Five Pillars of Storytelling

Many different aspects come with telling a story. Often the key components, or pillars of storytelling, depending on the content you are creating (e.g., book, social media post, etc.). Here are five essential pillars of storytelling that are important to consider no matter what type of content you create.

Five Pillars of Storytelling for you to Consider

Purpose

This pillar is all about getting clear on your why. Why are you creating this content? What key ideas, themes, or messages do you want to convey?

For instance, if you are telling a story through a social media post – how does this content align with your content pillars? Your values? Your brand?

Audience

This is important because, without an audience, your story will be lost in the abyss of written content. When you understand who you are speaking to, you can better craft your content in a way that will resonate with your ideal clients.

Character

Let’s face it, people like to read raw, authentic, and relatable content. In the same way that any novel requires a clear protagonist when telling stories about your life, you need to communicate who you are to your audience – and be real about it!

Emotion

The best stories aren’t just read; they create a visceral connection between the author and the reader. When telling your story, don’t just explain the events as they happened – describe how you felt and what you sensed. Make the reader feel like they are experiencing the moment with you.

For example, The reader doesn’t just want to know that you ate a slice of chocolate cake. They want to know that the cake was soft, moist and cloud-like and made you reconnect to the innocent joy you felt when eating your mother’s chocolate cake during your childhood birthday parties. See how much more impactful that sounds!

Structure

We all know that stories are meant to have a beginning, middle and end – but in addition to this, you also need a structure that will ensure your story captivates your readers. The hero’s journey is one of the most well-known storytelling structures that involve a hero (typically someone quite ordinary to start) going on a journey and returning transformed.

The most compelling stories typically include a conflict/struggle and a resolution, so at the very least, keep these in mind when writing your story.

So, remember, let your story be an experience rather than just a set of words strung together. Then, incorporate these pillars of storytelling to tell your message and make an impact!

Resources

What type of Content Creator are you? Take the Quiz! – 4 different types of creators, which one are you?

Join The Storytellers Café – My free training community to help you create an impact through your story

Enrol in The 5-Day Content Experience – Learn how to repurpose your content like a pro…in 5 minutes a day!

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Email: catherine@catherinenikkel.com

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Catherine Nikkel is a content creator, ghostwriter and the founder of Mindful Media. She specializes in helping CEOs, entrepreneurs and influencers create copy that engages and converts. Her work has appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, Yahoo!, Authority Magazine, FemFounder and more.