The document provides an overview of 5 models for creating effective stories and outlines a 6-phase process for developing a sustainable culture of storytelling at an organization. The models discussed are "Stories Worth Telling", "Made to Stick", "Resonate", "Lead with a Story", and "Winning the Story Wars". For each model, the document identifies key storytelling elements and provides prompts for how to apply that element when creating stories for the nonprofit Byte Back. The overall goal is to help Byte Back identify best practices for strategic storytelling to achieve its objectives.
How to Maximize Publishing with MicrocontentVisage
Microcontent is a flexible approach that empowers you to produce relevant, real-time content that extends your brand’s reach, enhances your content marketing mix, and engages your audience—without breaking a sweat.
In a chaotic world, where storytelling, marketing, advertising & technology are beginning to intersect, the importance of branded content is rising. A deeper partnership with relevant content surely fast-tracks brand advocacy and growth.
But content marketing is not new. Brands have invested for many years in content, such as long-form film, advertiser-funded programming, advertorials or branded magazines. However several things have now evolved, including the types of brand investing in it and the mindset of the marketers behind it. Today, Brands think more like publishers and build strategies around content production and distribution.
This deck focuses on the importance and showcases the process of creating a robust content strategy.
Content Tips Tools Tactics Techniques for Winning More Business - supercharge...MarketSnare
nterested in content tips, tools, tactics, and techniques for winning more business? Stuck in a blog and social media content rut? Suffering from OPC (other people’s content) syndrom? Content calendar looking a bit, empty? Conversions, traffic, and search rankings reek? Can’t understand why you’re not getting social shares and backlinks? Tired of hearing people parrot the generic, “Just write good content” line and standard content creation methods? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this session’s for you. If it’s written or visual, live or recorded, we’ll cover it.
This document provides information about Elastic Messaging for the organization Byte Back. It includes:
1) An Elastic Messaging Platform that outlines Byte Back's mission and main message, along with supporting themes and proof points about digital inclusion, workforce development, and economic opportunity.
2) A Theory of Change section explaining how Byte Back addresses barriers like lack of access to education, technology and skilled jobs through its courses and job readiness programs.
3) Suggestions for conducting effective internal messaging workshops on a quarterly basis to discuss challenges and ensure consistent messaging across the organization and communication channels.
The document provides an analysis of current and aspirational audiences for Byte Back based on in-depth stakeholder interviews. It identifies strengths, priorities, and opportunities for Byte Back as perceived by current funders and partners. The analysis also explores how Byte Back can demonstrate strategic fit and mutual benefits to aspirational audiences like corporate CSR departments, think tanks, and local government.
Data is a powerful thing. When it's used to tell a compelling story, data becomes unforgettable. Stories bring data to life. And, if you have data to analyze, you have a story to tell, whether it’s diagnosing budget issues or explaining zoning laws.
• Tell meaningful stories that resonate with citizens, journalists, and analysts
• Define the characteristics of a data-driven story
• Create different story types based on different analytical methods
• Make stories personal and emotional for your audience
Slides Dave Skrobela recently used in his discussion w/ mentees of The Product Mentor.
Synopsis: Storytelling can be a powerful tool for a PM. We’ll take a look at some examples of effective techniques to ensure you’re telling the story you want to tell, whether that is directly in the user experience or supporting the ongoing management of the product.
The Product Mentor is a program designed to pair Product Mentors and Mentees from around the World, across all industries, from start-up to enterprise, guided by the fundamental goals…Better Decisions. Better Products. Better Product People.
Throughout the program, each mentor leads a conversation in an area of their expertise that is live streamed and available to both mentee and the broader product community.
http://TheProductMentor.com
An Analytics-Driven Approach to Becoming an Effective Brand Publisher - Long ...W2O Group
This document discusses an analytics-driven approach to becoming an effective brand publisher. It outlines challenges brands face in reaching audiences due to content overload and short attention spans. The author proposes a "Content as a Service" model with four work streams: social narrative development based on analytics; social channel strategy; content performance analysis; and participatory storytelling. The goal is to make content core to business objectives and ensure brands commit to becoming publishers.
How to Maximize Publishing with MicrocontentVisage
Microcontent is a flexible approach that empowers you to produce relevant, real-time content that extends your brand’s reach, enhances your content marketing mix, and engages your audience—without breaking a sweat.
In a chaotic world, where storytelling, marketing, advertising & technology are beginning to intersect, the importance of branded content is rising. A deeper partnership with relevant content surely fast-tracks brand advocacy and growth.
But content marketing is not new. Brands have invested for many years in content, such as long-form film, advertiser-funded programming, advertorials or branded magazines. However several things have now evolved, including the types of brand investing in it and the mindset of the marketers behind it. Today, Brands think more like publishers and build strategies around content production and distribution.
This deck focuses on the importance and showcases the process of creating a robust content strategy.
