storytelling quotes

19 Storytelling Quotes to Inspire the Everyday Storyteller

Some of my favorite marketing experts, entrepreneurs and writers all agree on one notion, the value of storytelling.Storytelling quote

Loosely put, Content Marketing is creating and publishing content that attracts and retains your target customers. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 72% of B2C marketers were producing more content in 2014 than they were in 2013. Content is an indispensable tool, offering endless creative ways to connect a brand with its consumers. Obviously, more marketers realize this everyday, that in fact we are now brand publishers and better yet, brand storytellers!

At the fundamental core of what your company is and what they do, is who they are. The story. And that story, is what needs to be told in order to tap into your consumer base. To help carry them from brand awareness to your end business goals.

I compiled a list of 19 quotes from marketing experts, writers, and entrepreneurs, all passionate storytellers, to inspire you to put forth your brand story today. 

  1. You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built into the human plan. We come with it.” – Margaret Atwood
  2. “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about.” – Benjamin Franklin
  3. “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  4. “Does your content lead readers on a journey, or does it merely stuff them as leads into a pipeline?” – Ann Hadley, Head of Content, Marketing Profs
  5. “If you wish to influence an individual or a group to embrace a particular value in their daily lives, tell them a compelling story.” – Annette Simmons (@TheStoryFactor)
  6. “Connect with your audience through stories people love.” – Shafqat Islam (@shafqatislam), Co-founder of NewsCred
  7. “Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” – Andrew Davis (@tpldrew)
  8. Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” – Robert McKee "We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories." - Jonathan Gottschall
  9. “Tell a relevant, targeted, transparent story, and the whole world will share it.” – Randall Lane (@RandallLane)
  10. “We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” – Jonathan Gottschall (@jonathangottsch), The Storytelling Animal
  11. “There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place.” – J.K. Rowling, Writer
  12. I realized the importance of having a story today is what really separates companies. People don’t just wear our shoes, they tell our story.” – Blake Mycoskie (@BlakeMycoskie), CEO, Tom’s Shoes
  13. “When you’ve got 10,000 people trying to do the same thing, why would you want to be number 10,001?” – Mark Cuban (@mcuban), Entrepreneur
  14. “The power of storytelling is exactly this: to bridge the gaps where everything else has crumbled.” – Paulo Coelho (@paulocoelho), Writer
  15. “I think that while markets are conversations, marketing is a story. Starbucks creates conversations among customers, so does Apple. The NYSE makes a fortune permitting people to interact with each other. But great marketing is storytelling, and if you’ve been to a Broadway show lately, you’ll notice that audience participation is discouraged. That doesn’t mean that great playwrights don’t listen! They do. They, like great marketers, listen relentlessly. They engage in offline conversations constantly. They poll and they do censuses and most important, they have true conversations with small groups of real people. But THEN, they tell a story.” –  Seth Godin (@thisissethsblog), Entrepreneur
  16. “Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes it’s an ad.” – Howard Gossage, Advertising Innovator
  17. “If you’re going to have a story, have a big story, or none at all.” – Joseph Campbell, Writer
  18. "You need to create ridiculously good content - content that is useful, enjoyable and inspired." - Ann Hadley“You need to create ridiculously good content – content that is useful, enjoyable and inspired.” – Ann Hadley (@MarketingProfs), Head of Content, Marketing Profs
  19. “Content is the atomic particle of all digital marketing. Everything.”  – Rebecca Lieb (@lieblink), Senior Analyst, Altimeter

And of course, like Ann says, it isn’t just about creating content.  It’s about creating smart content. Innovative content. Insightful content. Content that focuses on meeting your audience needs. (To meet the needs of your customer, you need to know what they are, and that starts with listening. In the next week or so, I’ll write a post on social listening.)

Below is a handy Slideshare presentation featuring each quote. Click through and share!

Do you have a quote to add to the list? Share in the comments or send me an email: lola@omylola.com. I would love to hear from you.

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