11 Ways to Use Social Media for Storytelling

SOURCE: Digital Marketing Institute

When we think about the stories we read as children, they had a beginning, middle, and end; a climax or conflict; and some sort of moral lesson. Great content on social media can also deliver a similarly rich message when done correctly.

A story isn’t just about words – a great story teaches us something about the world and ourselves. And great content marketing tells a good story.

Today, we’re seeing more innovative uses of storytelling incorporated into brand building (some with the help of artificial intelligence (AI)) as customers demand more from companies. 

More people want to understand the ethos and mission of a brand to see if it is committed to something meaningful (such as a social issue or cause), rather than just buying something because it’s 'cool'.

So, what’s the best way to tell a story on social media? Let's look at 11 great ways to do it!

1) Develop a (Long) Story Arc

A story is essentially a sequence of events with some key elements. With social media, you have plenty of options to tell stories in new ways that cross the boundaries of traditional storytelling and advertising. 

While you may have some restrictions (for instance, length), you also have a number of tools at your fingertips.

Before you develop your social content as part of a campaign or advertising strategy, it’s important to look ahead at your end goals and work back. Ask yourself questions like:

• What does your business goal look like one year or five years from now?

• Where would you like to be in terms of preferred or target audience?

• What is your growth plan demographically and even internationally?

• How are you performing in comparison to your competitors?

Every clip, blog, video, or image needs to be a mini-story in itself, but what about taking your audience and customers on a journey that lasts longer than that? 

When you think about the fact that each piece of content contributes to your brand and business story, you have the potential to 'hook' people over the long term.

To this end, you can think of your 'story arc' – the beginning, middle, and end. Not only for each piece of content but also in connection with your long-term goals and unique offering or USP.  

Let's look at a great example, the beauty brand Dove. Originally launched as a soap brand, the company has put storytelling at the heart of its marketing campaigns to focus on empowering women through a message of self-esteem and self-acceptance.

Dove's The Code campaign was launched to raise awareness of the potential impact of artificial intelligence in the beauty industry. 

The advert aims to make women think about keeping beauty real even in the face of fake or AI-generated imagery that makes them feel pressure to alter their appearance because of what they see online.

2) Show, Don’t Tell

When it comes to any kind of advertising, whether it’s social media-based or not, it’s better if you show your story rather than tell it. But, what does this mean?

In the realm of social media, this might be as simple as creating a compelling video, or infographic, or using a stunning visual in combination with a catchy title to get your message (or the gist of it) across quickly. After all, you only have a few seconds to make your point, so why not make it as clear and visually inviting as possible?

Technology company GoPro is a great example of this 'show, don't tell' storytelling. While they do have promo videos to show off their newest camera, the majority show how their cameras are used and the results are pretty spectacular. It's not only the GoPro crew that posts videos but millions of customers who want to share their sporting feats. 

3) Write Like a Writer

Do you have experience of online writing, copywriting, fiction or non-fiction? The truth is that while a bit of experience helps, you don’t really need to be an expert in any genre to nail storytelling on social media.

What will grab attention, though, is creativity, boldness, and the type of message that cuts to the chase – or at least gives a hint of the amazing things to come.

Depending on your audience, sometimes this will incorporate more of a story which includes some typical narrative elements. Think of the hero’s journey, for instance: it typically incorporates an unexpected hero (the protagonist) who finds themselves in a situation where they must do something life-changing (save the world from destruction).

If you are able to invite your audience in using the same tools that fiction writers do, you probably will get them engaged from the get-go. Plus don't forget the importance of SEO writing when it comes to search and social media, the right keywords mean getting to the right people. 

If you ever experience writer’s blog, then check out these 10 tips to get the cogs whirring again!

4) Use Influencers & Other Partners

Some of the most innovative social advertising we’re seeing today tends to combine two or three elements: a celebrity or influencer marketing, a genuine cause, and a product.

This combination of elements taps into an issue that people care about by leveraging the power of a relevant influencer or brand (make sure the influencer or partner is relevant, otherwise your content could fall flat). 

A great example is GymShark's #Gymshark66 campaign where they challenged people to change their lives by forming positive habits. 

To kick off the campaign, the brand partnered with some fitness influencers and created a video series called “Stories of the 66” where people talked about their journey. The campaign resulted in more than 1.9 million likes, 12,576 comments, and 45.5 million views, as of May 2024 according to Marketing Week. And it’s still growing.

