When you get it right, your origin story can leave a lasting impression.
Just think of Facebook’s tale of a Harvard sophomore and his roommate, on a mission to create a website to connect students on campus. Or Apple’s story of two young guys, working out of a garage, with a vision to democratize access to computers.
Those stories have been elevated to mythical proportions. Facebook and Apple are now business juggernauts, but their origin stories make the companies and their founders relatable.
This article explores the importance of an origin story and provides 10 practical tips for crafting an effective narrative to help you:
- Connect with your customers, employees, and partners
- Earn their trust
- Inspire confidence
- Spark positive emotion
Origin Story Examples
Before we share some of our best practices for telling your origin story effectively, take a look at these two examples we produced.
Top Tips for Telling an Effective Origin Story
Here are some tips on how to create an origin story that leaves a mark and sets you apart from your competition.
1
Establish a connection with your audience
Emphasize the relatable aspects of your origin story that resonate with your target audience. By putting yourself in their shoes, you can identify what aspects of your story will capture their interest and create a genuine connection.
2
Share the key moments
Highlight pivotal moments in your company's history that shaped its trajectory. These "aha!" moments of realization or unexpected challenges can be compelling elements that make your origin story memorable.
In the Exaltus origin story, we accentuated the A-ha moment by pausing the music dramatically and adding some sound effects.
3
Keep it concise
Craft a compelling story by focusing on the most essential elements. Avoid excessive details and timelines, which can be forgettable. Instead, aim for brevity and clarity, distilling your story to its core essence. Crafting a compelling story is a little like sculpting: the art is in knowing what to remove.
Need help cutting through masses of complicated information?
You might find the help you need in this video, where we share the Exaltus CAPTURE framework – our proven method for overcoming information overload and transforming it into captivating stories.
For more details, check out our post on overcoming information overload and download the companion CAPTURE cheat sheet.
4
Be authentic and personal
Make your origin story feel authentic and personal, like a captivating play rather than a dry documentary. Share moments of struggle and adversity, as they can add depth and evoke empathy from your audience.
In the Hartuition origin story, Michele Hartmangruber's openness and vulnerability lend a poignancy to her story that makes you root for her success.
5
Connect with corporate values
While recounting your company's journey, subtly weave in your core values and the passion that fuelled your success. Reinforce your beliefs and principles to show how they shaped your company's evolution.
Exaltus' core mission to transform our client's complex information into a compelling story is an integral part of our origin story,
Create an emotional connection with your key stakeholders
Find out which eight organizational stories you can tell to emotionally connect with your key stakeholders, inspire them, and motivate them to act.
6
Simplify complex concepts
Learn to explain complex ideas and concepts in a simple and accessible manner. This ability to simplify and educate will engage your audience, build trust, and motivate them to take action.
7
Show, don't tell
Instead of solely boasting about your company's mission and accomplishments, demonstrate them through compelling storytelling. Showcase real actions and outcomes that exemplify your company's values and strengths. (For additional insights on using visuals in your stories, check out our article on visual storytelling.)
8
The founder is the hero... but not really
While your founders or leadership team may be central to your origin story, emphasize how your company's success is tied to delivering unique benefits to your customers. Highlight the value and solutions you provide to meet their needs, the way we did when we showed Michele help her client reach her goal.
9
Harness the power of video
Utilize video to bring your origin story to life and differentiate yourself from competitors. Consider having your founder speak directly to the camera or creating a captivating whiteboard animation video, which offers countless benefits and has been statistically proven to be effective.
10
Amplify your story
Maximize the impact of your origin story by leveraging it across various channels. Here are just a few ideas:
- Explain who you are, on your About page
- Kick off an investor presentation
- Introduce your company before a keynote presentation
- Introduce yourself to prospects via Email
- Onboard new employees
- Introduce yourself to new partners
Over to You
What series of events led to the creation of your company? How do you tell the story? Does it do justice to your history and to what your company stands for? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. And if you need a hand to put together your origin story, contact Exaltus today, or check out some of the whiteboard animation examples in our portfolio.
