The Art of Storytelling Through Social Media

You must tell a story if you want your content to succeed on the internet; it must be engaging and informative. From a young age, storytelling draws a human’s interest. As we grow older, we never lose our desire for excellent stories; that’s why we read books, watch movies, and enjoy TV shows.

That’s why the most successful content—whether written or video content—has a story behind it.

Does Storytelling Work in Content Marketing?

So we know storytelling works in Hollywood, but how do we know it works in content marketing? In short, it absolutely does!

Storytelling appeals to human nature. As a result, it drives robust results for content marketers.

Around 500 million people watch Instagram stories daily, and research shows that stories are 22% more memorable than facts.

How to Use Stories in Your Content Marketing

There are many storytelling possibilities with your content marketing. You can tell stories through informative guides, industry news, the latest trends, etc. However, the most vital aspect is attracting your audience’s attention.

Here are some popular storytelling methods:

• Written blog posts
• Videos (vlogs)
• E-books
• Podcasts
• Radio stories
• A photo story

5 Tips for Creating Content Marketing Stories

1. Keep it unpretentious: Make the story as real and relatable as possible.
2. Use emotions: You should use emotions to connect with your audience.
3. Stick to the point: Don’t lose focus on your story within the content.
4. Throw in some facts: Although facts aren’t always necessary, they can add some authority to the story.
5. Use a cliff-hanger: Leave your readers or watchers wanting more.

Which Format Should You Use for Your Stories?

Video Content

One of the most popular ways of creating content with excellent storytelling is through videos. Corporate videos are ideal for sharing your company’s story and image.

In addition, testimonial videos can showcase your company’s services and products. Suppose you’re launching a new product or service? Product launch videos are another excellent storytelling option.

Here are some tips for creating excellent video stories:

1. Use excellent video editing: Having superb video editing can transform a boring video into a storytelling masterpiece
2. Be creative: There are millions of videos hitting social media daily, so you need to be creative with your videos to stand out.
3. Use humour: it’s not always easy to be humorous in video content, but it’s excellent if you do it correctly.
4. Keep things short and snappy: Although long-form stories are popular on YouTube, viewers enjoy quick-form video content on TikTok and Instagram.

Image Content

Images can also be a brilliant storytelling tool. However, you should use images sparsely and only use them if they add value to a story. For example, too many images can spoil a written blog’s appearance and make the reader lose focus.

Different types of images for storytelling:

• Memes
• Charts
• Graphs
• Animated GIFs
• Illustrations

Choose your image wisely. Memes probably aren’t the best option if you’re writing a serious blog on healthcare.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are the images relevant to my story?
• Do they add value to the reader?
• Do the photos look professional? Too many stock photos could make your brand look tacky.
• Are the images appropriate for your audience?
• Will the images force people to keep reading?

If you answer any of these questions with a no, reconsider using the images in your content. Remember, quality over quantity is an excellent motto in content marketing.

Instagram still has immense popularity in 2022. Some of the best Instagram images have a story behind them. However, it can be challenging—unless you have an excellent photographer—to create a narrative with only a picture.

Many top Instagram content creators write excellent, gripping captions under their photos to showcase the story behind the photo. Brands can hire copywriters to write tremendous captions.

Audio Content

Podcasts have exploded in popularity in the last five years, and many companies have started podcasts. If you execute the podcasts correctly—with an excellent format, audio quality, and content—you can tell unique stories through podcasts.

Here are some statistics on podcasts:

• Around 144 million Americans over the age of 12 have listened to podcasts.
• Roughly 32% of Americans listen to podcasts monthly.
• Approximately 74% of podcast listeners use podcasts to discover new things.

Follow these tips to create the best stories in your podcasts:

1. Exposition: Introduce the story, and state what you’ll discuss.
2. Rising Action: Create tension as the podcast continues.
3. Climax: Have an outstanding climax.
4. Falling action: Create a resolution to the podcast.
5. Resolution: Complete the story.

Final Thoughts

Creating the best content requires storytelling. Learn to master storytelling and watch your content engagement shoot through the roof today.