Go to www.loudstory.com for more content and exercises to craft your storytelling

1. 5
DEBUNKING
STORYTELLING
MYTHS

2. "This is a noisy world".
Get inspired: bit.ly/1rxSzdH

3. "Storytelling is an
artifact. The product
should speak for itself."
Myth #1

4. 4 months after we had launched we only had
3,000 users. But the users really loved the
product – including me. And I realized, we
didn't have a technology problem. We had a
community problem. We had to market the
product to the right people. I had to find
other people like me.
Ben Silbermann, CEO of Pinterest
Get inspired: bit.ly/1tbeX2b

5. Marketing is the price you pay for being
unremarkable
"The world is shifting away from buying
services & products from huge soulless
companies, and moving instead to buying
from a real person, with a story that
they can relate to. Business is personal.
I t ’ s w h y p e e r m a r k e t p l a c e s
like Etsy & Airbnb are exploding. We want
more than the solution ."
Dan Martell, CEO of Clarity
Get inspired: bit.ly/1wzJLu6

6. "People don't buy what you do.
They buy why you do it."
Simon Sinek, author "How great leaders inspire action"
WHY
HOW
WHAT Get inspired : bit.ly/OX0t5a

7. Focus on the narrative,
not the message.

8. "For some companies or
industries, especially in
B2B, storytelling is
useless. Facts like price,
speed or efficiency are
the only keys that can
convince the client."
Myth #2

9. "There are only 4 things that creates real
value and can lead unique companies that do
something that's never been done before to
escape competition and create a
monopoly: proprietary technology, network
effects, economies of scale and branding.
Branding – as in "lodging an idea in people's
minds"."
Peter Thiel, cofounder of PayPal and Palantir, VC of
Founders Fund
Get inspired: bit.ly/1qpQU9s

10. OK…
ü proprietary
technology
ü network effects
ü economies of
scale
WOW!!!
• IT EMPOWERS ME
• IT CHANGES MY/
THE WORLD
• IT BRINGS BEAUTY
TO MY LIFE
• I LOVE IT
Talk Both To Their Brains & Hearts

11. SOME USE STORIES SOME DON'T

12. Use your
competitive
advantage.

13. "You shouldn't bother
about storytelling
when you already have
good traction."
Myth #3

14. Hero: Person who needs glasses
Villain: The eyewear industry
Fear: To lose or break his unique pair,
too expensive to replace.
Hope: To be able to buy glasses without
leaving with an empty wallet. A world
where the dominating industry would be
defeated.
Real Purpose
Weak Uniqueness
Weak stor y (audience)

15. Find your own (radical) personality.

16. "Goals and objectives are not the story.
The story of the company gets to the hardcore
question of why. Why should I join this
company? Why should I be excited to work
here? Why should I buy your product? Why should I
invest in the company? Why is the world better off as a
result of this company's existence?
When a company clearly articulates its story, the
context for everyone—employees, partners,
customers, investors, and the press—becomes clear."
Ben Horowitz, entrepreneur and VC at Andreessen Horowitz
Get inspired: bit.ly/1wwLYIi

17. Set the Pole star.

18. "Storytelling is nothing
new! Companies have
been doing it for ages.
Marketing is storytelling.
A d v e r t i s i n g i s
storytelling."
Myth #4

19. "For Steve Jobs, marketing was a dirty word.
Marketing is when you have to sell to somebody. If you
aren't providing value, if you're not educating them about
the product, if you're not helping them get the most out
of the product, you're selling.
The starting point to every communication
campaign should be the purpose: why do you
deserve to exist in the world, why should people believe
in you, why should people even listen to you."
Allison Johnson, former Apple VP of Marketing Communication
Get inspired: bit.ly/1nZCe6v

20. Inspire people...
as others have
inspired you.

21. "Ok, storytelling is useful
for startups. But at the
beginning, what really
matters is meeting with
potential clients and do
one-to-one sales."
Myth #5

22. Everything that you do, especially at the beginning,
should help word of mouth. So telling a great story is
the best way to help you first customers know what to
say to convince others to use or buy your product.
When you begin with a totally new product it's really hard
to know exactly the pain points of your customers and
you don't really have success stories to put upfront. You
have to bring in your first customers yourself, through
tones of emails, phone calls or by using your network.
Your goal is to turn you first users into champions, into
strong advocates.
And the best way to do that is to offer them an
exceptional experience they will remember: talk
to them!
Kevin Hale, cofounder of Wufoo
Get inspired: bit.ly/1t67uQh

23. Get personal with
your customer.

24. Get inspired: bit.ly/1bNrOgL

25. Get inspired: bit.ly/1bNrOgL

27. Get inspired: bit.ly/1bNrOgL

28. "I'm so fed up with all
these startups that feel
they have to tell me all
about their story… L"
Myth #6

29. The hero is not the founder. It's the audience.

30. "One of my criterion for investing:
does it make for a good cocktail story.
Am I so excited by your story
that my eyes sparkle when I tell
the story of what this guy is doing?"
"To attract the best people, write a
truly inspired blog post about how it’s
truly amazing to work there, describe
the vision, the mission, the company,
why you’re amazing, and why it’s
going to be amazing when the
candidate comes."
Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, serial
entrepreneur and investor
Get inspired: bit.ly/1p2DShI

31. "Not everyone can be a
good storyteller. Some
just have it and some
don't."
Myth #7

32. "Don't try to be Steve Jobs.
Don't try to replicate Apple's website or products.
Be yourself, be authentic."
Allison Johnson, former Apple VP of Marketing
Communication

33. The leopard can't
change its spots.

34. CHECK OUT
BRANDING
STORYTELLING