It’s no secret that the way people get their news & information has changed drastically over the last few years.

By 2026, half of Canadians won’t have TV subscriptions according to a report done this year by Convergence Research. The 2023 Reuters Digital News Report found that only 11% of Canadians pay for online news, and only 37% of English Canadians trust most news, which is down by a third in 7 years.

As patterns continue to shift, individuals and organizations with a story to tell need to start going directly to audiences to get their point across. They need to tell their own stories, or they won’t be heard.

There are a couple of things to consider when looking at how best to do this:

• What’s the best format to connect with people and build trust? There’s a lot to be said for the speed and simplicity of written content, but video and audio can lead to super rich storytelling. Pictures and sound can do amazing things.
• How do you tell your story like “a story”? There’s a big difference between distributing information and telling an actual story that motivates and engages your audience.
• How can you distribute your stories to get to your stakeholders? Social media, your website, emails, the options are many.
• What systems and infrastructure are you putting into place? Execution is everything. It’s vital to determine the optimal way for your organization to deliver in a fast, and cost-effective way with the right technology and solutions.
• What skills do you need, and where can you get them? Can your internal team learn how to do this, and if so, who can train them? Does it make sense to get some components from an external team?

Taking control of telling your own story is exciting. You can ensure it’s delivered with context and with care. If done right, your storytelling strategy will fit perfectly with your overall organizational strategy getting your message across, building connections with your team, and trust with your stakeholders.