On TikTok, fans share videos of their progress resulting in nearly 148,000 posts under the hashtag.

One area where influencers and partnerships can work well is the non-profit sector. By getting backing for a particular social issue or cause, the charity can benefit by raising awareness and driving interest which can result in increased revenue from fundraising or volunteer recruitment. 

A perfect example of this is how Matt Damon's company water.org has partnered with Stella Artois since 2015  to urge consumers to purchase Stella Artois chalice glasses with profits going to the organization’s clean water campaign to connect the brand and the cause in a memorable way. 

This is a sort of triple-whammy where audiences get in an effort to also promote the company’s focus on providing clean drinking water to underprivileged communities.

5) Leverage AI

While AI can’t replace the human touch, humorous approach or level of creativity required to tell a story, it can be a useful tool. 

AI copywriting tools like ChatGPT and Jasper can help to conduct research or generate ideas for social media once you know how to write prompts that are detailed and focused. 

For example, you can ask ChatGPT questions such as:

• Create 7 engaging questions to use in our next Q&A session about [insert subject]

• Conceptualize 5 creative YouTube Shorts related to [insert product/service or topic]

• Create 5 Facebook Live topics to engage a panel of beauty influencers around [insert product/service or topic]

You can also use AI to create first drafts for posting on social media. This could be as simple as a few posts for a campaign or a video script. These tools can also help with proofreading and editing content to avoid embarrassing typos or mistakes, especially if you’re a solo marketer, freelancer or work for a small team that’s tight on time and resources. 

The key using AI in your social media activities is to use it as a companion, let it be there to help you but not replace that work that you do or content you produce. 

Other AI tools for social media are:

Visual tools

• Canva – Templates for social media posts, infographics, and ads.

• Adobe Express – Easy-to-use design platform for storytelling visuals.

• Lumen5 – Turns blog posts or scripts into short videos using AI.

Video creation & editing tools

• Animoto – Drag-and-drop video creation focused on storytelling.

• InVideo – Ready-made templates for story-driven video ads.

• CapCut – Easy mobile editor with storytelling transitions and effects.

Script & storyboard tools

• Notion or Trello – Organize story arcs, content calendars, and campaign ideas.

• Boords – Storyboarding tool with collaboration features.

• Writer or Grammarly – For polishing social ad copy or storytelling captions.

6) Connect With Your Followers

Social media platforms offer plenty of built-in tools to understand the types of posts that drive the most engagement. This should give you insight into the popularity of your content across channels.

You can look at your social media data to gain insights and see what was most effective. Was that one post, longer blog, or ebook something that resonated in the past? Or perhaps it was a funny video that got a lot of shares? 

You can then use these insights to get a sense of what is hitting your audience and build a new story from there.

Consider using Facebook Live, create TikTok content that taps into trends or produce clever and funny videos to help explain your mission and message in a fresh way. People who’ve followed you for a while are likely to get bored seeing the same old things in their social feeds, so it’s important that you spice it up at every chance you get.

7) Make It Meaningful

So maybe you’ve conducted thorough market research and audience listening ,and you’ve gotten to know your current customers well enough.

If you’re developing a brand story or campaign, the key element behind reaching people is that you have to find what makes your product meaningful to the audience. What matters to them, not just in the short run but also in the long run?

For instance, an airline offering discounts on one-way flights may not want to just focus on how it’s less expensive, but on tailoring the ads towards digital nomads who may be taking advantage of such flights as a part of their ongoing lifestyle choice of staying “on the road.”

Once you figure out what is deeply meaningful to your audience, you can then develop a story-line – a brand story-line as well as a set of story-line snippets – to illustrate a need with an underlying emotional base.  

For example, when beauty brand Milk Makeup launched, it didn’t follow the typical direct to consumer route. Instead, it followed instinct and built loyalty through belief and community. 

It’s now one of Gen Z’s most trusted brands, according to Campaign not because it went viral, but because it stood for something (clean beauty and vegan makeup) long before it ever sold anything. Plus it’s all about the attitude which many young women respond to.

8) Use Features to Get Personal

There are plenty of features on social platforms that can help you convey emotion, authenticity, and immediacy in a short period of time.

The main ones that come to mind are Instagram video formats, Snapchat Stories, and even TikTok. You can use each of them to produce real-time videos that last for a short period of time.

