I’m going to drop a truth nuke right now: your brain doesn’t want facts. It wants meaning.
And it finds that meaning through stories. That’s why you forget the step-by-step caption and remember the Instagram Reel where someone cried in their car.
In The Science of Storytelling, Will Storr explains that our brains are designed to store stories, not scattered facts. Stories are how we make sense of the world, and how we remember it. Before you race off to blame social media for damaging the collective human psyche. Keep in mind that this is NOT a flaw in attention spans. It’s a feature of human cognition.
If you want your content to be remembered, it needs to follow the shape of a story.
The Science Behind Why Stories Stick
Stories activate more areas of the brain than facts alone. They engage the parts responsible for emotion, memory, and sensory experience. And when more of the brain lights up, more of the message stays with us.
When you share facts in isolation, they’re easy to forget.
When you wrap them in a story, they become sticky.
For example, saying “consistency is key” is forgettable.
But sharing a quick story about the week you almost gave up, and the moment you realized progress was happening anyway? That sticks.
Forgettable Content vs. Memorable Content
Forgettable content:
- Lists facts without context
- Speaks in generalities
- Tells the audience what to do
Memorable content:
- Grounds information in real moments
- Uses characters, conflict, and emotion
- Shows the audience what it felt like
It doesn’t have to be long or dramatic. Even a single sentence story can elevate a point:
Before: “Batching content helps save time.”
After: “I used to spend two hours writing one caption. Then I tried batching, and wrote five posts in the same amount of time. Total game-changer.”
That’s a mini-story. And it’s easier to remember and repeat.
How to Build Memory into Your Marketing
If you want your audience to retain what you’re sharing, try this simple formula:
Moment → Meaning → Message
- Start with a relatable or vivid moment
- Explain what it meant or why it mattered
- Then give them the core message or takeaway
This formula is a cheat code to writing that is BOTH clear and memorable.
Try This: Rewrite One Tip as a Story
Pick a tip, strategy, or idea you’ve shared recently and ask:
- What moment led you to this insight?
- What did it feel like?
- How can you build that into a short story that leads to the same message?
If nothing else, use shortcut phrases like: “I remember when…” or “It was a Tuesday morning when…” can shift your content into story mode.
TL;DR: Stories Make Your Content Memorable
You don’t need to be more clever or more concise. You need to be more human.
Wrap your ideas in stories, and your content will stay with people long after they scroll past it.
Next up in the series:
Storytelling That Changes Minds: How to Use Content to Inspire Action
Need help turning insights into unforgettable posts? The Content Kickstart Kit includes prompts and examples to help you create story-driven content that resonates and sticks.
