Why “Showing” Beats “Telling” in Storytelling Interrupt Zoey Klein GIF by TLC You don’t have to say it’s vulnerable. You just have to make us feel it. “I’m showing up vulnerably today.”How does that land with you? Now try this:“I hit ‘publish’ even though my hands were shaking.” Same emotion. Very different impact. One tells you how to feel.The other shows you what it felt like. And in storytelling, that difference is everything. Why It Matters In a world where we scroll past a thousand posts...
13 days ago • 2 min read
What Storytelling Can Learn from Stand-Up Comedy Stand Up Comedy GIF by Modern Love Because great delivery isn’t just for punchlines. If you want to understand audience dynamics—watch a stand-up comic work a room. At Scout, we study all kinds of communicators. And honestly? Some of the best storytelling lessons don’t come from speakers, marketers, or TED Talk pros. They come from comics. Not just because they’re funny (though that never hurts). But because great comedians know how to hold...
21 days ago • 2 min read
Don’t Bury the Lede: How to Hook Your Audience Instantly digging triple h GIF by WWE You’ve got 8 seconds. Sometimes less. That’s all the time you get before someone decides to keep watching, reading, or scrolling. According to Microsoft’s Consumer Insights Report, the average attention span is now just 8.25 seconds. (source) So what happens in those first 8 seconds? They either lean in—or leave. The opening line of your story, post, pitch, or video isn’t just a starting point. It’s your only...
28 days ago • 1 min read
Why Data Alone Doesn’t Move People It's deeper than the details Storytelling That Sparks Action We love a good stat at Scout Stories. But we’ve seen this play out again and again—data alone doesn’t change minds. It doesn’t raise money. And it doesn’t inspire action. Why? Because people aren’t driven by numbers. They’re driven by meaning. You can hit someone with a chart or a pie graph and they’ll nod. But if you want them to act—to show up, to donate, to care—you need to move their heart, not...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
We all love a hero. But a hero without a villain? That’s just a story without stakes. In great storytelling—whether it’s on screen, on stage, or in a sales pitch—the villain isn’t always a person. Sometimes it’s doubt. Sometimes it’s disconnection. Sometimes it’s the fear that we’re not enough, or the confusion that keeps us stuck. In brand storytelling, the villain is the thing your customer is trying to overcome. That challenge? It’s the emotional hook that makes your story matter. Why This...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
When Your Story Flops: How to Recover, Learn, and Get Better BELLY FLOP!!!! Even the best storytellers bomb sometimes. You spend hours crafting a message. You believe in it. You put it out into the world—and it falls flat. The audience doesn’t respond. Or worse, they respond in the wrong way. It happens to brands. It happens to leaders. It happens to people who tell stories for a living. The key isn’t to avoid failure. It’s to know what to do after your story flops. Why This Matters Every...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
How to Find the Emotional Core of Any Story I'm trapped in a glass case of emotion! What your story makes people feel is what they'll remember. Why This Matters Stories work because they make people feel something. But too often, we focus on what we want to say—not how we want people to feel. And that’s a miss. If you want your story to resonate, you need to understand its emotional core. Because emotion drives attention, recall, and action—especially in high-stakes moments like a pitch, a...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Write with Purpose: How to Make Your Message Matter Season 1 Nbc GIF by The Office Why purpose-driven writing gets attention—and action. You’ve probably seen it. A social post, an email, or a speech that leaves you thinking… what was the point? That’s what happens when a message lacks purpose. The best communicators—brands, leaders, creators—write every sentence with intention. Because when your story has a purpose, your audience has a reason to care. The Research Posts with a clear call to...
2 months ago • 1 min read
The Jeremy Campbell Lesson: Cut the Good to Make Room for the Great It's Wednesday. Time to Cut. The hardest part of storytelling isn’t knowing what to say—it’s knowing what not to say. We often think that adding more details, more words, or more visuals will make a story better. But the reality? The best stories aren’t made in the first draft. They’re shaped in editing. If you want to tell a story that sticks, you have to be willing to cut the good to make room for the great. Our BFF Jeremy...
3 months ago • 2 min read