Content Tips Tools Tactics Techniques for Winning More Business - supercharge...MarketSnare
nterested in content tips, tools, tactics, and techniques for winning more business? Stuck in a blog and social media content rut? Suffering from OPC (other people’s content) syndrom? Content calendar looking a bit, empty? Conversions, traffic, and search rankings reek? Can’t understand why you’re not getting social shares and backlinks? Tired of hearing people parrot the generic, “Just write good content” line and standard content creation methods? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this session’s for you. If it’s written or visual, live or recorded, we’ll cover it.
This document provides information about Elastic Messaging for the organization Byte Back. It includes:
1) An Elastic Messaging Platform that outlines Byte Back's mission and main message, along with supporting themes and proof points about digital inclusion, workforce development, and economic opportunity.
2) A Theory of Change section explaining how Byte Back addresses barriers like lack of access to education, technology and skilled jobs through its courses and job readiness programs.
3) Suggestions for conducting effective internal messaging workshops on a quarterly basis to discuss challenges and ensure consistent messaging across the organization and communication channels.
The document provides an analysis of current and aspirational audiences for Byte Back based on in-depth stakeholder interviews. It identifies strengths, priorities, and opportunities for Byte Back as perceived by current funders and partners. The analysis also explores how Byte Back can demonstrate strategic fit and mutual benefits to aspirational audiences like corporate CSR departments, think tanks, and local government.
Data is a powerful thing. When it's used to tell a compelling story, data becomes unforgettable. Stories bring data to life. And, if you have data to analyze, you have a story to tell, whether it’s diagnosing budget issues or explaining zoning laws.
• Tell meaningful stories that resonate with citizens, journalists, and analysts
• Define the characteristics of a data-driven story
• Create different story types based on different analytical methods
• Make stories personal and emotional for your audience
Slides Dave Skrobela recently used in his discussion w/ mentees of The Product Mentor.
Synopsis: Storytelling can be a powerful tool for a PM. We’ll take a look at some examples of effective techniques to ensure you’re telling the story you want to tell, whether that is directly in the user experience or supporting the ongoing management of the product.
The Product Mentor is a program designed to pair Product Mentors and Mentees from around the World, across all industries, from start-up to enterprise, guided by the fundamental goals…Better Decisions. Better Products. Better Product People.
Throughout the program, each mentor leads a conversation in an area of their expertise that is live streamed and available to both mentee and the broader product community.
http://TheProductMentor.com
An Analytics-Driven Approach to Becoming an Effective Brand Publisher - Long ...W2O Group
This document discusses an analytics-driven approach to becoming an effective brand publisher. It outlines challenges brands face in reaching audiences due to content overload and short attention spans. The author proposes a "Content as a Service" model with four work streams: social narrative development based on analytics; social channel strategy; content performance analysis; and participatory storytelling. The goal is to make content core to business objectives and ensure brands commit to becoming publishers.
The document discusses the need for brands to adopt a content-as-a-service (CaaS) model to address challenges in reaching audiences online. It proposes a CaaS approach with four work streams: 1) developing social narratives grounded in analytics, 2) crafting social channel strategies, 3) analyzing content performance, and 4) facilitating participatory storytelling. The model is supported by an operational framework to integrate content across different touchpoints. Adopting this strategic and analytical approach can help brands better understand their audiences and create engaging content.
1) Brands that actively participate in helping consumers develop, share, and shape their personal narratives will be more relevant and valuable over time.
2) Understanding consumers' personal narratives provides opportunities for brands to align their products and stories to meaningful experiences in peoples' lives.
3) By connecting content marketing efforts to consumers' personal narratives across multiple platforms, brands can increase engagement and drive business goals.
The Rise of Mental Illness and Its Devastating Impact on Society Free .... MentalHealthEssay clean. Mental Illness Essay | NUR210 - Health Sociology - CDU | Thinkswap. mental health essay. Mental Health Essay — ADVERTISEMENT. WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays .... Free mental health essays and papers 123helpme 2017. Mental health and illness - PHDessay.com. Mental Health Essay : NIH announces winners of high school mental .... Question 2 essay, mental health. - Question 2: How might stigma impact .... Mental Illness and Symbolic Interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well .... (PDF) Essays and Debates in Mental Health. College Essay About Mental Illness Example. Mental health essay :: Short essay on the importance of Mental Health. Short Essay On The Importance of Mental Health | PDF. Essay on Mental Health and Mental Illness. 006 P1 Essay Example Mental Illness ~ Thatsnotus. Essay on mental health - Docsity. How To Write An Essay On Mental Health - Agnew Text. 009 Mental Illness Essay Topics Example ~ Thatsnotus. Mental Health Essay | Essay on Mental Health for Students and Children .... Essay Summary of Mental Health - PHDessay.com. Mental illness opinion essay - What can be done: Some Ideas about .... Essays on Mental Illness : Real People, Real Life, Real Hope (Paperback ....
Why Customer Personas Still Matter - Innovate & Create Meaning Through EmpathyMarco Gervasio
The document discusses the importance of using customer personas in product development. It argues personas counter skepticism by being based on both quantitative and qualitative customer data, and help teams empathize with customers through humanizing representations of them. The author advocates bringing personas to life through tools like profiles, relationship maps, experience cycles and journey maps to guide the development process. Ultimately, the author believes personas can help companies create more meaningful customer experiences and value by understanding customers as people rather than just market segments.
