Using Storytelling to Engage and Grow Your Audience

Facts are fabulous and stats are super, but they can be boring if they aren’t shared in a fun way. As a business owner, one of the easiest ways to capture your audience’s attention is through storytelling. From the platform to the in-box, you can use stories to

• Engage
• Inform
• Motivate

AND

• Sell

Storytelling helps your audience relate to the material you share. Storytelling engages their imagination and brings concepts to life with each twist and turn of the story. A great storyteller can take the audience on a journey and help them better understand the message and information you want them to digest. Storytelling isn’t just about speaking. There are lots of ways to share a great story that don’t include standing in front of a group. Let’s take a look at ways you can use storytelling to engage and grow your audience.

Public Speaking- Storytelling from the stage is the most obvious way to use stories to engage and grow your audience. Whether it’s a keynote speech or an elevator pitch, you can use stories to break the ice, deliver a message, or engage an audience with emotion.

Written Correspondence- Writing posts, emails, and reports can be an excellent way to convey information, but they need to be interesting to hold your audience’s attention. Storytelling is an awesome way to spice up your written correspondence with your audience.

Social Media– Nowadays, social media uses “stories” to encourage live engagement with your audience. From sharing what you’re doing at the moment to teaching a concept or idea, you can engage your audience and use a story to express yourself.

Podcasts- Podcasts are a great way to use storytelling to grow and influence your audience. Audible learning is one of the top ways people consume information and stories can help solidify concepts and make them easier to understand.

YouTube- Similarly to speaking in front of an audience or hosting a podcast, video can be a hybrid of all the ways to share a great story. The average person engaging a video has a very small attention span. Telling a great story can help them stay tuned-in and turned-on to what you have to say.

The more you engage your audience and use stories to convey information, the more likely they are to know, like, and trust you. This helps them feel connected and increases your authority with them, making sales easier than ever. Use storytelling to boost your authority and entertain your audience while delivering important information.