Stories Can Serve As Powerful Hooks For Your Pitch

The Storyteller #22

Each week, we share a practical technique to become a more effective storyteller and analyze a video that demonstrates its use in the real-world.

Quote of the week

“"The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller." Steve Jobs

Story as a powerful hook for your pitch

Recently a colleague asked for examples of storytelling in entrepreneurial pitches. Even as I responded to him I realized that such storytelling can work not just for entrepreneurs but for anyone looking to persuade an audience.

The example I shared with my colleague was a pitch made by a young student Jessica Huang at the Husky Startup Challenge at Northeastern University. Here’s what Jessica did in her first 60 seconds.

Stage & Script

Effect or Outcome

Opening
What is MODE? Let me start by telling you a story. [pause]” (4 secs)

Almost the same as “Once upon a time.” Creates anticipation. Her opening question and answer tell you she’s going to tell a story.

Context
This is my friend Sally. She recently bought a jacket online, expecting that it would come looking like this” [7 secs]

Introduces the protagonist Sally (with a picture) and what she did and her expectations, providing context and making her relatable, establishing empathy.

Problem 
“But when it came it actually ended up looking like this.” [3 secs]

Hooks us in with the problem – poor fit and unmet expectations. Again a single picture SHOWS does a great job that even many words may not do clearly.

In under 15 seconds, Jessica managed to set up her story—creating anticipation, spelling out the context and SHOWING not merely telling the problem.

The core purpose of storytelling is to create empathy with your listeners. If they can relate to your protagonist, identify with their problem, they are more likely to continue listening to you.

Jessica having stated the problem, then goes on to state why her listeners should care.

Problem A lot of times when you’re shopping online the clothing does not fit on you like it does on that ‘beautiful, 5’8″ model’ (10 secs)

Relatability.

Unmet need Sally is a representation of 50% of online shoppers. People want to be confident that their clothes fit when shopping online (10 secs)

This is NOT just Sally’s problem but all of ours

And she frames the problem in terms of its magnitude and the reason for MODE!

Climax Customer satisfaction in the eCommerce industry is extremely low, with a 15-40% return rate in comparison to 5-10% return rate for in-store purchases. (15 secs)

Yet another reveal

Resolution That is why I created the perfect solution, MODE (5 secs)

Here’s a solution

Every class or team that I’ve shown this video to have instantly related to the problem statement. And they can all narrate a tale or two of someone they know (if not themselves) who have faced this problem.

Why This Approach Works
Jessica's pitch is a masterclass in storytelling for several reasons:

  1. It creates empathy: By starting with Sally's story, Jessica makes her audience care about the problem she's solving.

  2. It's relatable: Everyone has experienced the frustration of ill-fitting clothes bought online.

  3. It uses visuals effectively: A single image conveys the problem more powerfully than words alone.

  4. It balances emotion and data: Jessica starts with an emotional hook, then backs it up with hard numbers.

  5. It creates anticipation: By the end of the 60 seconds, we're eager to hear about MODE's solution.

Video

This week, we analyze Jessica's full 3-minute pitch for MODE at the Husky Startup Challenge. Pay close attention to how she builds on her opening story, maintaining engagement throughout her presentation.

As you craft your next pitch or presentation, remember: a well-told story can capture in 60 seconds what an hour of facts and figures might fail to convey. Your story is your most powerful tool. Use it wisely, and watch your ideas take flight.