This type of ephemeral marketing is ever-popular especially with the millennial and younger demographic mostly because it’s a snippet of real life. People crave authenticity more and more in the digital world, so offering a real glimpse into someone’s personal world can sometimes feel like a breath of fresh air.

The best part about these tools (as well as Facebook Stories and Facebook Live) is that you don’t really need to create anything special, or even use a lot of text or words. Simply letting someone see a real-live person talking or doing something in real-time is more than enough. And it’s a perfect opportunity to demonstrate your product or service in a real-life context.

Take National Geographic's use of Instagram Stories for example. By leveraging amazing photographs, the brand uses Stories to educate and inform people about a range of issues concerning the natural world and science. 

The simple but eye-catching Story asks people if they know the difference between a number of animals and gives facts about each to educate. 

9) Go Short

Short-form video has exploded in recent years. In fact, Wyzowl research found that 44% of consumers prefer to learn about products through short videos versus any other format and 30% watch them to the end. 

This is largely due to the huge popularity of TikTok that makes its living from short-form videos! This means that brands, influencers and creators are now creating videos that pack a punch with 15 to 60 seconds. 

This appetite for short-form videos has prompted other platforms to follow suit. YouTube Shorts is now hugely popular while Instagram Reels or Instagram Shorts are also a big draw for the platform. While Facebook Reels also supports short-videos between 3 to 90 seconds in length if that’s a popular platform for your brand.  

Short-form video is a great way to hook people and draw them to your long-form content such as blogs or research. The key to a great short video is to create a story-arc by using a hook, building the story and then providing a solution or resolution. 

Here’s a great example from Levis on Instagram that uses videos regularly to showcase their denim and drive brand awareness. This video is a ‘behind the scenes’ example with a funny voiceover that packs a punch in just 19 seconds. 

10) Use data visualization

Many consumers want to see facts and figures from brands, particularly when it comes to sustainable practices or reporting for transparency. But they don’t want to have to do a deep dive online to do it. 

That’s where data visualization comes in. By using visuals to share information you can not only make it easier for people to obtain and understand but also really drive meaningful engagement. 

For example, let’s say you have exciting original research that would interest your target audience and the wider industry. It’s great to create a detailed research report or whitepaper, but most people don’t have the time to digest that level of information. 

So, create an infographic, simple bar chart, interactive map or carousel of the key findings on social media to share the information. Or create a short video from a senior executive or industry leader highlighting the findings. Consider trying out tools like Flourish, Piktochart or Datawrapper to create visual stories. 

This type of content could do well across any channel if you tailor it, but LinkedIn can be a powerful platform for this type of information. 

Top tip: Read our blog ‘Be a LinkedIn Leader’ for some tips and tricks.   

11) Build a Community

You shouldn’t underestimate the power of community on social media. While consumers may treat it as a customer service channel to ask questions, complain or even share good news, many people like to communicate and engage using social media platforms. 

So it’s worth taking a community focus in your social media activities. Engage with your followers by posting questions or conducting polls. Then take time to share the results of those communications to show you’ve listened. 

Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups offer a great forum to connect with your audience and give them the opportunity to give opinions or bring up issues. But also let people in the group connect with each other so you give them space to discuss and be your advocate. 

“I don't think it's the brand's job to persuade people to become part of their community. It's their actual community, their customers, their audience, that should do the legwork for them. They just need to provide a space for that to happen, and that space isn't just having a social media platform, being on TikTok or YouTube, it's about showing up around key cultural moments or things that matter to audiences,” said Kineta Kelsall Founder of ⁠School of Social⁠ and LinkedIn trainer in a DMI podcast.  

For example, Canva has a design community on Facebook with over 450,000 members where people can learn how to make the most out of the platform, and get the latest updates, tips, events, and insights straight from the Canva team. 

Social network Reddit has gained ground in recent years with many people flocking to the channel for advice and information. Discord is another platform that’s popular with gamers if this is an audience you want to engage. 

Building a community can also give you invaluable content you can share on your platforms. User-generated content is invaluable to brands as a way to tell people about a product or service from the point of view of a consumer. 

Final Thoughts

Consumers have so many choices when it comes to purchasing power, and this is a good thing for them. But sometimes it's a bad thing for marketers because there’s plenty of competition.

The good news is that there are still only a small number of companies that are able to use social media in such a way that they tell a story that truly connects. Make sure your brand is one of them. 

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SOURCE: Digital Marketing Institute