Why “show, don’t tell” is a (nearly) universal storytelling truth

What’s going on in the cover image for this post?

Wait; don’t describe the individual elements you see. Instead, describe who this person is, why they’re in the forest, where the forest is, whether this person is safe, in peril, scared, scary, or something else entirely.

Stuck? Think about it as if this image represented your brand. Your brand story is not an alt tag. It’s (hopefully) a world so enticing people can’t help but want to visit.

As a fiction writer I’ve heard the “show, don’t tell” advice in numerous workshops and classes. The idea is that you express emotion and motivation through actions and imagery instead of declarations that don’t allow the audience to apply their own experience or interpretation.

Truth may be stranger than fiction, but that basic storytelling advice is the same. It bears repeating because it’s often easier for us to jump ahead to the desired outcome than to take time building the path to lead our audience there.

Yet here’s where the concept of “show, don’t tell” diverges:

* In fiction and creative nonfiction, your “showing” may be through world-building, scene-setting, and/or a strategic use of dialogue tags and synonyms. Unless it’s a required assignment, people are choosing to engage with these stories and willing to invest the time to dive in and explore the world you’ve created.

* In most marketing and communication pieces, there’s a smaller allowance for exposition. We’re bombarded by millions of impressions and our attention spans (and patience) for these intrusions are shorter. As storytellers in these instances we may play a bit to draw people in, but we need to get to the desired outcome comparatively quickly.

* In non-linear media (e.g., websites, where people can jump in and out at will) people may not even see or follow the full story arc. They’re likely coming in for specific information and leaving once they’ve found it (or determined it’s not there or too hard to parse). But that doesn’t mean the story shouldn’t still be there as the foundation you’re building on.

So how do you show people they want or need to get to know your brand better? Tell your story in your voice in a way that appeals to your audience enough for them to share it or retell it. (And by “story” I mean who you are as a brand, not what product or service you provide.)

Why are you here? What do you stand for? Who do you serve and why? What’s your vision for the difference you’ll make in this world?

Once you’ve captured your full story, you can share snippets of it or spin off interpretations that are in keeping with your core promise and personality.

Some content and copywriters assert their storytelling approach is Show and Tell or Show then Tell. What all of these have in common is that there needs to be something you show. There needs to be something that resonates with and/or reflects something meaningful to your audience.

Consider this:

* When it comes to taking action, tell people what to do: download x, register for y, buy z, etc.

* When it comes to getting them to the point of taking that action, show them why it’s the best thing they could possibly do.

 
Image © Laura Chouette courtesy Unsplash