¿Cómo mides el éxito de tus historias?

Are you selling? Most storytellers are, aren't they? At the end of the day, whether you're writing a book, a post, or a landing page copy, you're probably looking to sell something. Even if it's just your brand's awareness. If your purpose and goal aren't clear on what that is, you'll probably not be able to gauge how well your story performed. Start from the reader - they're the one that matters here, at the end of the day.

A story without purpose is like a road trip without directions. Hard to navigate, and no one really knows what the hell is going on 🫤 So if you create a story without purpose, you may as well prepare for failure. Your "why" is key. It gives you clear direction, goalposts and objectives. That "why" also allows you to formulate a story that flows, and grabs the emotion of your audience in a way that works towards those goals.

When you're aiming to measure the success of a story, it's essential to define what success means. What are your targets for the story? Specificity is key here. "I want it to resonate" is vague, for example - unless you put in place a strategy for measuring audience resonance. A more helpful approach is to link the story to KPIs (key performance indicators) that are numeric. How many in your target audience engaged with the story? How many leads did the story garner? How many clients did you ultimately sign who measured the story? Stating clear objectives is essential for storytelling success measurability.

A great tip is to write your story starting at the call to action. After all, no one tells a story without a purpose. But there's a catch! Sometimes you want the listeners to but something. To invest in your idea. Other times you may ask people to hear your side of the story. After the CTA (or the plea, if you prefer to call it this way) you develop the reasoning: why are you asking this? After developing the reasoning, the concept and everything else needed so your plea make sense... now is the time for the catch: Tell your story backwards.

Setting the right intention is the key to ensure the right tone and structure can be adopted to craft the story. Why is this story important, how will it help, does it offer new insights or creates a new narrative are some key questions to ponder over while defining the purpose.

Choosing your metrics early on ensures that you have a defined way of gauging the success of your stories. Doing this early on also can help prevent biases that would choose metrics where you know your story has proven to perform well later on. Ultimately, setting these expectations early allows for more subjective measurements based on what metrics are important for your needs.

Selecting metrics to gauge the success of your stories involves aligning objectives with measurable indicators. Choose KPIs such as reach, engagement, and conversion rates based on your goals. Utilize website analytics, social media insights, and sales metrics. Gather qualitative data through surveys and feedback. Consider brand sentiment analysis and monitor long-term impact. Compare metrics with benchmarks and adjust your storytelling strategy iteratively based on insights gained.

There are multiple metrics that can be selected to measure the success of storytelling. My advice here is not to fill an excel file full of them. Choose the top 3 which will give you a measure that is fully aligned to your desired impact.

One of the metrics that has helped understand the impact of the story is when feedback mechanisms are in built in the way the story is structured. One way to do this is to seek feedback and gain information on how the story has helped.

Success isn't measured solely by the number of likes or shares. It's about the impact your stories have on hearts and minds. Choose metrics that reflect the depth of connection you forge with your audience. How many souls do you touch? How many perspectives do you shift? These are the metrics that truly matter, for they speak volumes about the profound influence your stories wield in the world.

While storytellers most certainly can be data analysts, consider asking yourself whether the help of a professional (program or person) might be a better idea. If you select this route, collaboration between yourself and the data analyst is essential because of your different perspectives and areas of expertise. Storytelling success is always easiest to measure if you make sure to set your targets in measurable parameters. Then you can quickly identify the components that worked, the components that didn't, and iterate accordingly.

It can be difficult to separate data "from story" from the data you are collecting on other efforts. So how will you know if it's your story that's changing the metrics or something else? In real life, it's difficult to create clean control groups so there's going to be an element of guess work. The best you can do is identify all the obstacles to knowing "the truth" and then try to break them down. When it's not possible, then you can ring fence these as being doubtful. It will depend how important the metrics are to you as to how deep you will investigate. If you are able to create control groups and experiment in separated environments, this can help you establish whether or not it's worth investing in story for your specific objective.

Define Data Collection Methods: Choose appropriate methods based on your selected metrics and objectives. This might include surveys, interviews, focus groups, social media analytics, website analytics, or A/B testing. Determine the frequency, timing, and duration of data collection to ensure consistency. Develop Clear Measurement Parameters: Establish clear criteria for data collection. Define what constitutes success or achievement in each metric. Create benchmarks or baseline data to compare against future results. Use Tools and Technologies: Utilize tools and technologies specific to your chosen data collection methods. For instance, Google Analytics for website traffic

Behind every story lies a treasure trove of insights waiting to be discovered. Dive into the data with fervor, not just to track numbers, but to uncover the hidden gems that lie within. What patterns emerge? What resonates most with your audience? Embrace the journey of discovery, for within the data lies the key to unlocking the full potential of your storytelling prowess.

