Storytelling 101: The anatomy of a story and why it matters to your brand

Putting the most compelling information at the top of your story, then telling it in order of diminishing importance… It’s a structure that lends itself perfectly to the way people read online, but it also puts the audience at its centre – the essence of all good storytelling.

Stories can connect with audiences like nothing else, making them great vehicles for marketing. But while storytelling is something marketers talk about a lot, how does it really apply to what we do every day?

Who doesn’t love a good story? Getting hooked by the plot, involved in the action and – the most important bit – driven by curiosity to discover what happens next is irresistible.

Stories are powerful, not just because they elicit emotion but because they demand interactivity. A good story is a workout for the imagination. As a reader or viewer, you put as much mental energy into connecting with a narrative as you get pleasure out of it. And a story isn’t always something you enjoy on your own – it can be a communal experience, whether you’re part of a live audience, or commenting on a TikTok. So it’s no wonder marketers talk about storytelling so much. But what exactly do they mean?

What does good storytelling look like?

As in all good stories, it’s better to show than to tell. Whether it’s Compare the Market’s Meerkats, Cadbury’s Mum’s Birthday ad, quirky offerings like Cravendale’s Barry the Biscuit Boy or adland classics that inspire instant nostalgia – provided you’re old enough you’ll never forget Papa and Nicole or the OXO Family – we all know a good tale when we see it.

These campaigns feature classic storytelling elements – hooks, heroes, compelling scenarios and developing narratives. And they stick fast in the mind, which is why stories are so effective for landing your messages.

The storytelling mix

So to rewind a bit – what exactly makes a story?

The answer is: it depends who you ask. So without getting too hung up on storytelling theory, here’s a look at some of the ingredients you can throw into the storytelling mix.

A powerful hook: This is an essential. Whatever the medium, a story has to pull the audience in from the beginning. So it needs a strong hook – something to make them stay with it. Whether it promises a problem solved or an answer given, or it’s a more subtle enticement that piques the audience’s curiosity, a compelling intro is essential, especially given short digital attention spans.

A hero/a character: The hero can be the brand, or you can see it as a representation of the customer themselves, whether that’s a person, a group of people or just implicit in the angle of the story. Whichever, the hero is what the reader or viewer will focus on.

Rising movement: This is where you inject some suspense into your story by putting the hero in peril or by introducing a conflict or challenge.

Exploration: Expanding on the problem or challenge and moving towards the next stage.

The solution: Where you provide answers that help the hero (your customers) meet their goals.

A conclusion / resolution: In most mediums you’ll want to wrap things up in a nice bow at the end. The exception is digital copywriting, where we know that people rarely read to the end of things. Instead, you might want to expend your energies on one of the most essential storytelling ingredients…

The call to action: The story doesn’t end when everything is nicely resolved. You want the reader or viewer to continue their journey with your brand. And that’s where having a powerful CTA to round off your story comes in.  

Bringing stories to life

So how do you apply storytelling to everyday marketing? There are some formats that lend themselves more easily to storytelling than others.

Customer / employee case studies – tailor-made for storytelling. Case studies can be especially powerful when they’re framed as peeks behind the scenes. Think of Inside the Ritz Hotel or the Liberty of London TV series. They were compelling because we felt we were getting a privileged insider view. But even if your case studies are more basic, you can make them compelling by using storytelling techniques. And you can help make them impactful by establishing a repeatable format to use. This will help with user understanding, as well as making them easier to create.

Customer testimonials – these can make perfect little stories, especially when you use a problem-solution structure.

Brand stories – here you have the chance to win connection and trust by telling stories about your heritage, your customers, your mission and what you stand for. Think Google’s 25 Years in Search. But you don’t have to do this directly. Think of the Christmas ads which get more elaborate each year as brands vie with each other to associate their brand with a heritage of family, community and general heart-warming-ness. John Lewis, of course, is undisputed leader in these.

The question is then, does storytelling apply to all content? What if you’re writing a list of top tips or a product page, for example? You’ll still be using some of the key storytelling elements – a strong hook, a problem or conflict posited, and a solution provided. But you might also want to bear another classic storytelling structure in mind: the inverted pyramid. This is how news stories (one of the most compelling storytelling genres) are constructed: it’s about putting the most compelling information at the top of your story, then telling it in order of diminishing importance, so by the time you get towards the end you’ll be including nice-to-haves rather than essentials. It’s a structure that lends itself perfectly to the way people read online, but it also puts the audience at its centre – the essence of all good storytelling.

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