The Story Architect

Stop the scroll. Get people hooked. Tell a better story.

Photo: Kelly Back Photography

Stories + Purpose = Rave Reviews

The big problem on the internet right now (now more than ever, in fact) isn’t that there is too much noise, it’s that there aren’t enough people creating stories that people really want to read.

Like, really want to read.

The result? Hundreds of millions of people are scrolling, and scrolling and scrolling. There’s so much vanilla content online, written in the same language. Over and over and over and over, just like Hot Chip.

“Reading is bliss.” Said Nora Ephron. And so it should be.

Whatever it is you’re selling, words are the way you build the connection, before, during and after they’ve made a transaction.

On video. On social media. On newsletters. On everywhere.

It’s not what you do, it’s what you say and how you say it that counts.

Yet, the dichotomy and sad, sad truth is that SEO killed the internet. Cheap words fed search engines. Quantity over quality in the race up the rankings.

How many times have I heard this? It pisses me off so much, cos I believe that great stories shouldn’t just be told in the movies or books. We are all storytellers leaving our legacy in this world.

And every time I hear:

“We’ll get an intern on the content.”

Writing a great script is a craft.

Creating visual stories is an art.

And it’s about more than words. The script is only part of the movie, right? The whole production is so much more.

Stories, not content builds fans

Purpose wrapped up in great stories equals ***fans**** whatever you do.

Like any blockbuster, the ingredients are:

~ Internal buy-in (clear brand manifesto, character and story development, tone of voice, a team gelled to the story and equipped with how to tell it).

~ A clear and unique editorial concept that delivers exactly what the consumer is looking for (across your newsletter, blog, social media)

~ Language, values and words that are empathetic, relevant, compassionate and bridges the gap between where the consumer is now and where they want to be.

~ A recognition of humanity and give-back is more important than ever right now.

Stories wrap around our messages and float out to the people who need to read them, there’s an alchemy.

You want your brand to change the world? You want to communicate the core ethos more succinctly and in a way that people relate to? You want to attract the very best talent. You want to grow, to increase revenues and you want to disrupt your industry.

Build a great story.

As humans, we are genetically wired to learn and live by stories. In fact, it has been found that character-driven stories do consistently better because our bodies to make oxytocin – the chemistry of love.

So, it makes sense that if you want people to be feeling the oxytocin about your brand, what you stand for and what you can do for them, you need to tell better stories.

~ Stories told using compelling words that bring a brand to life and show it in action.

~ Stories expressing the brand’s proposition through the eyes of its audience with 100% perspicuity.

~ Stories that wrap around and deliver a compelling editorial concept that glues people to the spot, that delivers exactly what they need, when they need it, across all channels.

~ Uses classic cinematic narratives to deliver a great script, strong characters and a plot with tension and drama.

Pass the popcorn…

When We Work Together

The approach I take combines 20+ years of experience in pitching and delivering big ideas across multiple channels and formats as well as everything I learned at Film School about narrative and my passion for understanding how people work.

My approach, StoryScript includes:

~ Story archetypes – Jungian influenced characters, a clear story manifesto and an applied understanding of human and storytelling psychology to build a credible, relatable and compelling story.

~ The script – language, tension, plot, ending – how do you want to make people feel?

~ The production – concepts, rollout across your channels, cast (your team), scriptwriting and copy development, marketing and publishing.

If you’d like that in work speak, as many people do, the deliverables are:

Internal Communications

~ Brand manifesto

~ Character and story development. Your Plot!

~ Tone of voice.

~ Team writing workshops to motivate, educate and inspire.

External Communications

~ Editorial concepts for newsletters, blogs and social media.

~ Content and messaging strategy.

~ Copywriting.

~ Editorial direction across print and digital channels.

~ Ideas (big ones). Event communications.

~ Campaigns.

~ Working with your existing agencies and teams to implement your stories across all your channels.

Brands I’ve worked with

Let’s talk

Book a call if you’re ready to tell your story better. Click below and let’s talk.

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Fill out your details below and tell me what you’re interested in talking to me about; a project, brief, a workshop for your team etc.

I usually respond the same day.

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