I’m all for demystifying storytelling. Changing the narrative, if you excuse the pun, and making learning to tell your story much more accessible and a lot less daunting. It’s one of the reasons why I started this podcast and what motivates me to keep going. So strap yourself in, as I tackle one of the biggest misconceptions about storytelling.

1. Storytelling can only be used when being really creative or “fun”.  It’s not for corporate marketing or serious issues.

Wrong. Storytelling is a way to get your message not only heard but embedded in the hearts and minds of your audience. Charities such a Mind and Crisis are great examples of organisations that have really mastered this.

2. A story has to start with ‘once upon a time’ and end with ‘and then they lived happily ever after.’

Not all stories are fairy tales. Stories are a great way to start serious conversations and can humanise subjects that are other wise hard to talk about. Check out Humans of New York or Humans of Covid 19 for incredible examples of this.

3.  Storytelling can only be used for nice ‘lifestyle-type’ products.

Codswallop. Just take a look at the Maersk instagram account if you want to see a real-life example of this; compelling storytelling about shipping containers, who’d have thunk it?

Want to continue the conversation or get some extra support with telling your story?

Find me:

On Instagram: @22storiesandme

On LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hilarysalzman

Online: www.22-stories.com

This podcast is produced by the brilliant Suzi @story_publishing