Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. Reaching new audiences with
storytelling on Instagram and
Instagram TV
Oscar Mackenzie
WaterAid UK
Social Media Manager
WaterAid/Joey LawrenceWaterAid/Joey Lawrence

2. Let me introduce you to one
of my colleagues…

3. Meet Ernest from Madagascar…
8%
40%

4. Three simple things.
Clean water. Decent toilets. Good hygiene.
For everyone, everywhere. Within a generation.
40%

5. But understanding of our work is limited…
Especially with younger audiences

7. Engagement is about connecting people to WaterAid’s
work globally
To create this connection we need people to
feel, think and do

8. Empathy
with people
like me
A real
relationship
with give
and take
A community
that I’m part
of
My problem

9. Instagram Stories
Real-time, POV story telling

10. Why Instagram?
• 500 million daily active users
• 400 million daily active Instagram
Story users
• 80% of users follow brands
• Healthy organic reach is still possible…
for now
• Growing suite of features to tell our
story

11. Voices from the Field

12. Voices from the Field
• Professional content creators
embedded in the communities that
we work in
• Built-in cultural sensitivity and local
understanding
• Suited to cross organisational needs
and embedded in our content
gathering process

14. Authentic storytelling.
By design.

15. Principles
• Use Instagram Stories as a first person
story telling channel
• Empower our Voices from the Field
officers to become the stars
• Organisational messaging: show,
rather than tell
• Remove brand from the conversation

16. The making of…
• Collaboration with our Voices from the
Field officers
• Letting go of internal creative control!
• Empowered their own story-telling
style
• Encouraged them to capture as much
as possible

17. Removing the brand
• We took the considered decision to
remove “the brand” from content
• Voices from the Field officers were in
control to show the audience their
communities
• A risk that we needed to take, and one
that paid off

18. Less this…

19. More this…

20. POV storytelling
• We handed control of WaterAid
Instagram Stories to Voices from the
Field
• They were in control to tell the stories
of communities that they work in
• Content was intentionally lo-fi and
unpolished, in contrast to our main
feed

23. • We repurposed longer form Voices
from the Field content specifically for
the platform
• Test and learn methodology with
different content types
• Benchmark results, get to know the
platform and get ready for a raft of
new features
Instagram TV

25. Challenges
• Not all Voices from the Field officers
comfortable with creating more
informal content at first
• How do we measure understanding?
• Another content consideration for
already busy team

26. The next chapter of our story
• Instagram Stories is now recognised as
our channel for first person
storytelling
• Voices from the Field officers keen to
continue with this new kind of content
• Internal buy in to explore culture-
based content – food, dance, arts etc

27. Over to you…

28. Who are your authentic storytellers?
• Who are the authentic storytellers in your
organisation?
• How do you use them?
• What have you learnt from using them?

29. With all that said…
• Consider your audience first – what are their
needs?
• Be bold, be brave. Especially when trying
something new.
• Experiment, but benchmark results and test
and learn.

31. The power of human stories:
how to be an authentic storyteller
28 February 2019
London
#CharityStories

32. Visit the CharityComms website to view
slides from past events, see what events
we have coming up and to check out
what else we do:
www.charitycomms.org.uk