Look at audience engagement beyond the numbers. Engagement metrics like likes, shares, and comments are a great starting point. But I also look deeper into the quality of interactions. Are people asking questions? Are they sharing their own experiences in response? These qualitative insights often tell me more about the story's impact than raw numbers. I also pay attention to the emotional reactions your stories evoke. Comments that indicate a strong emotional response, such as 'This moved me' or 'I needed to hear this today', say more than numbers. Emotional resonance is a key indicator that your story is connecting on a deeper level.

Based on the data you collect about the performance of your stories, you can always make adjustments and improvements. You can also make notes of what works well and what doesn't with your audience. This can help act as a reference when you're sharing future stories.

We are essentially in the end all about stories, however we need to be open to improvement as well! It would be immensely helpful it would be if we could have the patience to be open to tweaking the tone, structure and style to ensure great impact of our stories!

Analysing the data from past stories and reflecting on the comments and engagement from the audience, can give valuable insights. Based on this data and feedback you can work on your future storytelling strategies accordingly. You also need to adjust the story as per your audiences interests and needs to ensure it resonates with them.

I call this the dance, being able to respond, real time, to the audience when in your storytelling moments. This will allow you to take corrective actions and respond accordingly to help shape the progress of your storytelling. Always be open to feedback and data - it will tell its own story - listen to it and respond.

The beauty of storytelling lies in its evolution. Embrace feedback with open arms, for it is the catalyst for growth. Be willing to adapt, to refine, to transform your stories into masterpieces that leave an indelible mark on the hearts of your audience. Every edit, every tweak, brings you one step closer to perfection. Embrace the journey of continuous improvement, and watch as your stories soar to new heights.

Amplify your successes. Share your achievements with your team and stakeholders to celebrate milestones together. Recognition not only boosts morale but also encourages ongoing creativity and innovation in your storytelling efforts.

Everyone wants to be 'seen' -- to be acknowledged, recognised, appreciated. It doesn't always need to be grand gestures (though bonus awards are always welcome) but even simply calling out people in newsletters, audio visual assets, posters, emails, at meetings and personal interactions go a long way in reaffirming their stories. People need to realise that this is a win win situation...inspires team mates, builds a high performer's personal brand, and underline org culture

Share the success of your stories with your team, stakeholders, or audience. Celebrate milestones, achievements, and positive outcomes to foster morale and motivation. Recognize and reward individuals or teams involved in creating and executing successful stories.

While celebrating the wins is important, it is equally helpful if one can debrief on what worked and what could have been done better and also understand which mediums, channels aligned with the key messages.

Stories are all about the number of times they are told and retold.. we all have enjoyed stories told to us by our grandparents. They never learnt the art and finesse of storytelling however we were always intrigued and mesmerised by them.. and each time you hear someone else sharing the same story.. it's a moment of celebration!

My favourite metric is silence. If your audience falls silent after your story and you can make out that they are thinking about what you've just told them, then you can be reasonably certain that your story resonated with them.

"Ukrainian Red Cross implements Salesforce technology in 4 weeks, but scales their fundraising by $188m, resulting in 4 million people receiving aid" ^^ True story Using metrics, ROI, actual data which shows the before and after, or the size of the problem/solution is always going to make your story stand out, be counted as 'THE' story to think of, and also push all the other stories down the 'memorable' list. When you marry data and storytelling together, that's when the magic happens.... "Ukrainian Red Cross implements Salesforce technology in 4 weeks, but scales their fundraising by $188m, resulting in 4 million people receiving aid" Sticks in your mind doesn't it?

El éxito de las historias de mide en el número de latidos. Para mí la emoción que despierte un relato es lo más importante. Que quieran más y que sientan que de alguna forma tu narrativa también les pertenece.

To gauge success it is important to go back to the impact that you have laid out in your storytelling process. If your outcome was to persuade ... then make sure you measure the success against this. If it was to educate, then don't evaluate success based on sales conversion.

As you navigate the intricate tapestry of storytelling, remember to stay true to yourself. Your voice is your most potent weapon, wield it with authenticity and conviction. Stay curious, for inspiration can be found in the most unexpected of places. And above all, never underestimate the power of your stories to change the world. With purpose as your guide and passion as your fuel, there's no limit to what you can achieve.