How to Tell Damn Good Stories That Move People (and Brands)

Ah yes, storytelling. A common buzzword in the insights industry. And how hard can it be really? We’re all human. We’ve been hearing nursery rhymes and writing high school essays since we were kids. It should be second nature, right?

This got us thinking… 

What makes for good storytelling?

Why do so many insight agencies like to talk about storytelling? 

And even more importantly, what does good storytelling in research do for a brand?

At The Sound, this is something we’ve thought a lot about. One would argue almost obsessively. It seems every insights professional (and their dog) claim to be “good storytellers”. And who’s to say they’re not? We’re not going to sit here and cite articles, storytelling frameworks and psychological theories to convince you that we’re literary geniuses. Nope. We’re researchers, consultants, and strategists… people simply curious about other people. Who they are. What they think. How they feel. And then we tell our clients a story about it and what it means for their brand. 

So, here’s what we’ve learned over the years (through a shit ton of trial and error), about what makes for good storytelling… and most importantly, how we’ve seen it benefit our clients.

 

But first, there’s a difference between reporting findings and telling a good story.

I’m sure if you’ve been in the insights industry for as long as we have you will have seen, reviewed, and sat through many research debriefs. You know the ones, that “report the findings”.

People said this.

People said that.

People do this.

People do that.

People want this.

People don’t want that.

Essentially, a series of observations. Facts. Mainly around behavior. And as you read each headline, one by one… you feel slightly more informed (yes!), but there’s something missing. Something big. Something important. And you leave the call or conference room feeling, well, empty.

But why? Because reporting a bunch of “findings” as a series of headlines in a deck isn’t telling a good story. Telling a good story is something very different. It goes much deeper than that. It’s more intentional. More human.

 

Ultimately, telling a good story to our clients vs. just reporting back to them is about engaging brands with people. 

In order for brand teams to make good decisions, they need to understand their audience on a much deeper level than just behavior and observation. 

• They need to understand how and even more importantly why people feel, think and behave the way they do. 
• They need to empathize with their lived experience. 
• And most importantly, they need to understand how their brand (particularly their values) overlap with what really matters to people and how they live their lives.
  

Our intent isn’t to reduce storytelling down to a simple set of rules or principles. We’ve just found it important to remind ourselves (especially in the age of AI) of the magic of human storytelling and how it can help brands achieve their outcomes.

Essentially, good storytelling becomes the binding agent between the brand and the people it serves. A way for clients to truly connect with human insight. So they perk up. Listen. Lean in. And most importantly, feel inspired enough to actually DO something about it. 

And when it’s done well, it’s f*cking magic. 

Here are some things that help us at The Sound tell damn good stories that truly make a difference to brands…

1. Good storytelling always (always) explains the “why”

As insight professionals it’s our job to ask the very simple question “why?”.

• Yes people engage less with category X, but why? 
• Yes people prefer this brand over the other, but why? 
• Yes people engage with concept A over concept B, but why? 

In other words, what’s the underlying emotion, motivation, need compelling them to feel, think, behave in a certain way? Is it because of the disconnection they feel from their family? Is it because they feel uncomfortable with growing older? Is it because they feel a brand has let them down in the past? This doesn’t mean identifying a person’s deep-seated trauma. There’s nothing Freudian about it. It’s simply caring enough to ask  “why?” and making sure that “why” is included in the stories we tell our clients. This will help them connect their brand’s purpose to real, human, lived experience, making any decision they make that much more meaningful.

 

2. Good storytelling starts with context

Yes, we’re writing stories for brands. People who want to sell things to other people. But regular human beings don’t just live to consume things. They consume things within the context of how they live. This includes the world they live in – politically, socially, economically, environmentally. This includes the social groups and communities they’re a part of – their neighborhood, church, chess club, soccer team, minecraft faction. This includes the relationships and roles they maintain – as mothers, fathers, parents, employees, best friends, yoga enthusiasts. We need to consider all of the spheres of influence Bronfenbrenner so cleverly identified. Because that elusive “why” we’re searching for is often found by better understanding what people have been shaped by or the context they live in.

 

3. Good storytelling flows

In other words, good stories need to have a clear beginning, middle, and end. They need to be organized in a way that makes intuitive sense. Where sections are clearly identified. Where the headlines read like a conversation you’re having with an old friend. Where the reader not only understands what’s being communicated but they can also anticipate where the story is going next: 

People are like this. 

They do these things. 

They feel this way. 

But they struggle with that. 

Their relationship with the category is like this. 

But they’re challenged by that. 

So they do this instead. 

This is how they connect with the brand. 

But this is how they don’t connect with the brand. 

So here’s the big strategic challenge. 

And here’s the big strategic opportunity. 

And this is what the brand needs to do about it. 

The end.

It might sound basic but poor story structuring can send a client on a wild good chase they never signed up for. No one’s interested in reading a researcher’s stream of consciousness. Clients are interested in a story about their audience that naturally unfolds. So they aren’t spending their time navigating through chaos, and instead can do what they’re supposed to be doing – which is digesting the insight and understanding what it means for their brand.

 

4. Good storytelling is about people.

Not about categories or even brands. Surprised? Let us explain. A common narrative trap insight professionals fall into when developing a narrative is writing from the perspective of anything but the audience.

