You want to tell a story that will resonate with an audience, but this has become increasingly challenging with the average online reader’s shrinking attention span. What are effective tools you can use to hold your audience’s attention and make them remember your story?
Fortunately, online stories are really not all that different from traditional ones. Both media harness the same principles to stick in the reader’s mind. See below for a handy infographic covering the main points.
Essentially, effective strategies for digital storytelling come in three key features:
Following a narrative arc, for example, the hero or buyer’s journey. Even if your story is an advertisement, audiences want to watch a protagonist (perhaps even themselves) face obstacles and arrive at a satisfying conclusion.
Evoking emotion through tactics like relatability, suspense, and emotionally-charged language. But be careful, as using emotion without nuance can make your story seem manipulative.
Harnessing visuals to hold attention. Because we are visual creatures, we process images much faster than text. Movement, colour, and vibrancy can all keep your reader engaged.
As Katy French states powerfully in her article, Why Data Storytelling Is Marketing Gold for Your Brand, “In a world where we are besieged by data but desperate for meaning, data storytelling helps connect the dots.” By harnessing classic tools for powerful storytelling, we can provide meaning for an oversaturated online audience in an ever-evolving digital era.
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 