Maximising Your Brand's Digital PR Impact: Strategies for Success and Creativ...Sarah Fleming
This talk will cover the complete process behind running successful and creative digital PR campaigns, from generating ideas to measuring impact.
Sarah will be delving into the key tactics around tailoring your PR strategy to achieve the best results – whether or not you engage with an agency or want to keep efforts in-house.
Despite an overwhelming trend toward content marketing and the need to continually feed an ever-increasing portfolio of content channels and formats, most organizations have not yet addressed content on either a strategic or tactical level. This report explores scalable organizational models for addressing content needs across the enterprise and makes recommendations for a holistic program.
Organizing for Content: Models to Incorporate Content Strategy and Content Ma...Rebecca Lieb
Despite an overwhelming trend toward content marketing and the need to continually feed an ever-increasing portfolio of content channels and formats, most organizations have not yet addressed content on either a strategic or tactical level. This report explores scalable organizational models for addressing content needs across the enterprise and makes recommendations for a holistic program.
How participation brands can navigate the world of content marketingDavid McNamara
Something I wrote last year on content planning>
'Content that POPS' is a planning approach for helping participation brands navigate the world of content. It uses the planning principles of Purpose, Originality, Participation and Storytelling to guide the development of content planning for modern Participation Brands.
Once you define your story, it’s time to decide how and where you want to tell it. This chapter gives you several models and frameworks for you to decide how you want to drive your channel strategy.
Red Bull has done what very few other brands have been able to do successfully - become a media company. If you go to RedBull.com, put your thumb over the logo and scan the page you’ll see that their site looks just like CNN.com. It’s filled with flashy headlines, visual imagery with both videos and photos of epic sporting events. That’s what Red Bull is known for. That’s their brand story.
This document discusses how storytelling is an effective branding and communications strategy. It outlines a workshop process to help companies refresh, challenge, or create a new brand and communications strategy through storytelling exercises. The workshop is designed to provide immediate ideas and actions, empower teams, and teach processes in an affordable way. It involves conducting research, holding one or two storytelling workshops, and producing deliverables like a master presentation, project plans, and priority communications outputs. The workshop uses established and original tools to help companies understand their purpose and audience, develop a "master story" and communications strategy, and generate stories and tactics to share their brand in a meaningful way.
Corporate Storytelling: Does Your Organization Need a Chief Storyteller?Jordan Bower
The Age of Connection has made storytelling in business more important. Does your organization need a chief storyteller?
Get more information about corporate storytelling:
jordanbower.com
WNS Denali Sourcing Solutions: Elevate Your Procurement StrategySheetalSharma899215
This document provides guidance on using storytelling as a procurement leader to better connect with stakeholders and inspire cooperation. It emphasizes that stories are more memorable than facts and help people feel invested in an idea. The document then provides tips for crafting effective stories, including identifying a hero, their problem, a guide to offer a plan, stakes to motivate action. It highlights real examples of procurement teams that improved outcomes by shifting to storytelling. Overall, the document promotes storytelling as a tool for procurement leaders to build relationships and drive results.
This document outlines a proposed digital strategy for Jobcare, an organization that helps unemployed individuals find work. It identifies key business issues such as fundraising, job placement, and client recruitment. The strategy's objectives are to grow Jobcare's audience on social media, communicate with clients, encourage participation, and optimize future digital efforts. It also discusses how concepts like branding, growth hacking, and creating viral content could help Jobcare achieve its mission, though some caution is needed given Jobcare's focus on individual client care. Implementation of the strategy would require management and communications staff.
A presentation that explains the what, why and how of storytelling in business. It's an expanded version of the presentation that I gave at the Digital Marketing for Business Conference in Raleigh, NC in 2013.
- Sensory memory (milliseconds to seconds) briefly stores impressions of sight, sound, and other senses.
- Short-term memory (seconds to minutes) actively holds a limited amount of information.
- Long-term memory (indefinitely) stores vast amounts of information for potential long-term recall, including facts, skills, experiences and associations. It is subdivided into declarative and non-declarative memory.
Social strategy: Thinking beyond today’s postsMike Petroff
A big challenge for those running social media accounts is balancing short-lived content opportunities with long-term campaigns and projects. How can the core elements of content strategy help solve this challenge? Let’s take a step back from day-to-day social media management and explore overarching frameworks for your social media presence. Build a social strategy that is collaborative, scalable, and goal-oriented.
A powerful data-driven narrative opens up new perspectives and concepts within the minds of those who read it by strategically utilizing narrative, data analysis, data visualization, and storytelling techniques.
Strategies for Creating Interesting, Engaging, and Effective Social Media Con...Brian Huonker
Thanks to the proliferation of social media, brands are no longer competing against each other. They are competing against every form of messaging.
Consumers (particularly Millennials) know when they are being marketed to, and anything that sounds like a pitch will be ignored.
Peer opinions, in fact, are considered two to three times more reliable than brand messaging.
