How Social Media Storytelling Builds a Stronger Brand Voice
- Anyssa Hammond
- Apr 22
- 5 min read
Info in this blog post comes from a few awesome reads on the Hootsuite Blog, including posts by Alyssa Hirose on brand storytelling, storytelling with data, and Colleen Christison’s guide to social media visuals. ChatGPT also helped me organize my thoughts and curate the flow.
We scroll past thousands of posts a day—ads, memes, selfies, and random reels. It’s a constant stream of content, and honestly, most of it’s forgettable. So how do brands stand out without being skipped? They tell stories.
Social media Storytelling isn’t about pushing a product. It’s about pulling people in. And video? That’s the secret weapon. It’s fast, visual, emotional, and insanely shareable. In this post, I'll break down what storytelling on social media really means, why it works, and how brands can start using video to do it right.
What is Storytelling in a Social Media Context?
Let’s clear this up first: storytelling is not just content. It’s not just posting a cool graphic or clever caption. Storytelling is creating a narrative—a beginning, middle, and end that your audience can connect with.
Brand storytelling is when a company uses that narrative to express who they are, what they stand for, and why people should care.
Alyssa Hirose puts it perfectly:
Instead of simple promotion (for example, a billboard saying, ‘Buy This Product!’), brand storytelling uses emotion to encourage audiences to engage (like, say, a funny video that illustrates why you should buy this product)” (Hirose, 2025b).
Think of brands like Nike, which use powerful visuals and athlete voices to tell stories about perseverance and strength, or Duolingo, whose chaotic TikToks are weirdly relatable and totally on-brand.
In short, storytelling is what turns a brand from a business into a personality. It builds the brand voice, fosters loyalty, and helps people remember you.
Why Storytelling Works: The Psychology Behind It
People have been telling stories for centuries. It’s how we connect, learn, and remember. Turns out, that still works—even on social media.
Stories build emotional connections. They activate more areas of the brain than facts or data alone, making your message stick. Plus, people are more likely to trust and engage with content that feels human, not robotic (Hootsuite, 2025)
And let’s be real: when you’re scrolling, what stops you? Probably a short story—a relatable fail, a funny transformation, or a heartfelt moment. These story-driven posts stop the scroll. They stand out in a sea of sales pitches and “look at me” content.
The Rise of Video in Social Media Storytelling
Now, enter video storytelling. This is where the magic happens.
Short-form videos like TikToks, Reels, and YouTube Shorts are dominating right now. Why? They’re fast, entertaining, and algorithm-friendly. According to Hootsuite’s Storytelling with Data article, video consistently drives higher engagement and retention than static content (Hirose, 2025a).
Not only that, but people retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to just 10% when reading it as text (Christison, 2024). That’s huge for brands trying to make an impression.
Video lets you pack emotion, tone, and visuals into one post. It brings your story to life and makes your brand feel more real.
What Makes a Good Social Media Story?
Every strong story—brand or not—follows a simple structure:
Character – Who is the story about? It could be your brand, your customer, or even a team member.
Conflict – What problem are they facing? This is where the audience starts to care.
Resolution – What’s the outcome? How did your brand help? What’s the emotional payoff?
Add in authenticity (don’t be fake), visual consistency (colors, fonts, tone), and timing (post when your audience is active), and you’ve got the basics down.
As Christison (2024) points out, visuals matter too. Use images, video, and infographics... use different forms to tell your brand’s stories. Mix up your formats, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
Tips for Telling Better Stories with Video
Here’s where it gets practical. Want to get better at video storytelling? Start here:
Know your platform. What works on TikTok might flop on LinkedIn. Tailor your tone and format.
Use text overlays and captions. People scroll without sound, so make sure your story can still be understood.
Keep it real. Don’t over-polish. People connect more with behind-the-scenes and “imperfect” content than high-production ads.
Nail your lighting and audio. Good lighting = good video. Bad audio = instant skip.
Edit fast. Attention spans are short. Keep it moving, especially in the first 3 seconds.
You don’t need a full production studio to tell a great story. You just need to understand your audience and speak directly to them.
Steps for Effective Social Media Storytelling
Let’s put it all together:
Understand your audience. Who are you talking to? What do they care about?
Find trusted data sources. Use social listening tools or platform analytics.
Select the right story or message. What emotion or takeaway are you aiming for?
Design your visuals. Make it visually appealing and on-brand.
Use tools. Platforms like Hootsuite or Later can help you schedule and plan. Editing apps like CapCut and Adobe Express are great for mobile videos.
For more tools, check out this article: https://www.thesmmu.com/post/best-creation-tools-for-short-form-content
Hop on trends. Just make sure they align with your story and don’t feel forced.
(Hirose, 2025a)
Real-World Examples of Brands Crushing It
A few brands are seriously good at storytelling:
Duolingo on TikTok doesn’t just post about language learning—they’ve built a character (that iconic owl) and told an entire personality story. It’s weird, it's hilarious, and people love it.
Nike continues to master video storytelling with high-energy montages and emotional narratives. Their brand voice is always on point: powerful, inspiring, and consistent.
Your favorite local coffee shop? Even small brands can crush it by showing behind-the-scenes, customer stories, or their daily process.
What sets them apart is their commitment to story, not just sales (Hirose, 2025b).
Mistakes to Avoid in Social Media Storytelling
A few things not to do:
Don’t make it a commercial. People will skip it.
Don’t ignore your platform’s culture. What’s funny on TikTok might feel cringey on LinkedIn.
Don’t talk only about yourself. Make the customer the hero.
Don’t post and ghost. Test, adapt, and learn from what your audience responds to.
Conclusion: Start Telling Your Story
In a world full of content, storytelling is how brands rise above the noise. Video just happens to be the best tool to do it.
So if you’re still posting “just because,” stop. Start telling stories. Use your voice, share your why, and bring your audience along for the ride.
You don’t need a big team or fancy gear to tell great stories—you just need the right tools and a little creativity. If you’re not sure where to start, check out my last post on the best creation tools for short-form content—it’s full of beginner-friendly apps that’ll make storytelling way easier.
Disclaimer: No AI was injured in the production of this content. AI (ChatGPT) was used as a tool to supplement, enhance, and make suggestions in writing this blog post.
References
Christison, C. (2024, August 9). The epic guide to creating social media visuals. Hootsuite. https://blog.hootsuite.com/epic-guide-creating-social-media-visuals/
Hirose, A. (2025a, January 10). How to tell a story with data. Hootsuite. https://blog.hootsuite.com/storytelling-with-data/
Hirose, A. (2025b, April 2). Brand storytelling: What it is and how to do it right. Hootsuite. https://blog.hootsuite.com/brand-storytelling/
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (April 20 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/
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