Your story hook should be both audience-centric and in service of your data story. This is not about being gimmicky for the sake of attracting attention, it is about leveraging a hook to ensure that the audience connects with the data story and considers the key insight messages and recommendations. A good hook piques interest and primes the brain for more detail.

For example, a hook used by a B2B service brand that proved highly effective involved them taking their internal newsletter format and re-writing the headline summary page with news stories from five years in the future. Each headline story highlighted certain KPI’s that had shifted positively and the impact it was having on performance. Having been exposed to this future world the audience had many questions on whether this was possible as an outcome and what they would have to do to get to this end points, thus engaging them with the agenda of the data story and provoking them to generate questions and ideas before the data story even started.

Need inspiration?

Use one of the 4 tried and tested hooks shared below.

4 tried and tested hooks for your data story

1 – An individual story that connects with the human experience

Using human stories taps into a natural affinity for understanding others and the challenges and dilemmas they face. They enable the audience to connect with the real people behind the data, making the data itself more relatable. It helps to explain why the data story matters and how it impacts real life, fostering empathy, and reminding us of the real-world implications of our decisions and actions on actual people. Telling a true, unfiltered story of a real person will always make a greater impact on the audience than a polished generic persona story. I have seen senior leaders moved to tears when listening to a first-person account of real experiences an individual has had with their brand and the impact that has had – positive or negative – on their life.

Examples of potential human stories to experiment with in your data storytelling:

• Your own personal story as a consumer or customer

• A third person customer story showcasing positive or negative sentiment

• A hypothetical user journey that translates overall insights into a personal account

• An immersive view of customer lives through diaries, videos and interviews

• A personification of the brand or product as the hero of the story
  
  

2 – A killer stat that puts the story into bigger perspective

Focusing attention on one killer stat from your main data story can sharpen the audiences’ mind and get them to see the scale of the potential opportunity or threat in a real-world context. It works well when the killer stat is shocking, surprising or thought-provoking – you can then build a story around the statistic, providing context, explanation and implications. By focusing on one killer stat, you reduce the risk of misremembering and misinterpreting the data, ensuring more accurate recall.

Examples of potential killer stats that can work well as a hook:

• The monetary value associated with the opportunity or risk, to show the size of the prize or size of the loss

• The range between differences in opinion to show diverse and polarising responses or feeling

• Comparing a number to a tangible value, such as the population of a country or the capacity of a stadium

• A quiz to guess the number before the real number is revealed to show difference between perception and reality
  
  

3 – A metaphor that translates a concept into a tangible idea

A metaphor can simplify a challenging abstract concept and relate it to more familiar and concrete ideas that are already understood, making the data story more accessible to audiences with different knowledge levels. They tap into common knowledge and shared experiences, bridging the gap between what the audience already knows and the new data in your story, by anchoring any new information in familiar territory. Metaphors are great at creating vivid mental images to help audiences visualise the data for themselves, as well as engaging multiple senses to enhance the storytelling process. However, the downside of using a metaphor as a hook is that they don’t always have universal understanding across different cultures and languages, making them harder to use with global audiences.

Examples of potential sources for metaphors:

• Well known folk tales and fairy stories with a moral that relates to the customer or brand dilemma

• Comparisons to tangible constructs, such as the vast ocean, the high mountain, a bridge, a puzzle piece etc.

• Comparison to other brands in the use of case studies to showcase how others have dealt with similar challenges

4 – A future scenario that highlights what is possible

Scenarios provide a forward-looking perspective of a possible future and enable you to explore ‘what if...?’ questions with your audience. They are not prediction; they are narratives of alternative outcomes and consequences in which today’s decisions may be played out. They may be based on forecasting data or more qualitative scenario planning, but they help bridge the gap between the data story and the practical application of the insights, ideas and recommendations. Scenarios allow for illustration and the painting of a mental or physical picture that provides a tangible output for the audience to relate to.

Examples of potential scenarios:

• A perspective on alternative paths in response to an external trigger or event

• A comparison to underperforming or failed brand that highlight your fate if the situation gets worse

• Painting a picture of the art of the possible your audience can aspire to

Ready to transform your data storytelling?

If you are looking for more hints and tips on data storytelling, click here to get a 20% discount on ‘Data Storytelling in Marketing: How to tell persuasive stories through data’ use code DSM20.