This document provides an overview of a content marketing workbook that aims to help readers apply content marketing strategies to their business. It includes sections on storytelling, building a content framework, planning long-term strategies, generating ideas, creating blog content, using blogging to rank on Google, repurposing content, topic clusters, video marketing, guest blogging, content promotion, and analytics. Each section provides learning resources and practical exercises. The workbook is designed to help readers develop a repeatable content process and become experts in content marketing. Completing the exercises will help build a unique, tailored content strategy to reach business goals.
The document discusses the need for brands to adopt a content-as-a-service (CaaS) model to address challenges in reaching audiences online. It proposes a CaaS approach with four work streams: 1) developing social narratives grounded in analytics, 2) crafting social channel strategies, 3) analyzing content performance, and 4) facilitating participatory storytelling. The model is supported by an operational framework to integrate content across different touchpoints. Adopting this strategic and analytical approach can help brands better understand their audiences and create engaging content.
1) Brands that actively participate in helping consumers develop, share, and shape their personal narratives will be more relevant and valuable over time.
2) Understanding consumers' personal narratives provides opportunities for brands to align their products and stories to meaningful experiences in peoples' lives.
3) By connecting content marketing efforts to consumers' personal narratives across multiple platforms, brands can increase engagement and drive business goals.
The Rise of Mental Illness and Its Devastating Impact on Society Free .... MentalHealthEssay clean. Mental Illness Essay | NUR210 - Health Sociology - CDU | Thinkswap. mental health essay. Mental Health Essay — ADVERTISEMENT. WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays .... Free mental health essays and papers 123helpme 2017. Mental health and illness - PHDessay.com. Mental Health Essay : NIH announces winners of high school mental .... Question 2 essay, mental health. - Question 2: How might stigma impact .... Mental Illness and Symbolic Interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well .... (PDF) Essays and Debates in Mental Health. College Essay About Mental Illness Example. Mental health essay :: Short essay on the importance of Mental Health. Short Essay On The Importance of Mental Health | PDF. Essay on Mental Health and Mental Illness. 006 P1 Essay Example Mental Illness ~ Thatsnotus. Essay on mental health - Docsity. How To Write An Essay On Mental Health - Agnew Text. 009 Mental Illness Essay Topics Example ~ Thatsnotus. Mental Health Essay | Essay on Mental Health for Students and Children .... Essay Summary of Mental Health - PHDessay.com. Mental illness opinion essay - What can be done: Some Ideas about .... Essays on Mental Illness : Real People, Real Life, Real Hope (Paperback ....
Why Customer Personas Still Matter - Innovate & Create Meaning Through EmpathyMarco Gervasio
The document discusses the importance of using customer personas in product development. It argues personas counter skepticism by being based on both quantitative and qualitative customer data, and help teams empathize with customers through humanizing representations of them. The author advocates bringing personas to life through tools like profiles, relationship maps, experience cycles and journey maps to guide the development process. Ultimately, the author believes personas can help companies create more meaningful customer experiences and value by understanding customers as people rather than just market segments.
Maximising Your Brand's Digital PR Impact: Strategies for Success and Creativ...Sarah Fleming
This talk will cover the complete process behind running successful and creative digital PR campaigns, from generating ideas to measuring impact.
Sarah will be delving into the key tactics around tailoring your PR strategy to achieve the best results – whether or not you engage with an agency or want to keep efforts in-house.
Despite an overwhelming trend toward content marketing and the need to continually feed an ever-increasing portfolio of content channels and formats, most organizations have not yet addressed content on either a strategic or tactical level. This report explores scalable organizational models for addressing content needs across the enterprise and makes recommendations for a holistic program.
Organizing for Content: Models to Incorporate Content Strategy and Content Ma...Rebecca Lieb
Despite an overwhelming trend toward content marketing and the need to continually feed an ever-increasing portfolio of content channels and formats, most organizations have not yet addressed content on either a strategic or tactical level. This report explores scalable organizational models for addressing content needs across the enterprise and makes recommendations for a holistic program.
How participation brands can navigate the world of content marketingDavid McNamara
Something I wrote last year on content planning>
'Content that POPS' is a planning approach for helping participation brands navigate the world of content. It uses the planning principles of Purpose, Originality, Participation and Storytelling to guide the development of content planning for modern Participation Brands.
Once you define your story, it’s time to decide how and where you want to tell it. This chapter gives you several models and frameworks for you to decide how you want to drive your channel strategy.
Red Bull has done what very few other brands have been able to do successfully - become a media company. If you go to RedBull.com, put your thumb over the logo and scan the page you’ll see that their site looks just like CNN.com. It’s filled with flashy headlines, visual imagery with both videos and photos of epic sporting events. That’s what Red Bull is known for. That’s their brand story.
This document discusses how storytelling is an effective branding and communications strategy. It outlines a workshop process to help companies refresh, challenge, or create a new brand and communications strategy through storytelling exercises. The workshop is designed to provide immediate ideas and actions, empower teams, and teach processes in an affordable way. It involves conducting research, holding one or two storytelling workshops, and producing deliverables like a master presentation, project plans, and priority communications outputs. The workshop uses established and original tools to help companies understand their purpose and audience, develop a "master story" and communications strategy, and generate stories and tactics to share their brand in a meaningful way.
