Storytelling remains as fundamental to public relations as creativity is to advertising. It’s the beating heart of our profession — the thread that connects people, ideas, and purpose in an increasingly noisy and fragmented world. From ancient folktales to viral digital campaigns, storytelling continues to define how individuals, communities, and even policymakers make sense of the world.
Ntokozo Ndlovu is the founder and managing director of Toni Elephant Media. Source: Supplied.
Connecting through generations
In its purest form, storytelling is about creating stories that resonate, connect people and have a meaning in people’s lived experiences in one way or another. Think of traditional folktales, stories passed from generation to generation, always with a “who,” “what,” “why,” and a moral to carry forward. Whether it’s the tale of The hare and the lion, The spirit in the tree or Western equivalents like Hansel and Gretel or Rapunzel.
These stories endure because they speak about shared human truths, they resonate with the audiences then and continue to resonate, perhaps in different forms with children today. I want to argue, with caution, that they will resonate with future generations. It is because these stories are clear and usually quite straight to the point, that they resonate, inform, teach and importantly connect.
I remember when my grandmother used to tell us folktales, we would always want to hear more, the very essence of effective communication.
Interestingly, we would always share them with our friends at school, or at play and remind (sometimes threaten) each other of some of the lessons they taught.
In public relations, storytelling should do the same, resonate with the listener or the reader, capture attention, build trust, showcase key messages, inspire action and leave them wanting to know more. It’s not just about what people read or hear, but what they remember, retell and share. That ripple effect from one person to another, from conversation to movement, is where real influence lives.
Storytelling for impact across evolving mediums
Over the years, the art of storytelling has evolved alongside technology and media. Creative designs, video content, and other immersive content formats now dominate how stories are told and consumed. Yet, the essence remains the same, storytelling must connect, move hearts and minds.
The shift from print to digital platforms has transformed both the speed and style of storytelling. Traditional publications like the Sunday Times (with a print circulation of over 55 000) now reach millions more online, Sunday Times’s digital readership sits at 2.5 million. Sowetan’s at 1.2 million. City Press at 3.87 million. The Citizen is at 2.8 million online. In essence, this means the reach of a story is no longer confined to the print paper pages, it lives, breathes and multiplies across channels and audiences.
Today’s storyteller should know not only what to say but where to say it, how to say it and when to say it. If your audience is scrolling on Instagram, your story should be visual, bite-sized, and emotionally resonant. If they’re reading the Sunday Times, your story must have depth and substance to hold attention. In short, the message has to move fluidly across formats and be adapted without losing its truth.
The new imperatives
What’s in it for me (WIFM) remains at the heart of storytelling. Audiences want to understand why a story matters to them, how it’s relevant to them and why it deserves their attention. The answer lies in authentic storytelling that strikes a balance between brand and people. Because when a story lacks authenticity, people can sense it instantly and you lose them, before you even begin. So, the stories that have emerged as the most impactful today are those anchored on connection.
Storytelling always calls for us to take a step back and put ourselves in the shoes of the listener, the viewer and the reader; to really understand what resonance means to them and not merely impose brands and products on them. It calls for meaningful engagement.
Our industry, public relations, is not static. The craft continues to evolve. The fundamentals, however, remain unchanged, the 4Ws and H: Who, What, Where, Why and How? And perhaps also, So What?
In an era of AI, misinformation and fleeting trends, storytelling anchored on these fundamental communications principles stands as our most powerful constant. At its core, storytelling is not just about content, it’s about connecting people with people, the storytellers, connecting people with brands and in turn connecting brands with people.
