and platforms. With this approach, you can also increase the reach of one singular story and encourage people to engage with each additional segment. Ultimately, working to grow your overall engagement.

1. Assess the Story's Nature. The type of story you're telling often dictates the best format. For example, complex data might be better presented through an infographic or interactive dashboard, while a personal narrative might resonate more through a podcast or video. 2. Emphasize Accessibility. Ensure your content is accessible to all audiences, including those with disabilities. This might mean adding captions to videos, providing transcripts for audio content, or using alt text for images. 3. Utilize Visual Elements. Visuals are powerful. Infographics, videos, and images can make abstract or complex ideas more accessible and engaging. They capture attention quickly and can convey a lot of information succinctly.

Know your audience. Video works well for some, others prefer to scan. Do they want every detail, or just the main points? The most important thing is to keep it simple. Run your content through the corporate jargon filter and get it all out. Corporate jargon is fun to write because it makes you feel like you're in a select, smart group. It is not as much fun to read because it makes you feel that you are not in that group.