How do you use the data and insights to tell better stories?

Yes, its so key to be able to do this! A few ways you can do this: Use data to frame the problem: Start with data that highlights the pain points your audience is facing. For example, if a product helps improve operational efficiency, cite industry statistics or internal data showing the common inefficiencies or bottlenecks in similar businesses. This grounds the story in a relatable problem. Customer Segmentation: Use insights about your audience segments to tailor the story to their specific n ...Read More

Qualitative data: There is little than qualitative research - customer interviews, listening to sales call recordings, beta group message testing - to understand the trends of what motivates and matters to your target audience. Often times qualitative data takes a back seat to quantitative, but for storytelling this is where the story really comes together in the specific words, observed emotions and examples of real people. A few examples from my past: In preparing for the launch of Ops Hub - a ...Read More

Typically as proof points for the product benefits. Yeah we make you faster, but how much faster? Well (for example) at both Pomerium and Algolia, we could quantify latency reductions…so use that. I also think data and insights about where people are naturally going on your website can be helpful too. For example, I’ve been surprised to see where a lot of our organic search traffic ends up. Our blog and glossary pages at Pomerium are highly technical and not necessarily focused on our product bu ...Read More

I'm not sure if you're asking about how I use data and insights IN stories, or how I use them to SHAPE stories, so I'll answer both: Data IN stories: Numbers build trust and credibility, and certain buyers and personas NEED data and proof points in order to have a "reason to believe". I find that industry statistics and data help frame the "problem" at the beginning of a story to help validate that the audience isn't alone in the struggle or experience they're having. Or, data helps create urgen ...Read More