• Writing from the perspective of category (e.g. The toothpaste category is flooded with choice) vs. from the perspective of people (e.g. People feel overwhelmed in the toothpaste aisle. Their options all start looking the same.).
• Writing from the perspective of the brand (e.g. Brand X is primarily associated with the wild west and old fashioned whiskey) vs. from the perspective of people (e.g. People immediately associate Brand X with the wild, wild west and old fashioned whiskey that will put hair on your chest.”).   
• Or heaven for forbid, writing from the perspective of the researcher! (e.g. We found that many consumers are unaware of what their internet speed is.) vs. the perspective of people (e.g. People have no idea what their internet speed is. But they do pay attention when it goes down.).

A small adjustment in language makes a big difference. It immediately places people at the heart of the story. So our client can see the world, their category, their brand through the eyes of their audience, and make decisions for them, rather than just for their brand. 

 

5. Good storytelling makes connections

The human brain loves to make connections. Why? Because it’s essential… for survival! A little dramatic I know, but it’s true. By linking new information to existing knowledge, it creates neural shortcuts that save energy and allow us to predict future outcomes. Our brains even reward themselves with hits of dopamine when connections are made. That’s why making connections in research narratives is so important. 

• Connections between what’s going on in the world and how a target feels about their lives. 
• Connections between how a target feels about themselves and how they engage in a category. 
• Connections between what a target values in life and their relationship with a brand. 

And then finding a way to connect all of those connections, so a brand can see where they fit. So they can identify the parts of an audience’s lived experience they can support, serve, or solve for. 

 

6. Good storytelling has tension

Because human beings are full of it. Tension that is. They want this but they want that. They feel this way but also feel that way. They believe in one thing but then do the complete opposite. Feeling tension between two or more things, whether that be feelings, values, behaviors, aspirations… signals a need for resolution. Like an itch that needs scratching. In the case of good storytelling, at The Sound, we make sure our clients can reach that itch. We find ways to clearly (and compellingly) illuminate the tensions people feel in the stories we tell because those tensions can quickly become opportunities for the brand to solve.

7. Good storytelling challenges biases

We all make assumptions about other people, including our clients. It’s only human to assume certain things about an audience. But if we don’t challenge these assumptions they can turn into biases. Become hard wired. And possibly taint our (and the brand’s) understanding of the audience’s true nature. Why do we have biases? Not because we’re lazy or nasty people but because our brains look for shortcuts, paths of least resistance. 

• All moms make dinner at home. 
• All teenagers like to eat sticky, sugary snacks. 
• All college students like to party.
• All people who live in rural areas ride horses.
  

Obviously, all not true. So as good storytellers, we make a point to identify potential assumptions and biases our clients may have… and early. At The Sound, we start every project with a “Success Session” where we align on the assignment and approach, but also encourage our clients to talk openly about assumptions they might have going in. And when we write our narratives we make sure to come right back to those assumptions, look them dead in the face, and flip them on their head when necessary.

 

8. Good storytelling gets attention

No brand team wants to sit through a 90 minute debrief, after months of running a project, and spending tens of thousands of dollars of their research budget, to walk away thinking to themselves “Well, that was interesting… but what did we learn again?”. Ouch. This is why a big part of good storytelling is to ensure our audience leaves with something. Something to chew on. Something that sticks. Something they’ll remember 10 years down the road. “Sound Bites” as we like to call them. Those big, juicy insights that are so meaningful they hang on a client’s consciousness long after the project is done. 

• This could be one headline that lives on an impact slide in a deck.
• This could be a beautifully designed model that explains a human tension.
• This could be a professionally edited film that brings to life a target audience. 
• Or this could be in single verbatim from Sandra who lives in Cedarburg, Wisconsin that just says it all. 

Whatever it is, it has to land with enough weight in a story to have impact, and change the way a brand goes about their business.    

 

9. Good storytelling tells you what to do next

So here’s the thing. You can tell the most beautiful, compelling, emotionally engaging story that leaves the client laughing, crying and screaming out for more. But if the story doesn’t lead to a solid set of recommendations, it ain’t good. The advice at the end of a narrative, or what we like to refer to as ‘The Sound Advice’ (see what we did there?) can make or break a story. At the very least, the recommendations section must do 3 things: 

1. Clearly and boldly state the strategic challenge for the brand.
2. Clearly and boldly state the strategic opportunity for the brand. 
3. Provide specific recommendations for how the brand can use said opportunity, again from the perspective of people. 

But what makes advice truly useful is that it tells the brand team what they need to do next. Not in a bossy way. But in a way that makes them a little uncomfortable. Where they’ll listen. To encourage them to simultaneously put themselves in the shoes of their audience and their brand, and imagine what next steps could look like.   

So, how do we know if we’ve told a good story?

Well, it’s all in how the client reacts to what we present in a debrief. 

• Their eyes light up. 
• They smile.
• They get quiet, but in a good way.
• They might nod profusely and write things down.
• They relate to the work by sharing a personal story. 
• They start to use our language. 
• They start asking themselves questions. Big questions. Tough questions. 
• They begin connecting the work to other work they’ve been doing. 
• They show interest in socializing it within their organization. 
• They follow up years later just to tell us what they did with the work. 
• Oh and then they send us another RFP.

Then we know we’ve told a damn good story.

Interested in hearing a good story about your audience and brand. Give us a shout. We’re happy to help.