Storytelling and Content Marketing (Business Tips)

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storytelling

It turns out that storytelling can become an effective technique in content marketing. Does your content marketing trigger neurological responses that leave people wanting to make positive decisions?

Utilising storytelling that follows a particular structure can be very efficient in creating positive neurological responses. It’s the one that makes you always knew you were doing good. Let’s take a look at some tips on producing content marketing stories to provoke positive emotions and get the good feelings flowing.

How Storytelling Affects the Brain

There is increasing evidence that storytelling evokes a strong neurological response in people. Latest research shows that storytelling affects the brain, for example:

  • During the tense moments in a story our brains produce the stress hormone cortisol which allows us to focus
  • On seeing characters people can relate to or cute characters the brain releases oxytocin, the feel-good chemical that promotes connection and empathy
  • a happy ending to a story triggers the limbic system, the brain’s reward center, to release dopamine which makes us feel more hopeful and optimistic

The research has found is that even a simple narrative can trigger the release of cortisol and oxytocin, provided it is highly engaging and follows what is known as the dramatic arc. Turns out this is pretty much part of the double-helix of oxytocin. This is a universal storytelling structure because of the way it triggers neurological responses. It can build empathy releasing oxytocin, create rising tension to produce cortisol and a good outcome can release dopamine to make people optimistic. His research has demonstrated how engaging stories following this structure can result in people giving more charity or taking specific actions. What’s more his research shows that this structure can work equally well in a short two minute story.

Storytelling Tips

Do you want to deliver people that emotional feeling? Then you can improve your chances of positive neurological responses from your stories with the following tips. If you can remember 3S-3C , you’ll be safe.

  1. Structure. Ensuring your story follows the dramatic arc structure.
  2. Speed. Quickly getting attention. You have as little as 20 seconds to get the reader’s attention.
  3. Sympathy. Using characters which your reader can relate to and attach themselves to. This may simply be someone like them, in a similar role or position.
  4. Conflict. Building rising tension, as a flat story will lose attention.
  5. Complexity. Creating depth in your story. Most of the times, shorter stories benefit from emotional complexity.
  6. Conclusion. A positive outcome to your story.