## This Week's Theme: Storytelling

Week 5 dives into the power of storytelling for brands and businesses. Adam and Alicia explore how narrative principles and practices can help you connect with different types of people, from crafting the anatomy of a great story to telling engaging narratives in short-form video.

## What to Expect This Week

- Marc Gutman on the anatomy of a great story

- William Hardaway on how brands can go beyond images to demonstrate cultural diversity through storytelling

- Mo Ismail on telling engaging stories in short video timeframes on Instagram and TikTok

- Marc Gutman (again) on how storytelling helps a brand on social media

## About Strategize This

Season 2 of Strategize This brings focused, one-question episodes — short conversations that get straight to the value. Hosted by Adam Matossian and Alicia Jones.

## In This Episode

Video strategist Mo Ismail tackles the question of what matters most when creating video content: production quality, content quality, or speed to publish. Mo argues that for most creators and brands trying to build awareness and community, speed to market wins — because someone in your audience may need your message today, and waiting for perfect production means they never hear it. He then lays out a practical content calendar framework that lets creators do both.

## Key Takeaways

- Speed to market beats production quality for awareness-building — if your goal is growing a following and converting it into sales, consistent daily presence matters more than cinematic monthly videos

- "Best known beats best" — your audience needs regular exposure and a consistent commitment that shows you are intentional about serving them, like showing up every day at the cafeteria with your friends

- Balance both with a practical framework: dedicate one polished, high-production video per month, then fill the rest with 15-30 talking-head clips pulled from a single hour-long interview session

- Video is a medium to communicate, not a film to perfect — Mo emphasizes that waiting on gear or perfect conditions limits your responsibility to your audience to deliver the message they need

## About Mo Ismail

Mo Ismail is a video strategist helping digital entrepreneurs, course creators, digital product sellers, and thought leaders explode their video content, create fans, and make money through banger videos.

## Connect

- Hosted by [Adam Matossian](https://humms.io) and [Alicia Jones](https://designwise.ca)

- Listen on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/4oz3bKkBwv70DkFtr0Icyp) | [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategize-this/id1539086249) | [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f38f0c4c-74f5-4c9f-a267-fd763f05dca4)

## In This Episode

Marc Gutman, Chief Strategist at Wild Story, tackles the question of whether there is a right and wrong way to tell a story on social media. Marc draws a parallel between social media and television — just as TV shows entertain first and sell through commercials, brands should lead with engaging stories rather than sales pitches. He argues that authentic, specific personal stories outperform generic advice, and that the more specific you get with story details, the more universally people connect with them.

## Key Takeaways

- Social media works like the TV model — lead with entertainment and value, not sales pitches; the audience gives their attention in exchange for content worth consuming

- Tell personal, specific stories rather than sharing generalities — specificity creates more connection points for your audience to latch onto, making the story paradoxically more universal

- Apply the "would I read this?" test to every piece of content before publishing — Marc admits to pausing his own newsletter for months because the drafts failed this test

- Stories are significantly easier to recall than facts — your audience remembers narrative far better than checklists or stats, making storytelling a more effective medium for transmitting information

## About Marc Gutman

Marc Gutman is the Chief Strategist at Wild Story, a brand strategy and design studio located near Boulder, Colorado, focused primarily on arts and outdoor recreational clients. Marc and Wild Story are on a mission to help the world appreciate one brand at a time.

## Connect

- Hosted by [Adam Matossian](https://humms.io) and [Alicia Jones](https://designwise.ca)

- Listen on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/4oz3bKkBwv70DkFtr0Icyp) | [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategize-this/id1539086249) | [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f38f0c4c-74f5-4c9f-a267-fd763f05dca4)

## In This Episode

Mo Ismail, a video strategist helping digital entrepreneurs and thought leaders create impactful video content, answers the question: how do you come up with content topics that incite belongingness and social connection? Mo explains that social belonging is a fundamental human need — research shows that being ostracized is as painful as physical pain — and shares two concrete communication techniques creators can apply immediately.

