All About Storytelling: 22 Narrative Techniques and Storytelling Examples for Sales

Since the time of the cavemen, stories have been humanity’s favorite choice to convey a message, capture attention, inform, and create connections.

It’s true that we have evolved our languages and techniques a lot, but we have never abandoned the habit of telling stories.

Good salespeople have been good storytellers since the dawn of time.

What we have been discovering more recently, with the increasingly close relationship between marketing and sales, is that brands and companies also tell stories.

And to bring information about this dynamic so present in our daily lives, we created this article.

It will address what storytelling is, what its objectives are in the areas of marketing and sales, and also give tips on how to explore this ancient technique to generate a connection with the audience and—consequently—increase sales.

What is Storytelling?

The term comes from the combination of two English words: “story” and “telling.”

Therefore, the translation of storytelling is “telling stories.”

Over time, the term was used to name the technique we see being used by writers, screenwriters, and brands to create captivating narratives that generate identification and emotional connection with the audience.

This dynamic is now present in many strategies and brand positioning.

This proximity and influence on marketing and sales results has led neuroscience and neuromarketing to study how storytelling works in our brains, activating specific areas:

What are the Objectives and Benefits of Storytelling?

Whatever the story to be told through storytelling, there are objectives that are part of the dynamic and that aim to be achieved.

These objectives can be connected with the marketing and sales funnel and with the stages of the customer journey.

Use the technique to:

Guide the Audience Through the Buying Journey

Do you remember the stages of the customer journey?

Learning and discovery
Problem recognition
Consideration of the solution
Purchase decision

Storytelling can be used to guide the reader through this journey, bridging each phase.

By using narrative elements, it is possible to make the reader relate to the pains solved by your product or service and see your brand as an authority in the field.

Capture Attention

Related to the attraction phase, one of the objectives when telling a story is to capture the interest of your audience—whether they are a reader, viewer, or even a user who may become a potential customer.

For this, you should tell your story focusing on sharing interests, passions, and values.

What kind of things would attract your audience’s attention?

They need to connect with your message here.

Educate and Inform

Educating and informing is related to the consideration phase.

After capturing attention for your story, you need to make it relevant to your audience.

Here, you show a little more of your perspective, explain the advantages of the solution, and why your company will help solve the consumer’s needs or desires.

Influence a Decision

For the conversion phase, storytelling helps us influence a decision.

When applying it to marketing and sales strategies, you should show how, specifically, your product or solution is the right one for what the audience wants.

Here, you can explore social proof, case studies, testimonials…

Everything to increase credibility and provide support for decision-making.

After all, 93% of consumers state that this type of sales argument impacts their purchase decision.

Create Connection and Engagement

After your lead becomes a customer, does the story end?

Make sure it doesn’t!

Storytelling helps your brand maintain connection with the audience, as well as stimulate engagement and repeat purchases.

The greater the consumer’s connection with your brand, the greater the chances they will buy again and recommend your products and solutions to others.

And storytelling is one of the ways to work on the retention and enchantment phase, the post-sale phase.

Evoke Emotions

People identify with stories, and each of them can evoke a different emotion in the user.

Use stories to access your customer’s memories, show that they can be the protagonist of the narrative.

Activate Mental Triggers

Mental triggers may seem like just scattered information throughout the content, but they have the power to generate an automatic reaction from the user.

Through mental triggers, the human brain stores certain words, images, or behaviors that will be accessed at another time.

Some mental triggers for sales are:

Affinity
Authority
Consistency and commitment
Scarcity
Social proof
Reciprocity

Humanize the Brand

People interact with people.

Even if the relationship with a brand can never be the same, you can humanize your business through stories.

Take advantage of events in your employees’ lives, share what happens in your company, and be sincere in your communication to create a connection with the audience.

Motivate Consumers

Create content that motivates your audience.

It can be through articles, videos, images, emails, or any other format.

The content can invite the user to a conversation, involve them with your brand, and later motivate them to take action.

Retain Brand Customers

Think about what will make customers stay with your company and not the competitor.

One way to do this is to go beyond what is expected from your company, betting on new topics that are also of interest to customers.

That is, present a solution for individual interests.

Attract New Customers

To attract new customers, you need to be present in the main channels used by your audience.

Invest in creating rich, informative, and unique content to make sharing and engagement easier.

Make your Brand’s Content Unique and Distinctive

Once again, let’s talk about stories.

Use fictional stories and even everyday ones to differentiate your content.

By using known characters and facts, you bring the customer closer to your company.

Show a Less “Salesy” Side of Your Business

Avoid “more of the same.”

Innovate your CTAs, evoke other emotions in your customer, make them laugh, be happy, curious, and interested.

