If you spend any time on LinkedIn, you probably saw the Wall Street Journal article making the rounds about how “companies are desperately seeking storytellers.” It’s a bit of a dramatic headline—like CEOs are wandering the streets looking for a bard—but the core idea isn’t wrong.
Between local news shrinking and the internet being flooded with AI-generated slop, it’s becoming incredibly hard to stand out. You can’t just announce things and hope someone notices anymore. People don’t want a dry press release or a sales pitch; they want a reason to give a damn.
That’s why stories should be the heart of your digital marketing. These are the genuine, human moments that explain why the work you do matters to people. Whether it’s on your website, in an email, or across your social media, the goal is to move away from dumping information and start sharing the “why” behind the work. A good litmus test: if a story is interesting enough to tell a friend over a drink, it probably belongs on your digital channels.
Here is how to find those stories and share them in a way that drives real results for your organization.
Nobody is Reading Your Press Releases
We’ve all developed a pretty intense internal filter for anything that looks like “marketing.” We see a shiny graphic or a corporate-looking announcement and our brains just categorize it as background noise. But we’re still wired to pay attention to people. You’ll probably ignore a brochure for a new fitness app, but you might stop for a story about an out of shape dad who used it to finally run a 5k with his kid.
Think of it like a doctor’s bio. Knowing where they went to school is fine, but hearing from the patient whose life they saved is why you actually book the appointment. People want to know what you’re doing actually works for someone like them.
There’s also a massive technical benefit to this. Algorithms on social media and even search engines prioritize engagement—shares, saves, and comments. When you share a story that people actually care about, your engagement goes up. This lowers your ad costs and boosts your organic reach because the platforms see your content as high-quality.
Finding Stories That Are Worth Sharing
Finding a good story is mostly about talking to the right people. You have to get out of the boardroom and talk to the people on the front lines—your staff, volunteers, and customers. They’re the ones seeing how your organization or business solves real problems for people every day.
That said, just because something happened doesn’t mean it’s a great story. Before you post something, run it through this filter:
- What’s the benefit? People are always subconsciously asking, “What’s in it for me?” If your story doesn’t teach them something, make them feel something, or solve a problem, it’s not ready yet.
- Example: A software company skips the technical spec sheet and instead shows how their platform saved a business owner 10 hours a week, finally giving them their weekends back.
- Who is the source? Most people don’t want to hear a scripted speech from a Director or a CEO. They want to hear from the volunteer on the ground or the person whose life was changed. Focus on the beneficiary to make the impact feel real.
- Example: A university posts a video of a student who received a scholarship describing their first day on campus, rather than a formal quote from the Dean.
- Where is the conflict? People tend to gloss over the problem because they want to get straight to the “we fixed it” part. but that’s usually the least interesting part of a story. What was the problem, and how did you help someone overcome it?
- Example: A nonprofit explains the specific legal red tape or credit barriers a family faced for months before the organization helped them finally navigate the path to a permanent home.
- Is this timely? The best stories are the ones that join a conversation people are already having. If your story is tied to what’s happening in the world right now, it’s much more likely to land.
- Example: While everyone is talking about rising grocery costs, a meal-prep business shares a story about a parent who managed to cut their weekly food bill in half using their plans.
Turning Stories Into Content
Once you know how to find a story, you need the right tools to tell it. You don’t need a massive production budget to make an impact; you just need to choose the right format for the message.
- Testimonials: A pull-quote like “This program was great!” is a nice sentiment, but it isn’t a story. Instead of just sharing the praise, try to show the arc: where the person started, the specific hurdle they faced, and how their life looks different now because of your organization’s work or your product.
- Photos: Don’t fall into the trap of waiting for a professional photoshoot before you post. A slightly imperfect iPhone photo of a real person will be more effective. People can instantly spot a staged photo, and they tend to ignore them. They’d much rather see the actual work happening in real-time, even if the lighting isn’t perfect.
- Videos: Most of us remember things we see and hear more vividly than things we just read. On social media especially, a short clip of someone talking often gets more traction than a static image because it feels more like a conversation.
Where the Story Lives
Finding a great story is only half the battle. The other half is making sure people actually see it. Rather than posting the same link everywhere, the best approach is to adapt the story for each specific platform.
- Website: Think of this as the main hub. This is where the full version of the story lives, with all the details, the best photos and video, and a call-to-action. Everything else you post should eventually lead people back here.
- Email Newsletters: Your inbox is a crowded place, so don’t dump the whole story into an email. Use a “hook”—the most interesting or surprising part of the story—to get people curious enough to click through to your site for the rest.
- Social Media: Social platforms are built for quick browsing. Take that one long story and break it into smaller pieces: a 15-second Reel of a key quote, a carousel of behind-the-scenes photos, or a short caption that highlights a single win.
You don’t always have to post a story the second you find it. If you have something powerful that fits a specific time of year—like a holiday or an awareness month—it’s often better to save it. You’ll get a lot more traction when the rest of the world is already talking about that topic.
When to Put Money Behind a Story
Organic reach is a great start, but sometimes a story works so well that it’s worth an investment. You can use ad spend to amplify the content that people are already responding to.
- Look for organic traction: The best way to decide what to turn into an ad is to see what’s already doing well on its own. If people are naturally sharing or commenting on a specific story, that’s your signal. Putting a budget behind a post that’s already proven to be interesting is much more effective than trying to force a boring ad on people.
- Use stories for specific goals: A good story is often the best way to get people to sign up for something. Instead of a generic “Join our list” button, you could use something like, “See how this process worked for Sarah—Download the guide.” People are more likely to share their email if they’ve already seen proof that what you’re doing actually works.
- Stay on their radar: Stories are especially effective for reaching people who already know who you are but haven’t quite committed yet. If someone visited your site and left, you can use retargeting ads to show them a testimonial or success story. It’s a much more natural reminder than just hitting them with the same sales pitch they’ve already seen.
Measuring If Your Stories Are Working
To know if your story engine is actually working, you need to look at how people are behaving, not just how many people saw the post.
- Outcomes: The main goal is to see if the story led to something tangible—like a purchase, donation, signup, etc. You can track these conversions to see if a specific story is actually getting people to take the next step.
- Efficiency: When a story is interesting, people click on it more often. Ad platforms notice this and reward you by lowering your “Cost Per Click.” If your ads are getting cheaper, it’s usually because your content feels human enough that the algorithm thinks it’s high-quality.
- Engagement: Use social shares and email open rates to gauge how much the story resonated with your audience. When people send your content to their friends or colleagues, it’s a clear sign they found it useful or interesting enough to share.
Share What People Actually Care About
You don’t need a dedicated newsroom or a massive creative team to become a better storyteller. Most of the time, you just need to be on the lookout for those extraordinary moments that happen in the middle of your everyday work.
If you want a partner to help you find these stories and turn them into a digital strategy that actually works, reach out and let’s talk.