Description
Book SynopsisA terrific and timely book that makes a compelling case for fundamentally rethinking how your business communicates. Recommended!
Jay Baer, founder of Convince & Convert and author of Hug Your Haters
Once upon a time, storytelling was confused with talking at people. Not anymore. Shane and Joe are your narrators in a journey that will transform how you talk to other human beings to be more believable, relevant, compelling and unforgettable.
Brian Solis, experience architect, digital anthropologist, best-selling author
Shane Snow and Joe Lazauskas spend the overwhelming majority of their time thinking, writing, and theorizing about brand storytelling - so you don''t have to. They''re smart and they know this topic inside out (and sideways). Read their book. While I can''t guarantee you''ll rise to Shane and Joe''s ridiculously obsessive level, you will be infinitely better prepared to tell your own brand''s story. Promise!
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
About the Authors xv
Introduction xvii
Stories Matter xviii
Businesses Need to Tell Good Stories xix
Workers and Leaders Need to Tell Good Stories xx
Who Are We? xx
Why This Book? xxii
1 The Power of Story 1
Jacques and the Beggar 4
And Now for Shane’s Favorite Ryan Gosling Story 5
Our Brains Are Built for Story 8
Stories Help Us Remember 10
Stories Generate Empathy—at the Chemical Level 12
Stories Bring Us Together 14
With Great Power . . . 19
2 The Elements of Great Storytelling 23
Element 1: Relatability 25
Element 2: Novelty 29
What Movie Popularity Data Tell Us about Novelty 31
Element 3: Tension 35
Element 4: Fluency 38
3 Honing Your Storytelling Chops 41
Universal Storytelling Frameworks 43
The Ben Franklin Method for Improving Story Skills 48
The Sludge Report 52
4 Transforming Business with Storytelling 57
How Stories Make Products and Services Better 62
Stories Make Advertising Better 68
Stories Make Your Sales Conversions Better 71
Stories Make Your Hiring Process Better 73
Stories Build Your Brand 74
How We Built the Most Influential Content Strategy Blog on Earth 79
#1: Committing to a Mission 79
#2: Getting Smart about Audience 81
#3: Establishing a Strategic Methodology 83
5 The Killer Formula for Building an Audience 85
The CCO Pattern: Create, Connect, Optimize 87
Connect: The Storytelling Bull’s-Eye 94
Create: The Story Funnel-Matrix 100
Optimize: Cranking the Efficiency 104
6 The Brand Newsroom 113
The Talent Race 116
The Virtual Newsroom 118
What Type of Newsroom Do You Prefer? 119
7 The Future of Brand Storytelling 121
#1: Breakthrough Quality Storytelling 125
#2: Rigorously Strategic 128
#3: Tech-Enabled and Data-Optimized 132
The Content Decision Engine 135
The Content Operating Wheel 136
Strategy 138
Plan 142
Create 145
Activate 148
Optimize 150
8 The Storytelling Habit 157
Selling Storytelling Inside Your Organization 160
A Culture of Storytelling 164
May the Story Force Be with You 165
Notes 167
Index 169