## Key Takeaways

- Start with the story that led to the how — share the catalyst, the pain, or the experience that brought you to a lesson, rather than jumping straight to a tutorial or advice

- Use inclusive language ("we") instead of exclusive language ("you should") — this puts you on a level playing field with your audience rather than positioning yourself as a guru talking down to them

- People searching for your content are experiencing something you can help resolve — by sharing your own journey, they feel seen and acknowledged rather than lectured at

- The content that gets the most engagement is often deeply inclusive and personal — Mo notes that his longest, most vulnerable videos outperform polished short-form content

## About Mo Ismail

Mo Ismail is a video strategist helping digital entrepreneurs, course creators, digital product sellers, and thought leaders explode their video content, create fans, and make money through banger videos.

## Connect

- Hosted by [Adam Matossian](https://humms.io) and [Alicia Jones](https://designwise.ca)

- Listen on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/4oz3bKkBwv70DkFtr0Icyp) | [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategize-this/id1539086249) | [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f38f0c4c-74f5-4c9f-a267-fd763f05dca4)

## In This Episode

William Hardaway, who works at the intersection of social justice and design thinking, tackles the question of how cultural appropriation plays a role in the fashion industry. Will explains that whether something is appropriation is not determined by the creator's intent — it is determined by those receiving it. He shares how he has reimagined the design thinking process to center identity and acknowledgement before any creative work begins.

## Key Takeaways

- Appropriation is defined by those who receive it, not by those who produce it — intent does not excuse impact

- Profiting from cultural elements without permission or understanding is at the core of appropriation, especially when sacred traditions like indigenous patterns and headdresses are involved

- Traditional design thinking is flawed because it assumes a blank slate — Will's approach adds identity and acknowledgement as the first steps before ideation

- If your team lacks representation, at minimum acknowledge the gap and build checkpoints into the process to account for groups you are designing for but do not belong to

## About William Hardaway

William Hardaway works at the intersection of social justice and design thinking. After working in each field separately for over a decade, Will combined them to drive change in industries that unite people and cross borders.

## Connect

- Hosted by [Adam Matossian](https://humms.io) and [Alicia Jones](https://designwise.ca)

- Listen on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/4oz3bKkBwv70DkFtr0Icyp) | [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategize-this/id1539086249) | [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f38f0c4c-74f5-4c9f-a267-fd763f05dca4)

## This Week's Theme: Content Creation

Week 4 dives into the craft of creating content that connects, resonates, and respects your audience. From navigating cultural sensitivities in design to choosing between polish and speed, this week tackles the practical questions every brand creator faces.

## What to Expect This Week

- **William Hardaway** on how cultural appropriation plays a role in the fashion and design industry

- **Mo Ismail** on how to come up with content topics that incite belongingness and social connection

- **Marc Gutman** on whether there is a right and wrong way to tell a story on social media

- **Mo Ismail** on what matters most: video quality, content quality, or speed to publish

## About Strategize This

Season 2 of Strategize This brings focused, one-question episodes — short conversations that get straight to the value. Hosted by Adam Matossian and Alicia Jones.

## In This Episode

Manja Horner tackles one of the biggest problems in online education: course completion rates. Drawing from her own frustrations as a course purchaser and her expertise as a learning designer, she identifies the core reasons students abandon courses — from irrelevant content and overwhelming scope to poor navigation and lack of accountability. Manja places the responsibility squarely on course creators and offers a practical framework for designing courses that students actually finish.

## Key Takeaways

- Stop blaming students for not finishing — the onus is on the course creator to design for completion, starting with a proper needs analysis of what learners actually require

- Break large courses into smaller phases: John Acuff's "half the goal" principle makes content feel manageable and gives students the momentum of completing bite-sized milestones

- Design searchability into your course so students can quickly find and reference specific resources when they need them — otherwise they will just Google it instead

- Build accountability mechanisms into the program: progress tracking, assessment check-ins, peer feedback, coaching calls, and celebrations of milestones keep students from hiding behind their keyboards

- Create safe spaces for failure — like learning to sew a sock before attempting a wedding dress — so students can practice skills without high-stakes pressure

## About Manja Horner

Manja Horner is the founder of Boost Learning Development, where she helps course creators and educators take their already successful programs and transform them into their life's greatest work. She brings a passion for learner-first design and maintains a running list of reasons why people do not finish courses.

