Or: how to use a powerful tool to inspire and influence your audience into supporting your idea
Storytelling is one of the most effective tools for visionary entrepreneurs to sell their idea (or startup) to customers and investors. We took the time to write about some highly effective tips to help you become a great storyteller - and gain more attention to support for your venture.
Your story will be your tool to approach any type of new stakeholder in your journey, and a well-written one can be a game-changer when you try to get other people to understand your ideas, decide if they are interested, and if they want to join the ride. Your story can influence almost anyone: a new customer, a top potential investor, design partners and supporters along the way. No matter how remote or exclusive these people are - a good story can break the barriers, touch their hearts, and help them connect to your ideas.
But how do you come up with your own story?
Here are 5 tips we think might be helpful!
Make the story personal!
Even though we live in a digitally-driven world, people still desire a genuine connection with other people. That is true and relevant to any organization and industry, as long as your target audience is composed of human beings. For that reason, a great story should be about a human being, as opposed to a service, product, or corporation.
The main figure should be similar to the relevant audience and go through events that your audience can identify with. That will help your audience identify themselves with your story and deepen their interest in what you have to offer.
2. Follow a structure
Not sure how to write your story? Use this short 3-acts framework that will save you lots of trouble in the writing process:
Act 1 - The problem: What are you trying to achieve or solve? Make sure the problem
is ‘close to home’ and personal, one that your audience can relate with.
Act 2 - The conflict: How is the problem affecting you (or the audience)? Show the
conflict you’re facing and why it’s so problematic.
Act 3 - The solution: And the problem is solved! Show your solution to the problem
and how it changes your life. The message will be clear: you can improve their life as
well if they join you.
Note:
Always make sure your audience understands your point and how your story is connected to what you have to offer.
3. Find your topic
Many great startups do great storytelling while telling a story about the startup's creation, its vision, or one of its customer's story; each one has a slightly different aspect you should follow:
Your origin story: Just like Apple inc. started as a small garage-based fantasy, you can tell the story of your own beginning as a business: How did you get started, and why did you decide to launch your startup in the first place? Why are you so passionate about your venture?
Your customer's story: A customer's story is a great way to show that you understand your audience’s needs and that your solution is relevant to them. In that kind of story, you describe the customer's problem or desire, why it is important, and the journey to reach that goal. Tell how it affects your customer from their perspective; Demonstrate what you know about other solutions and why they don't work. Then, share your solution.
A vision of your startup: Get your audience excited about the future of your startup. Think – how does your startup change the future and improve it? You can talk about your product's impact on people and their lives; or why the world is a better place when your company is in it.
4. Keep it simple
Attention is one of the strongest currencies in today's world, so make sure you don’t lose your audience’s attention if you already have it. To keep people's attention and interest, you need to tell stories that are simple to follow and simple to understand. Avoid using complicated details, facts, and jargon that people might not understand the first time they hear it. After you got your story put together, try to remove as many details as you can from it and keep only the "core" - the most important things that help your viewers relate. Try to be as precise as possible, and focus only on things your reader must know to understand the story and why it is so important and worth their time.
5. Call to Action
Your story is never the end of your pitch, but rather the beggining. It always sets the basis for what comes next: whether a purchase, a collaboration or an investment, always make sure your story keeps an open opportunity for your audience to jump in and react.
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Is your story ready? Let us hear it!
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