The Secret Sauce of Social Media: Why Storytelling Wins Every Time

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Rachel Strella: Welcome back to Untamed Social. I'm Rachel Strella, and I'm here with Tara Kay.

Tara Kay Otey: Hey, how's it going?

Rachel Strella: Today, we're going to be talking about storytelling and why it's the secret sauce to social media. So let's talk about this for a minute. Now, storytelling is not just about sharing your own story, but I am going to open up with a story because it is about storytelling. Um, so we all love our pets, right? Um, they're like our family. And so.

Tara Kay Otey: Right, 100%.

Rachel Strella: When something happens to them, we're heartbroken. Um, if they're ill, or if they go missing, or of course, you know, the worst case scenario, they actually pass away. And last summer, um, one of my cats decided to escape. And, um, I was absolutely heartbroken. I, um, posted up on social media. And on Facebook and groups, everywhere I possibly could. I think everybody in Harrisburg was looking for this cat. And I went through so many different scenarios trying to find him and trying to capture him. I created a custom trap. Um, I, I must have had 25 people reach out to me over a period of eight months thinking that they found my cat and it wasn't my cat.

Tara Kay Otey: That's so sad.

Rachel Strella: Um, but anybody can understand if they've ever lost a pet that, like, you're like, where is my pet? You just want your animal back so bad. In any event, in that eight months, I ended up finding another cat, um, and adopted that cat. And three weeks later, somebody in my community actually found my cat. And it was all because I posted on social media, and I stayed consistent about that. And I shared the story of my sweet Bubby. Um and everybody was so wonderful in the community. When I finally found my Bubby, they were following my story and this journey with this cat for eight months. And they were so overwhelmed with joy that I found my cat. This is the power of storytelling and, and community, really. This is the power of social media, yet so many people fail to do it. So, I mean, really, it's about creating relatable, engaging narratives. Not everything is as sexy as animals and kittens, but we can tell stories that are engaging. And it's really, I mean, when you think about it, it's marketing 101. The psychology behind, you know, stories. They build trust and emotion and loyalty. And they're memorable. So let's talk a little bit about brands that are killing it with storytelling. Can you give me a couple of examples maybe that you could think of, Tara Kay?

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah, one that I, that immediately comes to mind is Duolingo. I don't know if you've seen their stuff, but you know, their whole shtick is like basically, they'll post about like, you know, we're watching you do your lesson today. We're watching you do your lessons or else you know like kind of this playful slightly creepy threatening thing like it's a storyline that they've been going on for ever. And it works like it's everyone loves like following, you know, seeing what they're gonna post next. But um in the last few weeks, they did kind of like this mini campaign. So like, you know, everything is all about the story about, uh, basically tell it like forcing people to do their Duolingo language practice. Right. Um, but then they'll also do like these mini campaigns. And this last one was like, it was this whole thing about Duo, which is their little bird, the Duolingo bird. Duo was killed, and so they posted like, Duo's been killed, like who did it? Why did it happen? All this stuff, and so they kept posting like, like Duo's funeral, and Duo got, yeah, it was so funny, like they got all, all of Duo's friends to go and fake their deaths, because they all were faking their deaths, and, and they, they used the app too, where when you went on the app, it would say like, Save Duo, or like, you know, Duo is dead, help bring him back to life, or stuff like that. Um, and, even their followers, like, started hopping on board with this, and they're posting stuff like, I killed Duo, I did it, or, you know, here's how I think Duo was killed, and all this stuff. So, they just do a really good job of, of telling a story and getting their followers involved with it, like, it became its own social media trend. Like it was that big. Um, or Airbnb is another one where they, they'll like tell stories within each post, um, where people will post like guests will post at different Airbnbs telling their story about how they ended up at that Airbnb or, you know, how much fun they're having there, or they'll have hosts posting about their own Airbnbs. And so everything is, everything is like a micro story or, or like Duolingo, a macro story where you just, you're involved and you know, like, oh yeah, I know what's going on with that, that brand. And I want to, I want to follow up with what they're doing.

Rachel Strella: I love that. I'm an Airbnb junkie, so I love that.

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah. It's super fun. I mean, I feel like, um, I feel like no one really follows content just to like get information. Oh, okay. That's not true.

People follow content to get information. Yes. But they like having information in an interesting way. Um, like, one other brand, even, that you wouldn't think would do a very good job telling stories is Glossier. They're, um, you know, they'd use, they're all about like skincare products and makeup products, and the way that they do their marketing on social media, instead of just posting like, hey, here's this sale, buy this. Like, hey, here's this new product, buy this. They show how all their products are being used in daily, and people's like, real people's lives, and they really focus on the human aspect and on the user experience more than just on the products, so I feel like that's really how how brands succeed is by telling their story and getting you involved in it.

