Why isn’t an airplane shaped like a bus? It’d carry more passengers. It’d have bigger windows. I can’t think of a single reason why we don’t design airplanes like we design buses.
Now, isn’t that a silly thing to say?
We don’t question something that’s designed to be efficient. Something that’s created to be the most refined version of itself. The most streamlined version of itself, where every part is integral and every piece carries meaning.
Sadly, content creation doesn’t follow the same process. Content begins its life as a block of marble. We hit it with a sledgehammer, then make smaller indents as we try to impart on it the shape we desire. It becomes more refined. But as we get lost in the process, as we find new tools or get others involved, it starts to resemble something entirely different to what we initially envisioned. The process is now cumbersome and takes away the soul of the idea.
So how do we bring forth the best content without losing the human touch? Easy. We make it an inherent part of the whole. We question what ‘human’ really means, both to our audience and to ourselves (spoiler: it means the same thing to both).
Let’s think of the human element not as a paint job, but as an engine. Not a superficial thing, but an essential thing. The thing that gives our stories lift.
- Think: genuine
Imagine you typed out your life story, printed it, then read it aloud to an audience. As you’re reciting, your eyes are fixed on the words, careful to ensure the story is told as accurately as possible.
Now imagine you told the same story to the same audience, but this time without a script, relying only on memory and emotion.
In terms of content, both stories would be the same. They’re both human stories, filled with joy, trauma and the ups and downs of life. But we know each would have a very different effect on the audience. And I think we all know which version we’d rather hear. Why is that? It’s difficult to put into words. And there’s the lesson.
We don’t really want to hear ‘human’ stories. We want genuine stories told with emotion, connection and identity. Interestingly, just because a story qualifies as ‘human’ doesn’t mean it is.
A story about a charity doing live-saving work must be a human story. How could it not? But the problem is, if that story is a horribly scripted attempt at conveying emotion, the authenticity quickly dissipates.
In marketing, the word ‘human’ has become far too loaded. It’s all-encompassing. Instead, think in terms of ‘genuine’. Suddenly, storytelling becomes less about what is said, but how it’s said. Less about what we’re told, but more about how it makes us feel.
- If you make the human part of the engine, the car can’t run without it
Too many people see a human story as something that runs parallel to the real story. We see this all the time with stories about technology or corporate activities. When the time comes to cut something, to make it shorter or more social-friendly, the human part is often the first thing to go. After all, it was only a nice thing to have. If we need to lose it, so be it.
But if the human aspect can be removed so easily, it was never integral to the story to begin with. And that is a problem. We know when we’re being lied to. We know when a corporate story is masquerading as a heartfelt, human impact narrative. How do we remedy this? Get rid of the parallel storytelling.
Make the human element the stimulus for everything. Make every challenge and every benefit tied to a person or group of people. This shouldn’t be difficult. After all, every story is human if you dig deep enough.
So craft your tale in such a way that to remove the human touch removes the entire narrative.
- Don’t obsess about your audience
We see it all the time. How did that movie perform so well? How did that book sell so many copies? How did that marketing campaign outperform mine?
Likewise, success in the world of content creation can sometimes be a mystery and if you’re chasing an audience based on the latest trends, you’ll burn out. You might get lucky, but lightning doesn’t tend to strike the same place twice.
It’s a comfort to know that even audiences don’t know what they want. So, give yourself a break. You know your brand. You know your story. You’re the most qualified person to tell it. The trick is to create content that’s meaningful to you and the customer who’s sharing their journey with you.
This means that when you chat to a customer, when you write an article, when you film an interview, you need to forget about everything and focus on the person in front of you. Your enthusiasm will become theirs. The more you get lost in a story, the more the audience will too.
A final thought
Content creation has become far too academic. Everyone believes they have the secret formula for successful storytelling. They don’t, because there isn’t one. The only thing to remind ourselves is that every story, every piece of content, is about a human cause or a human effect.
The only thing you can do is decide which part to shine a light on.
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