On a dark and stormy night, Arthur Esseo sat in his large leather writer’s chair, smoking a mahogany tobacco pipe that had belonged to his great-grandfather. It was a quarter after midnight, and he’d be getting ready for work in less than six hours.
Hearing the teakettle scream, Arthur rose to retrieve it from the kitchen stove. As he poured steaming hot water over a chamomile tea bag slumped in his favorite mug — white, chipped porcelain stamped with the front page of The New York Times from the day after the Giants won the World Series in 1954 — he pondered the age-old question of man: How can I drive more traffic to my blog?
Okay, so maybe that was a bit dramatic. But it got your attention, didn’t it? As content writers, we mustn’t forget our storytelling roots. It’s easy to get lazy with our “Top 10 Lists” and “Ultimate Guides,” but what exactly sets your content apart from the sea of competitors doing the exact same thing?
Brand storytelling is the key to memorable, shareable content. While you may have great tips in those Top 10 lists, readers will quickly lose interest if you don’t offer them something new, human, or exciting. Remember when we were in grade school and the teacher would tell us to create a captivating first sentence? That still applies. With all our research on how to optimize content, we’ve forgotten the most important part: Make it interesting.
For many, our picture of the golden age of marketing comes from rewatching "Mad Men" (yes, even a decade after it ended). But aside from the misogyny and extramarital philandering, there’s actually something of value we can learn from Don Draper: how to create a feeling. In the 1950s and 60s, this kind of marketing was at its peak. You’d see an ad featuring the happiest, most beautiful woman alive, laughing and drinking a Coca-Cola, and you’d think, “Jeepers! I’ve got a hankerin’ for a Coca-Cola.“ You wanted her story. You were buying that feeling of carefree happiness.
Today, marketing isn’t quite that easy. With the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Jasper, social platforms like TikTok, LinkedIn, and Substack, and consumers who are hyper-attuned to authenticity, the playing field has changed. In the past, a business with poor customer service might get a strongly worded letter and lose a few customers. Now, a single negative review or viral post can derail an entire campaign. In short, the customer calls the shots. While Don-Draper-era marketing was about telling people how to feel, today’s content marketing means building content around your audience’s actual interests and behaviors. It’s no longer just about the product — it’s about the people. Storytelling helps you create content that resonates. It gives your brand a voice, a feeling, and a way to connect. It makes you more likable, more trustworthy, and, ultimately, more successful. All you have to do is find the right story to tell.
When creating a content marketing strategy, start by truly understanding your audience. Sometimes, this can feel like buying gifts. You might find something you love — but would your mom really want a motorized mini bike? (That, by the way, is a true story from my father’s childhood.) Just telling a story you like isn’t enough. It needs to be one your audience can see themselves in. Take HelloFresh, for example.
HelloFresh is a meal kit delivery service that ships boxes of recipes and ingredients straight to customers’ doors. As one of the dominant players in the meal kit space today, HelloFresh didn’t just grow by offering convenience — they grew by telling a story. One of balance, of intention, of reclaiming dinner time in a busy, modern world. A typical HelloFresh customer likely enjoys cooking, but isn’t a culinary expert. They’re busy. They want to eat well but don’t want to deal with the hassle of planning meals or grocery shopping. HelloFresh speaks directly to that lifestyle. Instead of selling a box of groceries, they sell the idea of making good food easily, of feeling like a chef, of bringing dinner back to the table.
“Our mission is to change the way people eat — forever.”
Suddenly, you’re not just making dinner. You’re participating in a movement to make real food accessible. You’re building healthier habits. You’re doing good and eating well. This narrative carries into their app, website, and social channels, where they highlight customer stories, behind-the-scenes supplier videos, and quick TikTok recipes that show how HelloFresh improves real life.
Another example of strong storytelling is Amy’s Kitchen — an organic frozen food company based in Petaluma, California. The brand's origin story? A small family operation that began in a barn. They weren’t trying to disrupt the frozen food aisle. They just wanted to create healthy, comforting meals from real ingredients. That humble, heartfelt backstory still resonates in 2025. Their content exudes cozy, small-town values. (Think Stars Hollow of “Gilmore Girls,“ minus the absurdities.) Like HelloFresh, Amy’s Kitchen appeals to people who want convenience but not at the cost of nutrition or authenticity. Their story positions each product not as a frozen dinner, but as a warm, home-cooked meal you can feel good about. They’ve almost got me fooled that Amy herself is back there right now, baking my pizza in a farmhouse kitchen.
Okay, so not all of us have the luxury of selling feel-good meals. But even if your product isn’t exactly heartwarming, there’s still a story to tell. Take Cloudflare as an example. They’re a cybersecurity and performance company that protects millions of websites from attacks. Not exactly warm and fuzzy, right? But their storytelling is smart. They don’t focus on features — they focus on reassurance and readiness.
They highlight the threats businesses face — DDoS attacks, data breaches — and position themselves as the invisible shield that makes those worries disappear. Their content doesn’t shout about specs. It offers reports, real-world case studies, and bite-sized explainers that put the customer’s concerns front and center. The product never needs to be named directly. The story is already working.
Remember that Coca-Cola ad? While blog posts and long-form content are important, visual storytelling is equally powerful. Infographics, branded motion design, short-form video, and customer reels reinforce your narrative in a split second. Think TikToks that feel native, LinkedIn carousels that teach, or testimonials filmed vertically and edited for Reels. In 2025, the best visual content feels effortless but it's deeply strategic. Even zero-click content (designed to educate without driving to a landing page) is an opportunity to tell your story.
Now that you better understand how storytelling strengthens your marketing, you can start using it to shape content that aligns with your audience’s lives — not just your brand’s goals. So long as you make it interesting, relevant, and human, you’re on the right path.
An earlier version of this article originally appeared on SevenAtoms.com