Corporate Storytelling: Does Your Organization Need a Chief Storyteller?Jordan Bower
The Age of Connection has made storytelling in business more important. Does your organization need a chief storyteller?
Get more information about corporate storytelling:
jordanbower.com
WNS Denali Sourcing Solutions: Elevate Your Procurement StrategySheetalSharma899215
This document provides guidance on using storytelling as a procurement leader to better connect with stakeholders and inspire cooperation. It emphasizes that stories are more memorable than facts and help people feel invested in an idea. The document then provides tips for crafting effective stories, including identifying a hero, their problem, a guide to offer a plan, stakes to motivate action. It highlights real examples of procurement teams that improved outcomes by shifting to storytelling. Overall, the document promotes storytelling as a tool for procurement leaders to build relationships and drive results.
This document outlines a proposed digital strategy for Jobcare, an organization that helps unemployed individuals find work. It identifies key business issues such as fundraising, job placement, and client recruitment. The strategy's objectives are to grow Jobcare's audience on social media, communicate with clients, encourage participation, and optimize future digital efforts. It also discusses how concepts like branding, growth hacking, and creating viral content could help Jobcare achieve its mission, though some caution is needed given Jobcare's focus on individual client care. Implementation of the strategy would require management and communications staff.
A presentation that explains the what, why and how of storytelling in business. It's an expanded version of the presentation that I gave at the Digital Marketing for Business Conference in Raleigh, NC in 2013.
- Sensory memory (milliseconds to seconds) briefly stores impressions of sight, sound, and other senses.
- Short-term memory (seconds to minutes) actively holds a limited amount of information.
- Long-term memory (indefinitely) stores vast amounts of information for potential long-term recall, including facts, skills, experiences and associations. It is subdivided into declarative and non-declarative memory.
Social strategy: Thinking beyond today’s postsMike Petroff
A big challenge for those running social media accounts is balancing short-lived content opportunities with long-term campaigns and projects. How can the core elements of content strategy help solve this challenge? Let’s take a step back from day-to-day social media management and explore overarching frameworks for your social media presence. Build a social strategy that is collaborative, scalable, and goal-oriented.
A powerful data-driven narrative opens up new perspectives and concepts within the minds of those who read it by strategically utilizing narrative, data analysis, data visualization, and storytelling techniques.
Strategies for Creating Interesting, Engaging, and Effective Social Media Con...Brian Huonker
Thanks to the proliferation of social media, brands are no longer competing against each other. They are competing against every form of messaging.
Consumers (particularly Millennials) know when they are being marketed to, and anything that sounds like a pitch will be ignored.
Peer opinions, in fact, are considered two to three times more reliable than brand messaging.
This document provides an overview of a content marketing workbook that aims to help readers apply content marketing strategies to their business. It includes sections on storytelling, building a content framework, planning long-term strategies, generating ideas, creating blog content, using blogging to rank on Google, repurposing content, topic clusters, video marketing, guest blogging, content promotion, and analytics. Each section provides learning resources and practical exercises. The workbook is designed to help readers develop a repeatable content process and become experts in content marketing. Completing the exercises will help build a unique, tailored content strategy to reach business goals.
2. 2
Table of Contents
Storytelling System................................................................................................................................. 3
The Art of Storytelling: Story Models .................................................................................................. 5
Model 1: The “Stories Worth Telling” Model..................................................................................................6
Model 2: The “Made to Stick” Model of a Great Story................................................................................7
Model 3: The “Resonate” Model of a Great Story..........................................................................................8
Model 4: The “Lead with a Story” Model of a Great Story ......................................................................10
Model 5: The “Winning the Story Wars” Model of a Great Story.........................................................11
Facilitation Minutes from Workshop ................................................................................................ 12
3. 3
Storytelling System
This document conducts a literature review to identify best practices to create a sustainable culture of
storytelling among all staff.
“Stories Worth Telling” is a report authored by the Meyer Foundation and Center for Social Impact
Communication at Georgetown University. It focuses exclusively on making great storytelling a sustainable
practice within nonprofits.
The report suggests 6 phases to execute toward the objective of sustainable storytelling.
Phase 1: Cross-functional staffing. Create a broader storytelling network across the organization.
Build a cross-functional storytelling committee.
Share stories already created as examples of best practices.
Make the case for storytelling: share wins as generated and look at competitor stories.
Demonstrate ROI on storytelling (qualitative measures are fine).
Application: Reflection is key. Byte Back can schedule weekly reflection time to share inspiring stories
across the organization every week during staff meetings. Look particularly for stories which feature
efficacy and sustainability of operations as these resonate with current stakeholders. Some examples include
a students’ employment, a volunteer doing exceptional work, and noteworthy organizational methodologies.
Phase 2: Build capacity. Amplify the organization’s ability to tell great stories.
Provide hands-on training to willing staff.
