No one has a monopoly on telling stories. Many artists, writers, filmmakers, marketers have their own unique ways of telling a story.
Writing stories for your brand is no different. We borrow the mediums of artists and storytellers to tell our own story that brings value to those reading or watching.
A novelist’s work is one of the most refined and oldest ways to tell a story: through the simple act of writing with the pages of a novel describing character, actions and dialogue.
On the other side of the spectrum, journalists use writing to craft their stories into practical and digestible formats that can be understood by an audience quickly.
As content marketers, we have the luxury of taking the best techniques of these two creative professions to create healthy practices that produce useful content that doesn't take weeks, months, years to create.
Think like a novelist
The elements of a story are laid bare in its purest form in novels. No matter the category, we can follow the path of a protagonist and see their story come to life.
Always invest some time and thought into how you can structure your content like a piece of fiction. This goes beyond a beginning, a middle or an end.
There are literally dozens of ways you can plan a story that follows a natural path that audiences recognise from start to finish.
Try to infuse all your content with a traditional story structure. Even for content forms like advice pieces, white-papers, thought leadership content or even essays. Finding a structure to your content that has a recognisable protagonist, a villain and a satisfying ending can be incredibly useful.
It’s easy to transplant story elements into your content. The villain of your piece could be procrastination, joblessness or fears. The catalyst arc for your story could be sharing a personal experience and showing how you finally defeat your villain in the climax of the story.
Write like a journalist
In the industry, journalists don't refer to their work as “reports” or “news pieces”. They always call their work “stories”. The distinction is important. Reports are typically dry, procedural documents. Stories are something people can related to.
A journalist’s job is to write a story to a firm deadline and convey the most important information in an instant.
Don’t start telling your neighbour the story about Hansel and Gretel with “Once a upon a time…” Start with the best bit: “Did you hear about the two kids who were almost cooked alive and eaten by a witch?”
After you’ve agreed to a specific style of writing using a novelist approach for your content, borrowing techniques from journalists can speed up your process and drive the core piece of information to your audience.
One of the biggest roadblocks in writing is getting started. A great way to put words on the page straight away is to use the “over the fence” technique: how would you tell your neighbour about a recent event? What is the most interesting and easiest way to tell your neighbour about your story?
You wouldn’t start with an introduction. You would tell them the most interesting part and fill in the details as you go.
Don’t start telling your neighbour the story about Hansel and Gretel with “Once a upon a time…” Start with the best bit: “Did you hear about the two kids who were almost cooked alive and eaten by a witch?”
That first sentence would almost always grab the most attention.
Starting with the most important detail is a foundation technique for journalists. Stick to your key facts from the beginning and follow up with hows and whys as the story goes on.
Think like a novelist. Write like a journalist: these two simple techniques can help you kick start your writing processes and create more story focused content.