Storytelling: An ancient strategy with monumental results
In the current day and age (social) media is one of the most influential pillars of society. The moment you get out of bed you are confronted with letters, texts, videos, posts, and many other forms of media. When asked about the first media many will probably tell you it’s TV, Radio, or maybe even letters, but the actual origin lies way further back, with carrier pigeons, and storytelling is one of the founding fathers of the now notorious concept.
Now, we don’t have to tell you that the media now is nothing like the media 500 years ago. But there is one aspect that is still visible throughout the content over the years! There aren’t many secret formulas to becoming successful on the internet but if there’s one thing every creator will tell you it’s that storytelling is the most important one of all. This started in 2700 BC and is still relevant today!
Storytelling keeps the viewer hooked and entertained throughout your content. Humans have evolved to like stories, that’s why we have been doing it for so many years.
But we understand, our rant about storytelling is super interesting, but it’s also immensely abstract. How do you even create a story when all you’re doing is posting a simple TikTok? Let's take a look!
Whenever we construct a story, we look for 3 vital components: A hook, a body, and a strong ending. The hook is the first part of any piece of content. Blogs, videos, shorts, and anything else related to content contain it.
A hook, as the name suggests, hooks your viewer to watch your piece of content. This is key to going viral! Now, how do you get this right? Well, that depends! Hooking your audience depends on the people that are ín your audience. So: Do some research! Look at content creators around you, and see what works! Try out different types of hooks: long introductions, shorter snappy openings, and summary sections, see what fits your content best!
Next up, the body. This piece of the puzzle makes or breaks your viral potential. As discussed in one of our previous blogs, retention is the key to algorithm success. The body is where retention stays high, or falls like a brick. To learn more about this, make sure to read our blog on retention!
Last, but not least, the ending. While the ending might not be as important for going viral, your ending does generate a recurring audience! Strong endings make the viewer interested in more of your content. You can grow your audience by making references to your other creations, ensuring your audience checks out your site, and generally concluding your content with information that makes the viewer curious about you!
Congratulations! You can now call yourself a master of storytelling. We understand, however, that you are probably wondering: How am I going to put these together in my content the next time? Well, to be honest, you aren’t! We are not saying this to demotivate you, we say this because it takes time! After 10 years of producing content, all of our teams are still working on improving their storytelling daily! It is a matter of keeping innovation going and improving where possible, not reaching a specific goal. Take a good look at your content and see where you can make improvements. You might not be able to see your results in the first video, but with dedication, they will come!