Storytelling: the 5 "S" rule for telling the right story

Now that you know what storytelling is and its types, let’s see how to use it effectively to make your project’s values known, connect with your users or differentiate yourself from the competition. And for this, you not only need to have the right story; you also need to know how to tell it. Here are five ways to do it:

1. Situation. This will help you create the appropriate setting for your story. Avoid too many protagonists, places, or dates; to do this, ask yourself:

- Who is telling the story?\

• When and where does it take place?\
• What challenges do the characters face?\
• And most importantly: why is this narrative being shared?

Write down the answers to these questions and you will have a roadmap to build your story.

1. Sincerity. What you tell must be realistic. If your project is small or still in its early stages, don’t try to make it seem more powerful. If you offer a highly specialized product or service, don’t imply that it can solve any problem.
2. Simplicity. Ideally, every storytelling narrative should end with a call to action. So, don’t complicate things unnecessarily. Keep the narrative simple and the ending will be unambiguous. After all the work needed to build a story, the last thing you want is for your potential customers not to understand the message!
3. Solidness. Maintain a consistent style, tone, and content. For example, creating stories that feature recurring characters is perfectly valid: you can use them in different stories, and that way your user will remember them and associate them with your project.
4. Sync. In other words, make your audience empathize with the protagonists. Offer someone with whom the user can identify, someone they can journey the same emotional path with. This way, they will truly connect with your idea.

Image by drobotdean on Freepik.