Storytelling That Elevates

“Stories sell; facts tell” is a popular saying used in marketing and leadership arenas.

That’s because stories inspire feelings, help people understand and are more memorable than data. Stories have a historical tradition across all cultural backgrounds and are valuable in our work. 

I learned early in my career. I noticed that listeners’ eyes would light up whenever I told stories about children waiting for a mentor on the Big Brothers Big Sisters waiting list. However, their eyes would gloss over if I just shared the number of children waiting for mentors. 

Humans connect to stories, so finding stories to share as testimonials is a helpful strategy. But what if we need to create the story to tell? Those writing skills are also an asset in public relations. 

I interviewed speechwriter, content creator and brand consultant Joshua Sostrin on storytelling. His work has elevated the voices of leaders YouTube, Netflix and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

_{You’ve composed stories for top brands and leaders. What helped you rise to that level?} 

My sister and I were at a comedy club and she heckled Jay Leno’s head writer at “The Tonight Show,” who was performing on stage. The next day, I called him at NBC to apologize… and then asked if I could send them jokes. He said, “Yes,” and a short time later, a future client who’d heard I was freelance-writing jokes for Leno asked if I could help with an important speech. 

People often assume that if you’re a writer, then you can write anything — and you probably can. So say, “Yes” to any opportunity and embrace a little imposter syndrome along the way.

_{How do you approach storytelling in your work? Is it any different in writing than in another medium?} 

It’s always about finding the “story within the story.” 

The top layer of storytelling: Explain the problem to be solved/opportunity to be pursued. Outline why you are uniquely qualified to take on this problem/opportunity. And highlight why the average person on the street should care. 

As for the inner layer/story within the story: Teach your audience something new. Spotlight how this strategically empowers people. Underscore how this can build a team/community to tackle the problem/opportunity together.

_{What is it like to write in another person’s voice as a speechwriter?} 

It’s a multihyphenate job: part writer and researcher, part psychologist and part linguist. 

As a psychologist, you try to understand the person behind the voice. An important component of this, when writing to internal audiences, is assessing a leader’s alignment toward creating an environment where everyone has a vital seat at the table of work, and productivity and professional growth go hand in hand. It’s an inclusion framework that I developed called the SEAT model: fostering a workplace filled with safety, empathy, authenticity and trust. 

As a linguist, you evaluate what sandbox of language, tone and cadence leaders like to play in and how they play in it — do they tend to build sandcastles or dig themselves holes?  

_{How can PR professionals create more moving or engaging stories/content?} 

In a world of so much content and confirmation bias, PR professionals should assume their audience thinks they’ve heard and seen everything and “knows what they know.” 

So, surprise and delight should be a focus, while recognizing that not every beat in a story has to be a dopamine hit. Dopamine-fueling content is transfixing but transitory, but forging emotional connections is enduring.

_{What tips on writing do you have for PR pros? Anything that you think others get wrong?}  

Writing is easy, but rewriting is magical, and overwriting is often cataclysmal. 

AI is great for brainstorming, researching and specific editing, and is a writer’s friend — but make sure you know what kind of friend it is. Is it the friend who tells you how great you are, makes your life easy and fills your world with fluff? Or the friend who calls you on your nonsense, challenges you and enables you to do better?