5 tips on how to create your storytelling campaign

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Storytelling connects. Whether it is between two individuals or between a person and a company, a story helps us understand what the other is saying.

When creating a PR, marketing or social media campaign, storytelling helps you connect with your audience. It helps you get your message across is a simple and easy manner. Stories help your audience understand complex information and experiences.

I truly believe that storytelling is the way forward when it comes to creating great campaigns. To help, I’ve put together 5 tips for how to create your next storytelling campaign.

1. Remember story structure

Every story has a structure. A beginning, middle and end. It is this structure that helps us understand and follow the message. The structure is was engages us and keeps us coming back for more. Why do we all secretly love awful reality tv shows and keep watching? Structure.

Your campaign should be no different. When using storytelling in your campaign you should apply a trusted and reliable storytelling structure.

Personally I follow the three-act structure:

This structure splits the story into three acts with all the details needed to get from one to the other (the turning point) and keep your audience hooked.

2. Pay attention to your audience’s values

When creating any campaign you need to be aware of your audience’s values. Ask yourself:

• What do they believe in?
• What are they looking for?
• Who do they trust?
• What other sources do they read?

Answering these questions will help you to align yourself with your audience and fully understand what it is they’re looking for.

Create your campaign around these values.

3. Create your main character

Every story needs a hero or heroine. Someone the audience can root for and see themselves in.

Your main character doesn’t need to be a person, your CEO or a member of your team. It can be the product you’re pushing or the service you are providing.

Make sure your main character goes on a journey throughout the story. Let them have a goal and overcome adversity to achieve it. Take your main character through the three-act structure, giving them personality and characteristics that your audience will love along the way.

4. Choose the type of story you want to tell

When it comes to choosing the right type of story to tell in your campaign there are few tried and tested options. Research has shown there are really only seven different types of stories. The challenge is finding the best one for you. You can choose between:

1. Overcoming an enemy or villain.
2. Renewal.
3. Mission.
4. Journey and return.
5. Rags to riches.
6. Tragedy.
7. Comedy.

You can read more about the seven types of stories here.

5. Choose your channels

Once you have decided on the story for your campaign you can then share it with the world.?Where you want to share it matters because each platform has its pros and cons.

Choose your channels based on where your audience is most active. Ask yourself:

• Is your target audience engaged there?
• Can you make your campaign stand out?
• Does this channel add value?

The campaign needs to be formatted for each channel on which you choose to broadcast. If you want it in print you will need a good quote to accompany the piece. If the campaign is to live on social a great video accompanying the piece will work well.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my tips on creating an impactful storytelling campaign.

I hope these insights inspire your next project and help you connect with your audience in meaningful ways.

See you again, super soon!

- Lakshit Sharma

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