Rachel Strella: Yes, I love that. The human experience. And that's just it. I mean, people, why are we sharing boring content? Like, share stories. That's what we need to be doing. And I think that's a big mistake that businesses are making. And they're just posting these facts, and nobody cares about that. You know, create a narrative around it. So it's such a, it's such a huge missed opportunity. And I think that's where we can go from here. What makes a great storyteller? And so, here are a couple of things. Relatable. You know, somebody needs to feel like, yeah, yeah, I've been there. Um, emotionally engaging, like it's something that we can feel we can totally relate to in that experience. We, we could feel that emotion that they're feeling. Um, clear and simple too, like when a story starts getting really complex and you've lost it, like you, you've, you've listened to stories when somebody's telling it and you're like, wait, what are they talking about? You know.

Tara Kay Otey: Right, yeah.

Rachel Strella: Preamble, you know?

Tara Kay Otey: Mm hmm.

Rachel Strella: It's also conversational, like you could tell if something's corporate speak. You know, it has to be something that's, like, very easy, easy to read. Um, this is a big one, too. Like, they know their audience, they know who they're talking to and who's listening to it. And the biggest one that I really love, too, is vulnerability. Like, they're willing to be vulnerable. Um, and that's something I get a lot of pushback from, from colleagues and stuff is, you know, you write these blogs, Rachel, that, like, really tell a lot of things about you.

And I say, these are the blogs that do the, the best, because people can put themselves in my shoes. And they're like, wow, you have the courage to say the things that I'm feeling, and it makes you relatable. Um, vulnerability is a big aspect of storytelling. The things that make stories flop are, there's no, they're too long and there's no hook. You're like, what's, what, what is it getting at?

What's the point of the story? Um, there's no emotional connection. You know, you're not really understanding the impact.

Tara Kay Otey: Right.

Rachel Strella: And then there's really no payoff. Like what is in it for the audience? Like again, like, you know, you have to know what the audience wants and needs, and if you can't make that connection with the story, like, you're really, really not getting what a story is supposed to be about. So, I know, like, we work with a lot of different clients, um, and we've also seen a lot of different brands throughout, you know, our history in marketing. Can you give us, maybe, an example of, like, a boring post versus a great storytelling post?

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah no, definitely. I was looking through, um, I was looking through on my own social media just to, like, just find examples of both. And it's funny, I realized, like, my algorithms are such that the things that I'm not interested in, you know, obviously, everyone, like, if you're not interested in it, if it's not doing well, it doesn't get served to you. So I really had to dig. Um, but, like, you know, you'll see, like, a, uh, a kind of a boring example of something where, like, someone posts a photo of their company and it's like, it's Monday.

It's like, what about it? Like, that's cool. Like, why? Like, there's nothing to it. There's no call to action. There's no emotional connection. There's no story.

Like, there's a lot you could do with, like, it's a Monday, and therefore, great story time, but um, but like, they don't take advantage of it. Um, they're like, you know, we post for um, for Relative Race, for one of our clients, and we'll post like these reunion videos, and um, and those are like perfect. They lend themselves really, really well to emotional content, and I've seen where there will be like, you know, spoof, um, accounts like trying to mimic Relative Race, and they'll post, they'll like, you know, pirated copy, post things, and they'll say like, Rebecca meets her sister. It's like, cool. But you see, something that, you know, they'll put on the Relative Race page is like, Rebecca and her sister just melted into each other's arms, like, after years apart, da da da da, and like, you know, it goes into this whole story. And I think that really, really has an impact on whether or not people are interested in, in reading or watching, or they just scroll right through.

Rachel Strella: You make a good point I feel like sometimes people expect the asset to do the job for them. And a lot of times I'll say that it can. But there's something more to storytelling than that, you know, and they say a picture can say a thousand words. Yes, it can. But great storytelling needs to have it all around, like, wrap it all around for me. Like, I want a compelling narrative, I want a compelling video, and a compelling photo. I want it all to, like, pull me in.

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah, 100%. And like, the platforms that we use all give you the opportunity to tell those stories. They give you so many options that you're not using them, you've a huge missed opportunity.

Rachel Strella: When I was in college, I had a journalism professor who said that every single thing that you do, you need to answer the question, so what, who cares? And I always think about that with anything I do, and as a writer, that was like, so what, who cares? And I think that it's great to think about that in storytelling as well. Like, if it's Monday, so what, who cares?

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah, exactly. Right? There's an opportunity there. Just take the opportunity.

Rachel Strella: Okay, let's talk just really briefly about some of the best platforms and formats for storytelling because there's so many different social media channels out there.

Tara Kay Otey: Oh, yeah. They're all over the place. Like, you know, you've got short form storytelling, and that's, I think that's probably more like TikTok, Instagram Stories and Threads, you know, those short, bite sized content that grabs your attention real fast.

Rachel Strella: Yeah.

Tara Kay Otey: You don't need a whole lot there.

