How to Craft a Minimum Viable Story

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

Or how to master the time-consuming, head-churning, heartbreaking work of taking your startup's message from 'meh' to magnificent.

You've started a business. You're doing something positive for the world, the environment, and your customers.

You formed the legal entity, put together the pitch deck, you even have some mockups or a prototype built. Your "thing" is out there in the world.

Then... crickets. Nothing.

No sales. No pounding on your door.

Sadly, the startup and VC world does not operate under "If build it, they will come." Having a great idea isn't enough.

We need to tell the world about what we're doing—but in a way that gets people to take notice.

We have to build desire. We have to connect with people, not just transmit information. We have to tell stories.

Stories emotionally connect people, create intrigue, and they are at the heart of every great marketing strategy.

All great marketing comes down to telling stories. So how can we tell yours?

Storytelling is marketing, but with brain science.

You're probably already familiar with the term "storytelling" -- it's become a kind of buzzword these days. But what is storytelling, and how can you leverage it for your growth?

Strategy+Business editor at large Peter Fader defines storytelling as "a form of communication that combines facts, feelings, and experiences to create meaning for an audience. It can take any form — pictures, text, video — but the experience has to be structured for an audience. It's about characters and plot; it's about an idea that carries deep emotional weight."

Fader also believes that stories aren't just for writers or filmmakers. He says, "More and more, people are using storytelling techniques to explain what they do and make themselves memorable."

Stories are what people remember.

Cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner suggests we are 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it has been wrapped in a story. Most other researchers studying this come up with slightly more conservative numbers:

A 1969 study at Stanford found that a person's long-term recall of information presented in a narrative was 6–7 times as much as information presented in a list.

A more recent study conducted at Stanford by the authors of Made to Stick: Why some ideas survive and others die found presentations with stories are 13x more memorable than statistics alone.

For a conservative number, that's pretty darn compelling.

Stories connect people around your mission

While these may not seem like the things of traditional business, they are at the heart of all great companies and brands.

Being memorable means that, even months down the road, when customers need exactly what you offer, you're the one they think of.

Having emotional connection on top of that memorability means that your clients will fight for you, compose arias about your strengths, and return again and again. When they hear someone say "I have this problem," and it's what you solve? They recommend you. Immediately.

Doesn't that sound like something your branding should be doing for you?

So what makes a good story?

Stories are powerful, but essentially very simple. While fiction workshops may get deep deep in the weeds of unpacking what makes Hemingway and Austen's work so universally compelling, founders and marketers have a lot less time to grab people's attention and move them to action.

If you want to tell a story that inspires your audience and sells your ideas, you need to put together the minimum elements of a great story.

Here are three qualities every good story needs:

Authenticity

Authentic stories feel real. They deal with genuine emotions and experiences that audiences can relate to, and they're honest about their flaws and shortcomings. Authenticity is essential because it makes listeners care more about the storyteller, making them more willing to listen to what the storyteller has to say.

Agency

Agency means the listener has an active role in the story—it's not happening to them, they have the power to make the story happen. Agency is essential in stories because it permits listeners to do something they might not otherwise feel comfortable doing. Agency is what makes stories motivational, rather than simply entertaining. Agency is what gives a great story the power to inspire a revolution. The stories we remember are the ones that inspire us, giving us permission to take action, and show us how we can change our lives or the world for the better.

Agency is what gives a great story the power to inspire a revolution.

Familiarity

Familiarity is crucial because it makes your story relatable. Every story starts with a problem (or conflict). But if that problem is foreign to your audience, they won't connect with anything that comes next, including your solution or pitch. Familiarity helps listeners see themselves in the characters of a story and empathize with their struggles or victories. If you're telling a brand story, make sure your listener can relate to what you are saying.

A simple switch separates common stories from great ones

The most common approach to trying to add stories to marketing is to make yourself the hero of your story. And, sure, that's one way to tell your story.

But a great story isn't about you, it's about your clients.

But a great story isn't about you, it's about your clients.

You're not the hero who gets the girl, finds the treasure, and rides off into the sunset—you're the grandfather with a secret map and good advice who helps your client (or investor) get everything they want in the end.

A good story doesn't have to be complicated. It just needs to start with your audience—and their goals.

When crafting your story, ask yourself who you're talking to, what they want, and how what you're selling helps them reach those desires. Then keep your answers as specific as possible.

For example, let's say you run an online stationery store selling notebooks, pens and pencil cases. Your first answer might be:

"We're an online stationery store based in New York City and we sell beautiful notebooks made from recycled paper."

And that's... good enough.

But, now imagine this:

We create premium stationery for New Yorkers who prioritize saving the planet—without sacrificing on beautiful design.

If someone asks why they should buy from you instead of another stationery store, the answer might sound like this:

"We know modern life is expensive and full of choices. We want to help you curate beautiful personal stationery that's good for the environment—without spending thousands on boutique markups. Being eco-friendly shouldn't only be for the rich."

Tell people how your big idea helps them improve their lives or change the world– whether it's your beautifully designed products or what your mission is in this world, be honest and authentic and don't be afraid to show off what makes your approach different and uniquely suited to help them get where they want to be.

Stories with structure, sell

Our brains are wired to pay attention to stories. Cognitive scientists believe it's a survival mechanism based on early tribal communication—but no matter how it started, we know it works, even today.

And how to tell stories that connect with people is easy. Just ask Pixar and Marvel if there's a story structure that consistently works. (spoiler: there is)

Every story has four elements that, applied correctly, turn a boring brand message into a mesmerizing tale that inspires action (and funding, and applications, and downloads...)

What are the four elements of a minimum viable story structure?

Every story has four elements that, applied correctly, turn a boring brand message into a mesmerizing tale that inspires action (and funding, and applications, and downloads...)

First, you start with characters. Like we just discussed, the main character is actually your client, not you. Making this simple shift will have ever-increasing ripples of effect, strengthening your branding, marketing, and sales messaging.

Second, you have to know—and clearly articulate—the conflict. Founders often struggle with this, because they (quite reasonably) want to focus on the solution they've created. And while that's understandable, the solution is only valuable once the problem is clearly understood.

You, as a founder, obviously understand the problem you solve: either from experiencing it yourself, or from years of experience in research. But your prospects and potential investors do not necessarily have this experience. They need to understand the problem before they can fully appreciate the solution. In the app and SaaS space, this is a key element of finding product-market fit. And solutions that don't find that market fit (that don't clearly solve a problem buyers understand and recognize) will fail. In fact, this issue is credited with 35% of startup failures in CB insight's study of post-mortems (only surpassed by failing to raise enough capital).

Finally, you get to introduce your solution as the new approach or opportunity that then brings resolution to this conflict you have presented. This is the part people will connect with—it's your passion and big idea, but it only reaches its full potential when you've set the stage correctly.

This formula is how the best pitches get massive funding, how great sales people keep their numbers through the roof, and how all the top brands you know and love consistently connect with their audiences to build brand loyalty and inspire action.

And when you're ready to apply that structure to your startup, book a call with Brazen today.

We can walk through how the four elements of a minimum viable story can strengthen all your efforts to attract and retain top talent, get more investment, and increase conversions across marketing and sales.