1.
What’s In a Story?
Web Expo 2013
#webexpo
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2.
My Story
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I wanted to be a writer
when I was little.

3.
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The Ant and the Grasshopper

4.
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In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper
was hopping about, chirping and singing to
its heart's content.

5.
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An Ant passed by, bearing along with great
toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

6.
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"Why not come and chat with me," said the
Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling
in that way?"

7.
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"I am helping to lay up food for the winter,"
said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the
same."

8.
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"Why bother about winter?" said the
Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at
present." But the Ant went on its way and
continued its toil.

9.
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When the winter came the Grasshopper had
no food and found itself dying of hunger while it saw the ants distributing every day
corn and grain from
the stores they had
collected in
the summer.

10.
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Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to
prepare for days of need.

11.
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Stories are memorable

12.
A World of Grasshoppers
2000: Average attention
span of 12 seconds.
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2012: Average attention
span of 8 seconds.

13.
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A World of Grasshoppers

14.
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A World of Grasshoppers

15.
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A World of Grasshoppers

16.
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Size matters not

17.
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In many cases,
long copy has proven
more effective than
short copy.

18.
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The Long and the Short of it

19.
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The Long and the Short of it

20.
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The Long and the Short of it

21.
It didn’t work because
the content was
longer.
It worked because the
content was better.
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The Long and the Short of it

22.
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The Long and the Short of it

23.
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Stories are engaging

24.
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“In reality, you cannot
have a page that’s too
long – only one that’s
too boring.”
- Conversion Rate Experts

25.
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“Sit on a hot stove for a
minute and it seems like an
hour. Sit next to a pretty girl
for an hour, and it seems
like a minute. That’s
relativity.” –Albert Einstein

26.
You are here
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The Long and the Short of it

27.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
2. Sometimes we need to do
things that aren’t very fun.
3. Plan ahead, like the ant,
and you won’t starve.
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1. Hard work pays off.

28.
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Stories are Meaningful

29.
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"Fiction, because it is not
about somebody who actually
lived in the real world,
always has the possibility of
being about ourself.”
- Orson Scott Card

30.
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Stories are meaningful

31.
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Hard work pays off.

32.
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The grasshopper
learned that hard work
pays off.

33.
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Seeing the ant’s
happiness, the
grasshopper learned
that hard work pays off.

34.
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After playing all summer
and nearly starving, and
seeing the ant’s
happiness, the
grasshopper learned that
hard work pays off.

35.
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Stories are Memorable

36.
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Basecamp organizes
projects.

37.
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For thousands of
companies, Basecamp
organizes projects.

38.
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When they need it, for
thousands of
companies, Basecamp
organizes projects.

39.
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Like a mountaineer’s
Sherpa when they need
it, for thousands of
companies, Basecamp
organizes projects.

40.
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Why do stories stick?

41.
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42.
History of Storytelling
Storytelling
Oral traditions
Fairy tales
Visions and Prophesies
Myths and Legends
Connection
Creative direction
Lessons
Marketing
Education
Text and visuals
Branding
Communication
Content Strategy
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Fables

43.
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History of Storytelling

44.
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History of Storytelling

45.
• Explains the
origin of women.
• Explains personality
attributes.
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History of Storytelling

46.
• Explains why bad
things happen.
• Explains hope.
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History of Storytelling

47.
• Storytelling as
a peace
offering.
• Storytelling as
a means of
engagement.
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History of Storytelling

48.
History of Storytelling
• Storytelling is
influential.
• Storytelling is
memorable.
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Emadeddin Baghi
Iranian Author

49.
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History of Storytelling

50.
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History of Storytelling

51.
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History of Storytelling

52.
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History of Storytelling

53.
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History of Storytelling

54.
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“People need stories
more than bread itself.
They tell us how to live,
and why.”
–Arabian Nights

55.
Content Creators
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Storytelling

56.
Content Creators
• Research
• Establish the story
• Add details
• Distribute
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We tell stories that can be READ. We:

57.
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Research

58.
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Research
It’s EVERYONE’s job!

59.
Research
• Have conversations, not interviews
• Pay attention to vocabulary
• Identify patterns
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• Good research = personalized
content!

60.
The point of questions is
to hear what users have
to say. Their vocabulary is
just as important as their
answers.
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Research

61.
Share your own stories
– but only a few.
Remember the main
focus is on the user.
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Research

62.
Identify patterns.
Patterns are more
valuable than outliers.
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Research

63.
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Establish the Story

64.
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Establish the Story

65.
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Establish the Story

66.
Establish the Story
Middle: She meets the wolf, who
eats her and her grandmother.
End: The huntsman kills the wolf,
and Red Riding Hood lives happily
ever after with her grandmother.
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Beginning: Little Red Riding Hood
wants to visit her grandmother.

67.
Establish the Story
Middle: Joe buys the new Moto X
phone. He can work anywhere!
End: Joe leaves the office early, to
take his family on a picnic. They live
happily ever after.
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Beginning: Joe wants to spend
more time with his family.

68.
Establish the Story
Middle: On her recipe website, the
chicken recipes are bookmarked.
End: Sally makes a wonderful
dinner, repairing her relationship
with her mother-in-law.
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Beginning: Sally needs a recipe to
make chicken.

69.
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Add Details

70.
Add Details
Strangers  bears  a family
A story  a whole world
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A person  a girl  Goldilocks

71.
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Add Details

72.
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Add Details

73.
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Distribute

74.
Distribute
• First, learn where the audience is.
• Participate in their conversations.
• Advertise your product or service
where it helps.
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• The goal: engage with the audience.

75.
It doesn’t matter where
you market your content, so
long as you go where your
audience spends time.
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Distribute

76.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Create a story
Personalize a story
Use different mediums
Interact with your audience
Trust
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Next Steps

77.
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1. Create a story, and
build the brand around
that story. Tell a story
that shows the value of
your product.

78.
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2. Personalize the story
to your target
audience, based on
what you learn from
what they say.

79.
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3. Use different
mediums to help grow
the story. Go to the
places where your
users hang out.

80.
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4. Interact with your
audience. Bring them
your content, and help
them understand all of
its value.

81.
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5. Trust the story to
pull in the audience.

82.
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Thank you!
Marli Mesibov
marli.us
@marsinthestars