Designate a chief storyteller and other roles related to the story-cycle (story-planner, story-producer,
story-distributor, and story-evaluator).
Recruit external assistance for complex tasks.
Application: The chief storyteller should lead the cross-functional storytelling committee to create a
storytelling guide that contains Byte Back’s fact sheet, backgrounder, common Q&A, and talking points. He
or she can host interactive workshops for interested staff. For complex tasks, Byte Back could partner with
an academic institution such as the Georgetown University Public Relations and Corporate
Communications program to create an unpaid internship to boost Byte Back’s capacity.
Cross-
functional
staffing
Building
capacity Planning Production Distributio
n Evalution
4. 4
Phase 3: Planning. Choose the purpose for each story.
Feasibility: What can be realistically achieved with resources on hand?
Define desired audiences and actions.
Map out content needs.
Application: Based on audience research, corporate audiences prefer to partner with nonprofit
organizations with causes that align with their CSR goal and brand image. To develop stories that target
corporate audiences, a possible purpose for those stories could be bridging the connection between Byte
Back and the corporate partner’s CSR goal and brand promise.
Phase 4: Production. Collect as many assets as possible to create different stories and feature different
characters.
Collect assets.
Formulate varied story formats.
Create stories using one of the story models within this document.
Application: Use story models in a way that motivates the desired action. For example, when using the
“Stories Worth Telling” model to inspire a donation, Byte Back should choose action-oriented emotions
which drive the audience to realize the significance their donation can have. It is also important to
recognize that story creation goes beyond the models presented in this document. For example, one highly
effective format of visual storytelling is to present data through infographics.
Phase 5: Distribution. Use across many channels.
How is the story best presented?
Can the story be re-purposed across platforms?
Which channels will you distribute across?
Application: Byte Back could combine the power of word of mouth, one of its most prominent
communication channels, with digital channels. Byte Back could create an email template for staff and
students to forward stories to their connections.
Phase 6: Evaluation. Measure what matters and create a positive buzz around storytelling internally.
Which benchmarks act as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Byte Back’s storytelling efforts?
What are the most important calls-to-action to measure?
Application: Determine the purpose and goal of any story before creation within the team based on
organizational and communication goals. Use digital analytics, such as Google Analytics, and traditional
measuring methods, to monitor pre-set KPIs such as impressions, clicks and conversion rate for future story
optimization.
5. 5
The Art of Storytelling: Story Models
Of the six phases that constitute sustainable storytelling, we believe the key variable that makes a difference in
the long-term is the way stories are told. That is why we choose to focus on what makes a story great.
The question is, are there systematic models you can use to create stories? We believe so. While conducting our
literature review, we identified five compelling sources. The first four sources offer guidance for creating stories
and the fifth is notable for offering guidance on what to avoid while creating stories.
Selecting the guidelines within each resource that are most applicable to Byte Back, we created prompts you can
use during the story writing process.
Model 1: The “Stories Worth Telling” Model of a Great Story
Model 2: The “Made to Stick” Model of a Great Story
Model 3: The “Resonate” Model of a Great Story
Model 4: The “Lead with a Story” Model of a Great Story
Model 5: The “Winning the Story Wars” Model of a Great Story
6. 6
Model 1: The “Stories Worth Telling” Model
About the authors
Meyer Foundation works to strengthen Washington DC’s nonprofit sector by identifying and investing in
visionary leaders and community-based nonprofits that make lasting improvements in the lives of low-income
DC residents. Georgetown’s Center for Social Impact Research empowers communicators in the social impact
space through research, engagement and action.
Why we selected this resource
This resource is featured first on our list as one of the most comprehensive and customized resources for
nonprofit storytelling. It understands the needs and resource constraints of nonprofits, and offers terrific advice
not only on narrative construction, but also on building an organizational culture of sustainable storytelling. The
resources available online feature detailed checklists and primers for online storytelling, social media usage, and
staffing for storytelling.
Storytelling Element Byte Back Prompt
Effective character
What universal need does the character have?
What makes the character three-dimensional?
Trajectory
Can the story start somewhere other than the beginning?
Is the reader being pulled toward a call-to-action?
Authenticity What details show the character’s transformation?
Action-oriented
emotions
What emotions might the audience feel?
What actions do those emotions prompt and do they fit the purpose of the story?
Hook
What is at stake for the character, audience, and organization?
Is there a moment that stands out during the entire story? Something
unexpected, a twist of some sort?
Key Takeaway for Byte Back
Try to flesh out the need of the central character of the story. In particular, make the need tangible
in terms of all the senses. For Byte Back, this might involve asking what the state of not having
access to technology or being digitally excluded is like. What does it look like in physical,
tangible terms? What is the corresponding emotional or intangible need? Why does the need exist,
i.e. what is the physical and emotional context? This helps set the foundation for ‘transformation’
that key audiences resonate with.
7. 7
Model 2: The “Made to Stick” Model of a Great Story
About the authors
Chip Heath is a professor of organizational behavior at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
His research focuses on how and why some stories survive and ‘stick’ in the marketplace of ideas. Dan Heath is
a consultant at Duke Corporate Education. Prior to joining Duke’s executive education program, he was a
researcher at Harvard Business School, where he also earned his MBA.