## Connect

- Hosted by [Adam Matossian](https://humms.io) and [Alicia Jones](https://designwise.ca)

- Listen on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/4oz3bKkBwv70DkFtr0Icyp) | [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategize-this/id1539086249) | [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f38f0c4c-74f5-4c9f-a267-fd763f05dca4)

## In This Episode

Marc Gutman explains the deep connection between storytelling and design thinking, arguing that both are rooted in empathetic thinking — putting yourself in the shoes of your audience and hero. He warns that storytelling can also become a trap when we rush to categorize behavior through archetypes instead of observing without bias. Marc shares a powerful client exercise: writing a journal entry from a customer's perspective without mentioning the brand, which reveals how little space your product actually occupies in someone's day.

## Key Takeaways

- Design thinking is fundamentally about empathetic thinking — understanding both your hero (the customer) and your audience before designing solutions

- Storytelling can be a trap: resist the urge to impose familiar archetypes on observed behavior instead of truly understanding what you see

- The journal-entry exercise — writing a day-in-the-life of your customer without mentioning your product — forces brands to confront how small their role really is in the customer's world

- Make your client's customer the hero of their own story, not your brand — when you remove yourself from the narrative, that is when design solutions become truly successful

## About Marc Gutman

Marc Gutman is the Chief Strategist at Wild Story, a brand strategy and design studio located near Boulder, Colorado, focused primarily on arts and outdoor recreation clients. Marc and Wild Story are on a mission to help the world play, one brand at a time.

## Connect

- Hosted by [Adam Matossian](https://humms.io) and [Alicia Jones](https://designwise.ca)

- Listen on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/4oz3bKkBwv70DkFtr0Icyp) | [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategize-this/id1539086249) | [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f38f0c4c-74f5-4c9f-a267-fd763f05dca4)

## In This Episode

Manja Horner breaks down how to choose the right topic for an online course by starting with the learner, not the content. She introduces a framework built around identifying knowledge gaps, skill gaps, and mindset gaps — the three areas that make up a complete learning journey. Using her background in violin instruction as an analogy, Manja demonstrates how to map a learner's path from where they are to where they want to be.

## Key Takeaways

- Start with your learner's pain points — survey them, interview them, run focus groups to discover their desired end state and the real issues blocking them

- Every course topic should address three types of gaps: knowledge gaps, skill gaps, and mindset or attitude gaps

- Experts tend to skip basics that are huge stumbling blocks for beginners — if learners get lost early, they bail fast

- Always run a pilot before launching: include beginners and advanced learners, use structured multi-point evaluation (observation, learner feedback, facilitator feedback), and iterate before the full launch

## About Manja Horner

Manja Horner is the founder of Boost Learning Development, where she helps course creators and educators take their already successful programs and transform them into their life's greatest work. She brings a background in instructional design and violin performance to her unique approach to learning.

## Connect

- Hosted by [Adam Matossian](https://humms.io) and [Alicia Jones](https://designwise.ca)

- Listen on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/4oz3bKkBwv70DkFtr0Icyp) | [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategize-this/id1539086249) | [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f38f0c4c-74f5-4c9f-a267-fd763f05dca4)

## This Week's Theme: Digital Products

Digital products are a hot topic for entrepreneurs seeking alternate income streams that generate revenue around the clock. This week dives into the strategy behind building courses and digital offerings that actually deliver results — from choosing the right topic to keeping students engaged all the way through.

## What to Expect This Week

- Manja Horner on how to choose a topic for an online course

- Marc Gutman on the role storytelling plays in design thinking

- Manja Horner on encouraging students to finish courses all the way through

- Manja Horner on the most effective models for online learning

## About Strategize This

Season 2 of Strategize This brings focused, one-question episodes — short conversations that get straight to the value. Hosted by Adam Matossian and Alicia Jones.