Storytelling is an age-old tradition that has been used for thousands of years to engage audiences.
Many say it’s even the oldest form of communication, which makes sense when you examine how stories have evolved over time.
Yet today, there are so many different forms and styles available to marketers who want their brands to stand out.
The question is, which one will work best for your story?
In this blog post, I discuss the different types of storytelling methods available, and how to choose which works best for your brand.
6 Types of Stories to Captivate Your Audience
There are many different types of stories that you can use to help frame your business and build a relationship with your potential investor.
A story framework will provide a structure to follow and clarify your direction with your words and your vision for the future.
The frameworks below will make sure you captivate not only your potential investors but also the target audience you’re trying to reach.
The Hero’s Journey
One of the oldest tales told in time is the Hero’s Journey. It is used in countless movies, video games, and books.
With confidence, I can say that we have all seen or heard stories that follow this framework.
The hero of this story has to overcome various obstacles to save someone or something from the catastrophe that is luring ahead.
While the consequences of failure may not be as disastrous as back in the day where your village would be plundered and set ablaze if you as the protagonist did not fulfill your hero journey, failure can still have an enormous impact on the future.
Just imagine an ordinary everyday person who suddenly aspires to become a young entrepreneur who will disrupt the tech space.
He comes up with a brilliant idea for an app and starts coding in his parent’s house’s bedroom.
After years of lack of sleep, countless nights of coding, and consuming disturbing amounts of instant noodles, he finished his product.
He has given birth to a genius product, but he has no idea how to market it.
He’s not a “people’s person,” and he has no clue how to convey the necessity of his product to wealthy investors able to bring his product to the masses.
After having inefficiently spent thousands of dollars borrowed from his relatives and countless failed investor pitches, he is now in a dark tunnel with no visible end in sight.
His family thinks he is a fool forever having thought this could work. He does not know where to go from here. His life’s mission seems over…
Magically he stumbles upon a platform that could be a potential solution to his problems.
A platform that can help him convey his company’s story in a compelling interactive digital way that captivates the hearts of investors.
He picks himself up, pitches to an investor one more time, and manages to raise some funds.
All of a sudden, he sees the light at the end of the tunnel.
With his newfound tool and reborn passion, he’s able to raise the funds he needs and can get the necessary expertise to bring his product to market successfully.
All of a sudden, he is no longer the ordinary kid that started in his bedroom.
Now he is considered a tech genius that changed thousands of consumer lives in a meaningful way and made a significant impact.
This is considered a typical hero’s journey in the competitive landscape of the tech market.
The hero’s journey is easy to follow, and it provides a clear direction for the story. It’s a straightforward story for investors to identify and empathize with.
For these reasons, The Hero’s Journey is one of the most used stories, and I would definitely recommend trying it out for your pitch!
The Underdog Story
The underdog story is a classic.
Maybe you as the protagonist are an unknown, a nobody that no one has ever heard of that has managed to disrupt the current status quo in your industry.
You have no idea how it happened, but suddenly, there are so many people using and loving your product.
Your business just hit its billionth user, or you just managed to get your product on shelves in Walmart.
The point is this: You’re the underdog that has risen out of nothing and has now become a success story.
This type of story is seen as incredibly inspiring and motivating for investors.
Out of nothing, you created something.
You took a risk, and now you are reaping the benefits of your hard work.
The investor may not precisely know how this story will end, but they can feel confident that if they invest in this company, it might just take off like crazy too!
This type of story is all about making an emotional connection with the investor. The underdog story is a unique and dynamic type of narrative that successfully conveys the necessity for funding.
It’s all about having people rooting for you as the protagonist on your journey from nothing to someone who beat the big dogs!
The Quest
A quest is a journey or adventure that you, as the protagonist, are on.
Whatever the end goal of this story might be, it should have clear and definable steps that need to happen to achieve said goal.
This type of story can be seen as very classical in nature and works well when raising capital.
The investor knows the protagonist has a clear goal that they are trying to achieve by investing, which makes them so powerful.
As investors, we like seeing our money put towards something tangible because then we know we’re making an impact.
The Quest story can be a powerful motivator because they can see how this money will go towards something tangible and not just into nothingness as so many other companies do nowadays.
The Cautionary Tale
The cautionary tale is a story that has a lesson at the end.
It’s supposed to warn people of what might happen if they do something or don’t take some sort of precaution on their journey through life.
There are many types of warnings in this type of story: It could be about how hard work doesn’t necessarily pay off and how you could end up broke, or it could be about how ignorance can sometimes lead to death.
The cautionary tale is meant for the audience to take a lesson from this story and apply that knowledge in their own life so they don’t have negative consequences like those in the story.
This type of warning is often used when raising capital because it is needed to have a cautionary tale.
The investor needs to know they are investing in something that could cause them harm if they don’t do their due diligence and research the company before committing any money- otherwise, what will happen?
This type of story is used to raise capital effectively because it warns about the consequences of bad investments.
It’s not just trying to create an emotional connection with investors but also letting them know that they need to be careful and cautious when investing in new companies.
The Clarity Tale
The clarity tale is a story that has an important lesson.
It’s teaching the audience the lessons of life in general, ranging from having faith and patience while waiting for what you want or need to happen up to having courage when facing fear…
With this type of story, there is often one major, overarching lesson to teach.
The clarity tale is the perfect type of story for raising capital because it has a powerful, life-changing lesson that can be applied in so many different ways!
It can create a connection between investors and entrepreneurs through this one big theme they have in common: Life lessons learned from their own experiences or someone else’s.
Comedy
Many brands and entrepreneurs use comedy as a way to raise capital.
It’s often used to create an emotional connection with the company and try to make people laugh while learning more about what this brand has to offer!
While the business of making or losing money is no laughing matter, his type of story uses humor, laughter, or puns for comedic relief not to become boring or too serious. Remember the difference between getting an investment or not is not life or death.
This type of story is perfect for raising capital because it can make investors laugh and enjoy themselves– which can be a great way to lighten the mood and keep their attention!
Don’t forget that many investors often see multiple pitches per day, so you will often need something special to grab their full attention.
Rebirth
The rebirth story is a classic tale that’s been told and retold over the years.
It tells of how someone has turned their life around, or how something new is born now since they’ve changed themselves for the better.
This type of story can be used to raise capital because it could also help investors see their money as being put into something new and fresh, which could be more appealing for them.
The rebirth story is used to help show a company’s potential by showing how it can turn itself around or change its business model to succeed.
It’s also able to use this type of story as an effective way of raising capital because people appreciate it when someone has shown the ability to change for the better. Some of the best companies are born out of personal experiences. Use these to showcase the journey you’re on.
Let The Main Stage Help You Rock The Show!
Now that you know all there is to know about the types of stories you can use in your pitch, it’s time for you to put them into practice and get ready!
Our platform will help you support the story you’re trying to tell both visually, and with key data, your investors will want to know.
Try our platform out today. It’s free to try, and there is no credit card required for signing up.