What are the Main Elements of Storytelling?

There are 4 pillars for creating good storytelling. Let’s look at them:

Message

It’s not enough to have a good story if we don’t know how to present it.

As important as your narrative is the message you convey to the audience when telling it — that is, where you want to go, the “moral of the story.”

So, pay attention to this pillar.

Setting

The setting is an important element in storytelling.

It makes it easier for the audience to understand, helping the reader grasp the context and evoking sensations.

Character(s)

The character is our protagonist, the one who will live the story created.

And remember: the character must be able to withstand our next topic — the conflict.

Conflict

What will be the challenge faced by the character?

What will their journey be like, and how will they overcome this conflict?

These are some questions the audience will ask about your content.

Develop this conflict well to spark your customers’ curiosity.

How to Use Storytelling for Sales and Marketing?

Following the objectives described earlier, storytelling can be applied to marketing and sales in different stages of the buying journey.

It can be used to attract attention, captivate, and emotionally connect the consumer with the brand, increase brand awareness, and boost sales through influence on purchase decisions, desire creation, and post-sale retention.

In addition, this technique can help tell the story and create the identity of the brand itself and its product lines, applied to different areas, strategies, and company channels, such as:

Content and branding strategies – invest in your brand’s content, create rich and informative pieces that give your brand more authority;
Brand personality – use brand archetypes to position your company in customers’ minds;
Branded content – through branded content, you will explore narratives that express the importance of your brand;
Product placement – include stories related to the use of your product or your brand;
Website – the website is one of the entry points to your company, so invest in your content and design;
Success stories – case studies are also narratives; through them, prospects can learn how your company can help them;
Presentations – create presentations to introduce your company to potential clients, using images, charts, and tables to capture even more attention;
Sales pitch – this strategy consists of your commercial presentation; it should clearly and objectively explain the nature of your business;
Advertising / Ads – ads are essential for capturing users’ attention; make them eye-catching while conveying the intended message;
Chatbots and virtual assistants – these tools help in both marketing/sales and customer service;
Social media – see which platforms your audience is on and invest in tailored content for each;
Email marketing – email marketing is a great strategy to nurture leads and remain present in customers’ lives;
Videos – audiovisual narratives attract a lot of customer attention, especially from those seeking information;
Podcasts – podcasts have boomed in recent years and are a great alternative for those who want to hear a story;
Customer service – customer service is crucial for your business, so keep this area well-prepared;
Customer experience – by providing a good customer experience, you reduce cancellations, increase the chance of upselling, and can succeed in word-of-mouth marketing;
Onboarding – onboarding is essential for new customers, allowing you to offer all necessary support and show the importance of the client to your business;
Interviews – use storytelling in research and interviews with customers, always providing context and showing the benefits of the conversation;
Training and capacity building – use stories to create well-prepared employees who understand the business.

The possibilities are many, and well-crafted storytelling has its elements present in all materials and actions developed.

How to Create Good Storytelling?

There is no recipe or ready-made formula.

There are different types of methodology and structure for building captivating narratives for brands, but they all follow the tips below:

Using Narrative Elements

Remember: we are talking about telling stories.

And, to tell these stories, it’s necessary to use elements inherent to a narrative.

A message needs to be defined, and it is the one that will be conveyed to the audience.

In addition, it’s essential to explore elements that capture the audience’s attention, spark interest, and create identification with the proposed story, such as: characters, setting, emotions, conflicts, and plot (sequence of events).

You might also be interested in: What Is Copywriting and How to Convert Using Copywriting?

Building a Brand with Personality

What is your brand’s personality?

What topics might people think of that will remind them of your business?

Think about brand archetypes:

Innocent: connected to the idea of simplicity and happiness in small things.
Explorer: built through traits like the desire to discover and experience new things.
Sage: intelligent, analytical, advisory, influential, trustworthy, and opinionated.
Outlaw: rebellious, questioning, restless, and non-accepting of imposed barriers.
Magician: creative, unusual, playful, turning dreams into reality.
Hero: wants to change the world for the better, guided by honesty, courage, and kindness.
Caregiver: related to service and protection, generous, welcoming, and egalitarian.
Creator: aims to create something valuable and meaningful, curious, inventive, artistic.
Ruler: seeks order through leadership, responsibility, and organization.
Lover: values personalization, characterized by passion, desire, empathy.
Jester: brings fun through humor, irreverence, and optimism.
Everyman: friendly, humble, and authentic.

Creating an Original and Authentic Narrative

Every piece of content must tell a story, following a unique and original narrative.

Remember that the message should be universal, memorable, consistent, and organized.

