Recently, a prospective client called looking for a video that would dazzle investors and entice them to commit millions of dollars to their startup idea. As we discussed Planet Nutshell’s process, some past work, our storytelling philosophy, and other details, one of them asked a simple question: “Can you prove why your approach is the best?”

Now, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I have no definitive proof that our approach to making animated explainer and educational videos is the best. We’ve never run a scientific test comparing our approaches to others.

So, I stammered a bit, casting about for an answer.

A few things flashed through my head: First, there are lots of statistics that attest to the power of online video, and most people get that video is a crucial online marketing medium right now. We’ve also gathered some very positive data from our clients, including Google and The Environmental Voter Project, about viewer behavior after they watch our work.

But what makes a good video, a truly effective one? That’s a tougher nut to crack, but here’s what we’ve settled on, and what I told the prospective client: Story is what matters.

Now, the words “story” and “storytelling” are two very overused terms in marketing and communications right now. That said, it can be a meaningful term. Storytelling has been with us for millennia. Before writing, it was how we effectively transmitted information in a memorable form.

So, what’s a story?

A story is about things happening, a chain of cause and effect that arrives at a destination. That means that a good story does more than impart facts or bullet points. For example, consider this video we recently created for Roca, a Boston-based non-profit. We convinced them to focus on a single character, Andre, and let his journey to redemption and a brighter future stand in for the hundreds of people Roca has served over the years.

Good stories also depend on empathy, emotion, and viewer identification. To help drive awareness of Arctic oil drilling we suggested that the World Wildlife Fund focus on two things: A story their audience already knew about (the Deepwater Horizon disaster), and dramatic imagery that would drive empathy of the plight of animals, people, and habitats that would be endangered by drilling. This is the cardinal rule of storytelling: Show, don’t tell.

You might be thinking, well, my company or product isn’t about redemption, or journeys, or environmental causes, or spiritual quests or any of that stuff. How does story apply to me? The answer is that it applies to you more than you may think! Even the slightest story elements can make your explainer video more memorable and relatable. Consider the simple love story embedded in this video for WhatsApp:

The next time you want to make people feel more excited about your idea, perspective, or product, consider telling them a good story instead of explaining it to them. Let me know how telling stories has made an impact on your communications. I’m always up for a good story.

If you enjoyed this post on storytelling, and want to hire a great one for your next video project, get in touch and let’s chat!

PS: The client hired us.

(artwork by John McGowan)

We worked with our new friends at The MENTOR Network to create a story that shows how their network of foster parents is improving the lives of kids across the country. Learn more about foster care and how you can help at makeadifferenceathome.com.

Over the years, our work for Kentucky Educational Television has developed into a wonderful collaboration. Their commitment to, and talent for, creating unique and fun educational content is truly inspiring. We recently got some feedback from them about their experiences working with us on an 18-part series of videos for early learners. In a nutshell, they were ecstatic!

What were the goals of the project, and were they met?

The goal for Everyday Learning in general, and for the Planet Nutshell animations in particular, is to create engaging, short videos that connect to early childhood learning standards and to children’s experience of the world around them.

For teachers and parents, the videos are designed to be used as starting points for discussion and exploration. This is why each video ends with a question.

Planet Nutshell’s beautiful and imaginative animations made meeting the goal of engagement effortless. Their thoughtful approach to the content ensures that the videos are also educational.

In short, we believe that our project goals were more than met in all 18 videos created by Planet Nutshell.

The adorable child voice actors really stood out in these videos. Can you tell us a little about them, and what it was like to work with children?

We initially chose child voice actors because we wanted our viewers to feel like they were hearing from a peer. When we started the Everyday Learning project we didn’t have a budget, so out of necessity we used employees’ children instead of hiring actors.

Even though we’ve gotten grants to expand the project since those early days, we’ve stuck with kids that aren’t actors. We like that authenticity that everyday kids give the videos. The kids don’t sound TOO polished. They could easily be a preschooler’s older brother or sister.

It’s so much fun to work with these kids. Since they’re not professionals, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Recording studios can be scary! We’ve learned not to panic if a kid isn’t feeling it. Some of our kids are great readers, and some don’t read yet at all. Oftentimes we’ll say a line and then have the child mimic us. This often helps to loosen up the readers too. It’s amazing how well most children do in this situation, even the very young.

What was your overall experience like working with Planet Nutshell?

From the beginning, the KET collaboration with Planet Nutshell has been a positive experience. From a business standpoint, working with them on contracts was easy and efficient. Once the project began, they always met their deadlines and in some cases even helped keep KET on schedule and task.

The creative, collaborative process was highly productive. For this project, KET wrote each script, and then Planet Nutshell’s producers would create storyboards and suggest changes. Infallibly those changes improved the content and clarity of the videos. If KET had any suggested changes at this stage, Planet Nutshell was always responsive to our concerns.

By the time that Planet Nutshell created the rough-cuts of the videos, the concept and spirit of each animation was so perfectly captured that changes, if any, were minimal. When we received each from rough-cut from Planet Nutshell our day was instantly brightened. Each animation was full of unexpected surprises, because Planet Nutshell’s attention to detail is so extraordinary. It’s also fun to see what you’ve written come to life, thanks to such talented animators.

KET unequivocally would recommend Planet Nutshell to our public media partners, or anyone else who is seeking an animation firm.