HOW TO TELL A STORY: START BY KNOWING WHICH TO TELL

Morning!

It’s 5 PM on Saturday, and I’ve just gotten back to my apartment for the first time all day. I’ve been to a sunflower field, 2 markets, and visited a “Massey” - don’t ask.

(The perks of having a partner who likes to make the most of her weekends).

But most interesting of all, I sit here tapping away with a stomach full of, well… oats. Because as I was attempting to fast-track my way through the second market of the day, I stumbled upon this stall called “Ellie’s Oats”. Behind the counter was Ellie, her mum, and her partner all pitching together to dish out these oat bowls that were selling like hotcakes.

Among the over stalls selling Temu bought jewellery, these 3 stuck out like a sore thumb (and I also happened to be starving). So I went over and purchased my first-ever oat bowl. One bite in and I knew it was game over. It was unbelievable. Tasted great, I felt healthy eating it, and I think it was only £6 too.

It felt like Ellie was onto something.

On the walk home, I turned to my partner and asked, “I wonder why she started selling oat bowls?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. She must have a big Instagram following, let’s have a look,” she replied.

So we pulled up her Instagram, but we didn’t find a cult following or big community, or the answers to our questions. Instead, we found an amazing brand with under 500 followers.

I was honestly gutted.

Ellie seemed to have everything at her fingertips:

• Amazing product

• Awesome branding

• A VERY shareable product

And it seemed like something you could really build a cult following around.

So if she had everything she needed AND she was posting regularly, what was she missing?

My answer: A story

I tried the product, loved it, and here I am becoming a brand advocate and already talking about it to the 4000+ of you who read this newsletter. But there is a difference between a brand advocate and a cult follower and the biggest difference is understanding the story.

I want to know why oats meant something to her, how they helped her, why she’s passionate about them, and how they impacted her life.

I have so many questions, but so few answers and it’s so tough to become a die-hard fan of something you don’t really know the context behind.

But telling a story isn’t easy. Creating stories that are engaging on social media is even harder. So how can Ellie do it?

I’m giving myself 1500 words to answer that question. Here’s how to tell a story.

Let’s see how I get on!

THE ESSAY

Firstly, we have to admit that oats are inherently boring.

They're not new and cool like matcha or Dubai chocolate. They've been around for centuries. Oats aren't flashy, they're not some luxury import, they're what you already have in your cupboard.

But in a weird way, that’s what gets me so excited about Ellie’s Oats.

She’s not trying to be special, or too cool, or something she isn’t. She feels like a northern girl who is giving people a simple way to eat healthy food. Now compare that to some girl trying to build a Dubai chocolate brand out of her house in Rochdale. She doesn't feel like me. There's no connection.

Which brings us back to the issue I have with Ellie's Oats right now. I'm guessing she's someone like me. With a life like mine. With aligned values, similar problems, and the same focus on health.

Does she, though? Is she actually relatable to me? I honestly don't know the answer to that. I don't know her story.

But I’m not meant to be telling you why Ellie's Oats piques my interest - I'm meant to be telling you how she should tell her story.

And if I’m honest, I don't think Ellie needs to be sitting down, reading Shakespeare and studying storytelling.

Telling great stories is much less about being a technically great storyteller and more simply knowing which stories to tell. A very bad storyteller can tell a very effective story by simply telling the right story.

For Ellie, I’d start with her origin story.

Maybe her gran had this incredible porridge recipe. Made it every morning until she was 94, lived longer than anyone in her family. When Gran passed, Ellie found the recipe in an old notebook.

Or maybe it's simpler. Maybe Ellie got obsessed with making the perfect oat bowl. Started experimenting in her kitchen at 2 am, her mates kept saying, "You should sell these."

Both stories work. Origin stories aren’t about having a clever way you started the company, it’s about giving the business a “Why”. Anyone can sell oats, the origin story is what makes Ellie’s Oats different.

Take SULT for example. They’ve recently burst onto the scene and have built a 20,000+ cult following in a matter of months. Their origin story? The co-founders met on Hinge, and Henry pitched Milly on the idea of starting an electrolyte brand instead of dating.

It wasn’t rocket science, but it’s a story that gives you context on why the company exists.

Once the origin story was nailed down, I’d start to focus on reletable stories - these are where cult followings are made.

Shaan Puri once said, “Communities are built on shared interest.” He’s not wrong, but what he didn’t add is that cults are built on shared problems. Because there is nothing that unites people like a relatable problem.

Take this man, for example…

I’m not sure anyone has united so many people like Donald Trump has. He’s had 2 terms in office by uniting millions of Americans around 1-2 relatable problems. Then on the other side, he’s had millions united over their problem… which happens to be him.

But this isn’t about politics, it’s about marketing. And the exact same thing happens in marketing.

For Ellie, her relatable problem might have been that she was constantly bloated and hated how she looked in photos. Maybe she tried every diet under the sun and nothing worked. Then someone told her about eating oats - proper oats, not the instant stuff - and it changed everything. Now she never gets bloated and has these delicious oat bowls daily.

Maybe it cleared her skin, got her in shape, or maybe it was a meal that helped her enjoy the day when she was down.

Whatever the problem is, when people can relate to it and say “Me too,” that’s when people will start to band together. Like a tribe. Or… a cult.

When it comes to distributing these relatable stories on social media, every piece of content should start with the problem.

“Hi, I’m Ellie, and 2 years ago I cried at my sister’s wedding after seeing how bloated I looked in the photos…”

Now, that’s a story opener that hooks people in.

But even with an origin story that gives context and a relatable story that builds connection, there's still something missing.

Those stories will grow her audience initially, but she can’t just repeat the same 2 stories forever. For this to work sustainably for a long time, she has to get people involved in her current story - her building the business.

This is where I’d lean into documenting her journey.

Hollywood director Aaron Sorkin says all great stories have an intention and an obstacle. What the character wants, and what's stopping them from getting it.

If Ellie wants people to keep following her, she needs to make it abundantly clear what these are for her.

Maybe her intention is to get her oat bowls into every Sainsbury's, but she’s broke and only makes money selling them on market stalls with her mum (the obstacle). Then that’s what she needs to share.

"Hi, I'm Ellie, and I’m on a mission to get my little oat bowls into Sainsbury’s, but right now I have £200 in my bank and only make money on market stalls with my mum.”

That's an underdog story I want to follow.

Because then every post becomes part of the journey. A journey that people like me who try her product can follow along and support her. Having great oat bowls will only get her so far. 10,000s of people wanting her to win will get her much further.

So yes, Ellie needs to share more stories. But I don’t think that means she should spend all day reading books on storytelling.

Because storytelling in marketing isn’t always about being a natural poet, it’s about knowing what stories to tell. For Ellie, I’d start with these 3:

• The origin story - They “Why” behind starting the company and what sparked the idea.

• The relatable story - What problem did oats solve for her, and what was the outcome it led to?

• The journey story - What’s her dream? What’s her end goal? What’s stopping her from getting there right now?

Oh, and the more specific and the more real she gets with these - the more it will stick.

Ellie has everything she needs - an incredible product, proper branding, family helping her out. She was selling like mad at that market stall.

Now, she just needs to let more people know why it matters.

Oats are inherently boring. But with the story, they really can be quite interesting.

It’s 10:22 PM now. It’s been a long time since I had those oats, but I’m still thinking about them. If this ever gets to Ellie, your oats are amazing, and I hope you start telling the story behind them.

That’s all I’ve got for this week.

See you next Sunday!

— Niall

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