The Internet and media have changed the way we speak, interact, and share, not to mention the ways we spend our time, conduct business, and govern countries, so why wouldn’t it affect our storytelling too? The answer: it does. Our attention spans have decreased, and we spend hours upon hours scrolling mindlessly through our feeds for some gratification, whether that comes from short-form storytelling like TikToks or reels, memes, or tweets, or long-form storytelling, like an article, blog post, or even an e-book.
How can we tell stories effectively online? How do we keep an otherwise distracted audience invested in our stories? The answers are in the infographic below.
Summary of the infographic
- Have a clear message: have a moral of the story. Make sure that you are offering some kind of lesson or value so that your audience has an incentive to stick around.
- Keep it structured: have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Do not deviate! This will only confuse your audience, and make it less likely that they will stay.
- Make your story engaging: in addition to just having an interesting story, have some interactive elements to keep your audience engaged with the story.
- Know your platform: know what does well and is expected on each platform. Your story could be great, but if it is in the wrong format, or does not serve the audience you are catering to, it won’t matter.
- Keep it simple: keep your story to the point. The excess will only serve to distract your audience and drive them away.
Storytelling is an art, but anyone can do it with a little thought. There will always be an audience for your story online, all you have to do is make them listen. Good luck!
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 