It’s relatively easy to understand how storytelling informs the production of content for entertainment purposes. We know that successful films, television programs, video games, and podcasts will use storytelling to enchant audiences and satisfy their need for escapism. But not all communicators are aiming to entertain their audiences – so why should storytelling matter to those who are trying to share information or influence public opinion?

Knowing how to tell a good story is like having mind control | Alan Alda | Big Think

In the video above, Hollywood actor Alan Alda (using his own talent for spinning a story) explains the difference between information and storytelling. He also explains how and why this matters to people who aren’t in traditional “storyteller” roles. The scientist at the centre of Alda’s story is able to share his scientific discovery – in other words, to communicate more effectively across a wider range of publics – when he employs a storytelling technique. This technique involves foregrounding certain aspects of his message over others, and thereby turning himself into a character we care about, to whom interesting things happen.

There is a lesson here for communicators of every stripe, but particularly those who work in fields that are information-driven, like science or health: facts are important, but when it comes to communication, facts alone are not enough. For this reason, it’s often pointed out that the most successful communicators are those who know their way around a narrative. In other words, storytelling is not just the terrain of novelists, screenwriters, or teams of writers working on entertainment media franchises.

For example, digital content creators who want their content to “go viral” (to be shared and spread widely) need to think about crafting their message using narrative techniques. In his book Contagious: Why Things Catch On, Jonah Berger (2013) names storytelling as one of his principles for creating spreadable content – that is, content that people are more willing to share, and that will therefore circulate with ease through the media landscape. Berger describes stories as the vessels in which information travels. Stories grab attention, he argues, and engage us on an emotional level, so people are more likely to share and respond to information when it is wrapped in a narrative.

An easy way to see this technique in action is to think of an advertising campaign where stories are used as “vessels” for raising brand awareness. Many of the most memorable campaigns do exactly this. Since 2014, for example, the “Feels Like Home” campaign for Australian airline Qantas has been telling stories about families who are reunited when the airline flies a family member home. The 2023 version of this campaign depicts a real-life family reunion featuring an Australian mother and her son. Rather than share information about the airline, this campaign shares a story, albeit one with a logical connection to the brand: Qantas is an airline and therefore a product that can facilitate a family reunion.