Rachel Strella: Yes. Yeah. I mean, and I think, I mean, for me, I'm as a writer, like, I really like blogs as more of a longer form storytelling. Um, and LinkedIn can be used more of a long form too. And it really depends on your message.

Like if you want, every platform has different, even, even TikTok, you say it's short form, they allow up to ten minutes, you know, it's just, it's like all the platforms keep changing and molding, but, um, I do find that like, if you really want to get something out there in longer form, you want to kind of use, um, rich content sources like podcasts, blogs, YouTube. If you want something that's kind of bite sized, like you said, I, I kind of think of Instagram, TikTok, X, you know, it's really, it really does depend on how you want to put it out there.

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah, no, that's true. Um, and I think, um, it's funny because in a lot of ways we're gearing more toward long form content, like even with Instagram and TikTok, like they're upping how long our reels can be and and people are spending a lot more time on that long form content. So, it's, which is just, it's really great because then you have the opportunity to do both kinds of storytelling on the same platform.

Rachel Strella: Right.

Tara Kay Otey: Depending on what people are looking for and where you're, where you're putting your information out there and where you're serving your content.

Rachel Strella: Yeah. Like if you're thirsty for more, well, you can have 10 minutes.

Tara Kay Otey: Right, right? Um.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, so the big talk in social media and just about anywhere online these days is AI. So what is the role of AI in storytelling? And, um, you know, I just, I just read something this week that AI can now mimic human empathy and, and even it's proven as a fact now that it can be even more empathetic than humans. And some major businesses, like Allstate, are using them, um, to handle their customer service requests. Because they're not, they're not getting burnt out at the end of the day. You know, they're more empathetic, you know? Um, so it makes sense. So does that mean that brands, like, should use them? Um, as they're storytelling. And, you know, the short answer would be no. I mean, while they can craft these empathetic responses. AI has not actually lived those stories, you know, had that experience. Um, so, think about some of the most impactful messages that you've ever seen. You have, you, when you read it, you feel that emotion. And you know that they've been there, and you felt that thing. So, AI didn't have that personal experience.

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah.

Rachel Strella: And, it doesn't know what it's like to struggle or have been in that moment and had that doubt. You know, on our worst days, we really want that like genuine personal connection. And like right now, I know there's a member on our team who her best friend, um, her son got in a car accident and he's 22 years old and, um, he's in a coma. And he's been in a coma for about a week and a half and it's not looking good that he's going to wake up. And so, the parents are in limbo, obviously with grief. It's a grief that you can't really describe. Um, because there's no closure. You're hanging on to a shred of hope. I mean, it's just, you don't want any type of AI bot to, to sympathize with you or empathize with you. You want a human being, you know, who has, real emotions to be there for you. And I think that's the impact of humans that could never be replaced. And I think this, this can be also the impact of, of true emotional connection that will shine through in storytelling always.

Tara Kay Otey: Mm hmm.

Rachel Strella: So as we think about, you know, where can businesses use storytelling and AI, um, they can't replace it, but um, you can use it as a tool, and so like, if I had to give best practices, because I use, I use AI as a supplement, but I use it create ideas, like sometimes I'm stuck on something I want to write, so it's like, how can I get started? Ah, now I have an idea. Um, I let it polish some things for me, but I don't let it create it from scratch. I'll be like, hey, I'm going to write this from the heart, and then kind of just like, have it maybe refine the grammar for me. Um, and then sometimes I just like, it will write it and I have to make sure I read it really well before I post it because if it doesn't sound like me or it doesn't sound like the brand, like, no, you know, because the language that you use and other people will know it's not you. No.

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah. There are definitely some things where I've read some things that people have posted, and I'm like, that is, that's chat GPT. Like, chat GPT its own voice, and that was it.

Rachel Strella: Yes, and you know it, you just know it. Like, just the other day, Laney was like, oh, I saw the words digital landscape. Definitely AI.

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, no, no. So, you know, wrapping up the podcast here, you know, why is storytelling so essential? I mean to me I think it's really just a secret to brand loyalty when it comes down to it you will not only become memorable through a really great story you'll become unforgettable and that authenticity like in the brand is key. Especially like, think about it, in a world dominated by AI, this could be a brand's greatest asset.

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah, their authenticity and realness.

Rachel Strella: Yeah.

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah. I think that's definitely something that pulls people toward brands is that human element.

Rachel Strella: Yeah. 100%. So I would challenge our listeners to look at their last five social media posts and, you know, ask themselves, do they tell a story or are they just a post?

Tara Kay Otey: Yeah. I think that's a great exercise.

Rachel Strella: Um.

Tara Kay Otey: I'm gonna go do that for us, too.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, I'm kind of curious. Um, challenge ourselves as well. Well, um, I'm thankful for everybody that's, uh, tuning in, and I'm looking forward to more Untamed Social.

Tara Kay Otey: All right. Well, thanks so much, Rachel. Great to be here.

Rachel Strella: Take care, everybody.