Why we selected this resource
Almost uniquely in the genre of books on storytelling, “Made to Stick” follows its own advice, and employs the
techniques it advocates to tell its story. Based on compelling research of urban legends and other ‘sticky’ viral
ideas, “Made to Stick” is a fast read with hard-hitting advice on storytelling and narrative construction.
Storytelling Element Byte Back Prompt
Simple
What is the core of the story?
Can you identify a single big idea or narrative?
Unexpected
How are patterns broken? What runs counter to the
audience’s anticipation? What is unusual or
surprising?
Concrete
What would be one takeaway outcome the audience
would remember?
Credible What details stick out as particularly vivid or rich?
Emotional
Does the story create empathy for a specific
individual?
Can a connection be formed to something the
audience already cares about?
Can you embed or imply an appeal to the audience’s
self-interest or identity?
Story
Which of the following story narratives are most
prominent?
Overcoming odds
Forming a relationship across socioeconomic or
other gaps
Solving a problem in a unique or creative way
Key Takeaway for Byte Back
Work through the first three elements of the SUCCES framework to identify mini-stories. This can be
particularly useful for daily storytelling through social media. If you have a status update or post that is
simple, unexpected and concrete, it is likely to work as a mini-story.
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Model 3: The “Resonate” Model of a Great Story
About the author
Nancy Duarte is the CEO of Duarte Design, the largest design firm in Silicon Valley. She is a renowned writer
and speaker, and has worked with brands like Apple, Cisco, Google, HP, TED, and the World Bank. She teaches
a class on presentation design and narrative creation at Stanford University. She is the author of three best-
selling books, and her book Resonate spent more than 300 days on Amazon’s top 100 business book bestsellers
list.
Why we selected this resource
Graphic designer Nancy Duarte is the consummate expert at telling beautiful, visually appealing stories. In this
book she identifies the central secret to creating effective narratives: identify the story before you develop visual
elements. Her approach focuses uniquely on the audience as the ‘hero’ of the narrative – not the central
characters or the storyteller. We believe this storytelling approach is uniquely suited to the call to action Byte
Back can employ by taking its audience into the world of its students.
Storytelling Element Byte Back prompt
Audience as hero
What is the starting point of the audience?
Where do you want them to be after the story?
How can you write the story so the audience is in the position of the hero?
Ethos, pathos, logos
Which story elements have ethical appeal, which have emotional appeal and
which have logical appeal?
Emotional contrast
Have you ordered the contents of the story so facts and details alternate with
metaphors, analogies, and humor?
Hero’s journey
Can you take the audience on a journey to a different world?
What obstacles will they encounter and what lessons will they learn on their
quest?
How will they return to the ordinary world and how will they be changed?
Call to adventure
Highlight ‘what could be’ and ‘what is.’ This is the conflict of your story. Can
you set out the transformational goal in a single sentence? E.g. “Digital literacy
skills like writing a resume can be the difference between employment and
unemployment; between stability and instability; between homelessness and
providing for a family.”
Call to action
How will the conflict be resolved? What action can the audience take, and is it
explicitly mapped to the transformational goal?
STAR moment
What in your story represents a “something they’ll always remember” moment? Is
it something your audience can easily show others? For example, Steve Jobs
introduced the Macbook Air by sliding it into a manila envelope.
Visual images
Do you have images to reduce or replace words? Where can you place them
within the story?
Eliminating noise
Can you reduce the use of jargon? Is the story presented in a way that doesn’t
distract the reader? Have you shown the story to candid critics who can spot bias
and self-interest?
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Key Takeaway for Byte Back
Create the conflict between ‘what could be’ – poverty alleviation through digital literacy and inclusion
and ‘what is’ – digital exclusion and barriers to success. Resolve it through Byte Back’s unique
methodology. Create powerful narratives by incorporating a STAR moment. Recognize members of the
organization for spotting STAR moments – ‘something they will always remember’ about the Byte Back
experience. The STAR need not always be about a student. Your donors, partners, volunteers and
employees are equally important ambassadors of your work, and their unforgettable moments are a
goldmine of story experiences.
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Model 4: The “Lead with a Story” Model of a Great Story
About the author
Formerly the Director of Consumer and Communication Research at Procter and Gamble, Paul Smith is now an
independent speaker, consultant, and story consultant.
Why we selected this resource
This resource contains a short and effective formula for great storytelling. We also like the way the author
recognizes the importance of multiple story types to any organization or storyteller. While all storytelling
resources are quick to recognize that stories have different purposes, this author is one of the few to explicitly
identify the different types and plot their trajectories for each purpose.
Storytelling Element Byte Back Prompt
Context
Background: What is the setting?
Subject: Who is the primary character?
Treasure: What is the quest or goal?
Obstacle: What impediments lie in the path to the goal?
Action
What actions or events tie the context to the final
outcome or results?
