“It’s the emotional buy-in that makes people care. Once you have that, you can earn the right to share the details — the product, the data, the how.” – Chrissy Farr
One of the great things about working in communications is discovering the story that belongs uniquely to each company and its leaders. Done well, it’s the magic that inspires action and evokes a genuine connection to a brand. Done poorly, and it’s forgotten or worse, ignored.
We live in a time when anyone can create content instantly, and AI can do it faster than we can consume or even think. The real challenge isn’t creating stories; it’s making people care about them.
That’s why storytelling has never been more important. Few people capture that concept better than Chrissy Farr, the journalist turned investor and author of The Storyteller’s Advantage. Chrissy has spent years studying why some narratives inspire loyalty and action while others fade instantly, and I recently hosted her for an Inkhouse webinar on that very topic. What she shared was a masterclass in why brands that invest in communications and storytelling don’t just get noticed, they last.
Our conversation explored what distinguishes the stories people remember from the ones they forget, why vulnerability and humor are essential tools for communicators, and how leaders can foster trust in an increasingly noisy world. You can watch the full conversation here. Below are highlights from our discussion, lightly edited for clarity.
Start with Emotion, Not Explanation
“The more technical the business, the more important the story.”
Leighton Thompson: In your book, you write that the more technical the business, the more important the narrative. Why is that?
Chrissy Farr: The harder your product is to explain, the more you need emotion. Think about biotech, space tech, and industries where outcomes might take ten or fifteen years. Founders in those fields have to raise money, recruit talent, and inspire belief long before results are visible. The trick is the “imagine what if” framework. Ask people to picture a better future because your technology exists. If they can see themselves in that future, they’ll believe in you. Once you’ve earned that emotional buy-in, then you can bring in the data and product details.
The CEO is the Chief Storyteller
LT: What role should PR professionals play in shaping a company’s story?
Farr: A collaborative one, but they can’t be the voice. Too many CEOs hand their story off like a homework assignment: “You figure it out and tell me what to say.” But it’s their company.
Communications professionals can help refine, structure, and amplify a story, but the founder or leader must own it. The best CEOs are their company’s chief storytellers. Storytelling isn’t fluff; it’s recruiting, fundraising, and leadership. And like any muscle, it gets stronger the more you use it.
Humor and Surprise Keep Stories Alive
LT: You’ve also talked about humor as a storytelling tool. Why is it important?
Farr: Levity is memorable and rare. Most rebrands, for example, are so stiff. I once told a company that was changing its name to host a spoof panel of CEOs who’d failed their rebrands, just to laugh at the process. They didn’t do it, but I still think it would have been brilliant.
Humor disarms people. I’ll never forget when healthcare CEO Jonathan Bush ran onto a conference stage wearing bright red shorts and threw a toy hammer at a competitor’s video screen — a nod to Apple’s iconic “1984” ad. Everyone in the room burst out laughing. Surprise and joy stick. Perfection doesn’t.
The Three Ingredients of a Great Story
LT: If you had to pick three elements that make a story truly compelling, what would they be?
Farr: Surprise, something personal, and data.
A story should take a turn you don’t expect. It should reveal something human; an insight, a struggle, a spark of honesty. And it should be grounded in something real: facts, research, outcomes.
My favorite storytelling formula is to start with a personal moment that evokes care, then layer in data that proves why it matters.
Where AI Fits Into Storytelling
LT: We can’t ignore AI’s impact. How do you see it influencing storytelling?
Farr: AI can make us more efficient, but efficiency isn’t connection.
AI can surface patterns, suggest phrasing, test headlines, but the best stories are still the ones that feel unmistakably human.
The bigger danger is assuming AI makes storytelling easier. In reality, it raises the bar. When the internet is flooded with machine-generated language, readers crave something only humans can deliver: perspective, context, heart.
And yes, I do think the AI bubble will burst, but the technology is here to stay. The communicators who combine human empathy with technological fluency will shape the next era of storytelling.
The Real Advantage
At the end of our conversation, Farr summed up her philosophy with refreshing simplicity:
“Start with emotion. Then layer in logic. People might remember your facts, but they’ll believe your story.”
That’s the essence of The Storyteller’s Advantage and, perhaps, the ultimate advantage for any communicator today.
No matter how fast the tools evolve or how crowded the channels become, great stories still start with the same question: How can I make someone care?
Interested in taking your brand’s story to the next level? Reach out to us at [email protected].