Exploring Different Content Formats

Many brands design their narrative when working with branding strategy but fail to convey this story to the public.

To do this correctly, your storytelling needs to be consistent and explore different possibilities.

You can apply storytelling in videos, social media posts, blogs, ad campaigns, email marketing, offline actions, etc.

Knowing your Audience Deeply

Understand your audience’s interests, needs, communication styles, and demographics.

Create an ideal customer profile to make identifying potential clients easier.

Selecting the Best Distribution Channels

Knowing your audience well and understanding what works for them is what separates good from bad storytelling.

Choose your brand’s distribution channels thinking about where your audience is and where they consume content: website, social networks, influencers, offline channels, paid media, etc.

Also, remember the internal channel—employees should also know and share the story created for your marketing and sales.

Taking the Reader from Point A to Point B

Avoid “pointless” stories.

Always present a starting point and a destination.

A simple structure—introduction, development, and conclusion—works best.

Exploring Creativity

Avoid the basics; use elements that capture attention.

Use trending topics, shared experiences among your audience, and popular narratives.

Conveying Positive Feelings

According to a study published by Scientific American, stories that stimulate positive emotions are more shared than those provoking negative ones.

Invest in positive but realistic content—don’t deceive your customer. Sometimes it’s also necessary to show problems.

Creating Personal Messages that Resonate with Human Emotions

Show that your brand also has emotions, increasing identification with the company.

Consumers seek a strong emotional connection with bigger causes and will be more willing to support the brand.

Relying on Real Data

Data attracts people’s attention and gives them more confidence.

Invest in results and relevant information about your brand.

22 Types of Narratives Used in Marketing

We’ve brought 8 main types of narratives and 14 secondary ones related to each desired objective:

Showing through example – Use social proof, testimonials, and case studies to show success and the impact of your product.
Telling your brand’s story – Share the brand’s history and past challenges to create engagement.
Conveying values – Use characters and situations to illustrate the values that matter to the company.
Communicating the brand promise – Show what your company delivers and why it does so, tied to its purpose.
Fostering collaboration – Make your audience the protagonist by encouraging them to share their own stories.
Controlling rumors – Playfully address and debunk rumors, often with humor.
Sharing knowledge – Present problems and solutions, especially in mid-funnel content.
Leading people to the future – Focus on how your brand aims to make an impact going forward.

Other narrative types:

Fiction – Invented but believable stories.
Personal journey – Focus on the brand’s growth and overcoming challenges.
Brand values – Show daily life inside the company.
Consumption situations – Depict characters using the product or service.
Hero’s journey – Classic arc where the protagonist faces trials, gets help, and achieves victory.
Common enemy – Present a problem shared by many and your solution.
Idiot to insight – Show repeated failures until the lesson is learned.
Failure to fame – Emphasize perseverance in overcoming failure.
Accidental hero – An ordinary character solves problems unexpectedly.
I’m like you – Create identification through shared traits or experiences.
Who am I – Share personal brand experiences to humanize.
Future projections – Show how the brand can shape a better future.
Life lessons – Share values that align with your persona.
I know what you’re thinking – Anticipate and address objections before they’re raised.

Examples of Storytelling in Advertising

Mercedes-Benz – Retells Bertha Benz’s pioneering long-distance drive in 1888 to prove the automobile’s future.
Google – The “Parisian Love” Search Story shows how a simple search can change a life.
Young Director Award – A short, witty video with a clear message.
Logitech – Kevin Bacon delivers humor and authenticity in a 1-minute spot.
Adobe Experience Cloud – Uses a clever comparison to connect with its audience.
Aviation Gin – Ryan Reynolds’ brand tells the quirky story of Arlene Manko “turning 21” decades late.
Head & Shoulders – Plays on Joel Santana’s English for humor and brand recall.
Dove – “Choose Beautiful” campaign promotes self-acceptance worldwide.

Tools, Websites, and Apps for Creating Good Storytelling

Pixton – Easy comic creation.
Scribble Press – Tell stories with images and photos.
Utellstory – Share multimedia stories.
Meograph – Well-known site for creating interactive stories.
Chogger – Make your own comics.

Best Books on Storytelling

Storytelling: Learn to Tell Stories with Steve Jobs, Pope Francis, Churchill, and Other Leadership Legends – Carmine Gallo
The Story Factor – Annette Simmons
Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins – Annette Simmons
All Marketers Are Liars – Seth Godin
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting – Robert McKee

Storytelling is much more than telling stories.

It’s about creating connection and identification, solidifying brands, and delivering something the audience didn’t even expect.

And your brand—what story does it tell?

Share it here in the comments!