Results
What are the ultimate outcomes? What is the message or
the reason for storytelling? Is it clearly implied?
Repetition
Have you repeated or emphasized words that capture the
essence of the story?
Surprise
Tying in the unexpected can be remarkably effective.
Are any of the following available in your story?
Unanticipated candor
Unforeseen twist or result
Unpredictable ending
Different types of stories have different big
ideas and themes. Often success stories are
over-emphasized and other valuable story-
nuggets are overlooked.
Success
Culture
Inspiration
Problem-solving
Is your story primarily about:
Depicting a positive outcome?
Exemplifying your organization’s guiding values?
Ordinary people overcoming extraordinary
obstacles?
A change in thinking or a new way of seeing things?
Key Takeaway for Byte Back
Look for stories not just for external audiences but also to shape internal audiences such as
employees. Recognize different types of stories: success stories, culture stories, inspirational stories
and problem-solving stories. Collect them all. Use them all. Organizations tend to place overweight
importance on success stories at the expense of culture stories. Not every story needs to be about
digital literacy outcomes against the odds. A story can be about Byte Back’s unique methodology i.e.
a culture story, or about the learning barriers routinely overcome by students i.e. problem-solving.
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Model 5: The “Winning the Story Wars” Model of a Great Story
About the Author
Jonah Sachs is the co-founder and CEO of Free Range Studios, which offers social causes communication tools
that big brands employ routinely to great effect. Free Range Studios has worked with Amnesty International,
Greenpeace International, and the Harvard Civil Rights Project. In 2009, Jonah Sachs produced the Story of
Stuff, which currently has over 3 million views on YouTube. In 2012, Fast Company named Jonah Sachs
among its 50 most influential social innovators in 2012.
Why we selected this resource
“Winning the Story Wars” recognizes that the media and popular culture are inundated with stories. The author
recognizes that what separates good stories from the rest is not so much storytelling skill as it is avoidance of the
“deadly sins” of storytelling.
Correspondingly, what we choose to highlight from this resource is not a model of storytelling as much as a
checklist of what to avoid. The author presents five deadly sins of storytelling: vanity, authority, insincerity,
puffery, and gimmickry. He also cautions against inadequacy marketing and counsels empowerment marketing.
Storytelling Deadly Sin Byte Back Prompt (What to avoid)
Vanity
Are you aware of the divergence between how your audience
perceives your brand and how you perceive it?
What will you do about this divergence?
Authority
Are you relying on authority to tell your story, or storytelling skill
and narrative strengths?
Insincerity
Are you ignoring the core values and personality of your
organization in an attempt to tailor messages to audience
demographics or needs?
Puffery Is your story lacking in substance? Is it all frills?
Gimmickry
Are you incorporating humor or emotion for its own sake, without
tying it to the core of your story?
Inadequacy marketing vs.
empowerment marketing
Is the tone of your theory of change fundamentally about creating
anxiety, or is it making someone feel part of something greater?
Is it about avoiding the negative, or making a positive difference?
Is your solution about resolving anxiety or part of psychological
maturity and self-realization?
Key Takeaway for Byte Back
Pursue an empowerment theory of change rather than an inadequacy theory of change. Rather than create a
negative feeling of gloom that there is an insurmountable problem that can only be solved by Byte Back,
create a feeling of positive momentum toward digital inclusion and embracing technology that Byte Back
is part of. The audience should feel that digital change is for the best, but also that we should not leave
anybody behind. This will also resonate with CSR partners, who prefer success-oriented nonprofits.
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Facilitation Minutes
December 4, 2015
We include the minutes of our facilitation on December 4, 2015 at Byte Back headquarters. The active
involvement of participants ensured the conversation was fluid and free-flowing, with valuable insights shared
by all six Byte Back employees who attended in person, as well as the few employees who participated over the
phone.
What Resonates About Byte Back
When many students start the program, we hear negative words like “sucks” a lot, but as they finish the
program, their word choice reflects how they are feeling: hopeful, and they start getting job offers.
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Opportunities Moving Forward
Ideas You Particularly Liked
Stories could feature the
diversity in the staff and
passion they have. Many of
the staff formerly worked in
AmeriCorps and/or were
past Byte Back students.
We discussed a new award to recognize
volunteers who make outstanding
contributions. For example, there is a Board
member who is not financially well-off, is a
single mom, and travels two hours to make
Board meetings. Stories about such
volunteers could be shared. When the award
is given there is an opportunity to tell the
story of that recipient’s amazing work.
There is an opportunity
to tell a culture story
about Byte Back; no
one is turned away.
Byte Back does not filter
its prospective students
to ensure higher impact
percentages. Its
performance is ‘real’
performance.
Model 5 looks particularly
applicable because many of
the students have chronic
anxiety and live with fear.
Using empowerment
marketing mirrors Byte Back
methodology.
Different traits of the five
models that resonate with key
audiences can be combined. In
particular, stories should
acknowledge and celebrate
donor and partner
engagement.
One way to evaluate the
models is to email different
audiences stories using
separate models, and
determine which of the stories
and models receives the most
engagement and support.