- Once upon a time, look, I can't help myself.
This is how I think all great stories should begin.
So, once upon a time, there was a little yellow ghost
that wanted to get noticed.
It came up with a cool way for people to share fun,
mini vignettes about their lives,
and it wrapped them with all sorts of shiny glitter
and lots of ribbons and bows.
One day, a giant saw this bright, colorful package,
ripped it open, and shouted, "This is mine, all mine!"
You probably know the rest.
The big giant did take the stories idea and now,
stories are one of the most popular features
on Instagram and Facebook.
But the little ghost, Snapchat, should get full credit
for creating the format.
Stories are short episodic narratives
that combine images, video, text, filters,
emoji, gifs, doodles, polls, and hashtags
in a unique and personal way.
They're ideal for capturing an event,
announcement, special occasion,
or day in the life of your brand.
They usually disappear in 24 hours,
and they're produced in real time,
so you don't need high production values.
Now, it may sound obvious, but the first thing
you want to do is come up with an idea
or framework for your story.
Something that ties it together,
even if that's in the loosest possible way.
Consider what you're trying to convey.
Excitement, humor, empathy, what will make your story
stand out and what will your call to action be?
The stories format is episodic, but you can add
a focus or plot that keeps users tuned in.
And be sure to test different combinations of visuals
to see what works best with your customers.
Once you have an idea, develop a rough storyboard
to visualize the scenes and how they will flow.
You can do that digitally or, prepare a storyboard
the old-fashioned way, by sketching it out
on a piece of paper like panels in a cartoon.
And be sure to conceive your storyboard vertically
so your finished product is easy to watch
when your audience is on their phone.
Most of us aren't improv artists
who can come up with a witty line at the drop of a hat.
That's why you should work on your script beforehand.
And when I say script, I don't mean
a full-fledged screenplay.
Again, comic books are a good model,
especially the way they use short bursts
of descriptive text to create an emotion.
But no matter how scripted your stories might be,
you'll want to adapt or add moments on the fly.
And don't be so over-planned that every frame
of your story looks the same.
Mix it up.
Show and tell visually and in a mobile-first type of way.
Let's look at what a storyboard for Topsy Turvy might be.
Say they're going to show a behind-the-scenes
day in the life, well, we could start
with a selfie video of Audrey Topsy telling us
what we'll be watching.
A location tag or geofilter highlighting her neighborhood
could be a nice touch.
The second frame could also be a video,
this time of her team getting ready.
Here you might want to add some fun lenses
to capture the spirit of the team.
Frame three could focus on cupcakes,
complete with some doodles, gifs, or emoji
to set the stage for the finished product.
You get the idea.
Stories are all about quick bursts of creativity
that give your customers an authentic glimpse
into your brand's personality.