Inspired by positive business stories
Last week, I spent the day running a media training workshop with Colin. As always, I left feeling inspired.
One of the best parts of my job is hearing the incredible stories that people share as they practise their media interviews. Whether it’s a company improving how they serve their customers, an organisation working tirelessly to keep the public safe, or teams building a more sustainable future, these stories are full of hope.
Small steps, big impact – these are the things that stick with me after a session.
The challenge: positive stories don’t always cut through
But here’s the thing: these stories don’t always reach the wider audience they deserve. In a world where negative news grabs our attention, the positive stories often get lost. And that’s a shame because these are stories that create deep connections with your brand and inspire real change.
The psychology of storytelling – cortisol and conflict
If you want your positive stories to cut through the noise and spark interest, you need to tap into what makes storytelling so powerful. It’s not just about telling people what you’re doing – it’s about how you make them feel.
And that’s why conflict should always be at the heart of the stories you tell.
Our brains are wired to react to conflict. Picture an early human facing a lion in the wild. In that moment, their brain fires off a surge of cortisol – the stress hormone – triggering their fight-or-flight response. This hormone spike means all other distractions drop away. Cortisol focuses our attention on the only thing that matters – the threat.
For our ancestors facing down a lion, the cortisol surge was the difference between life and death. We still have that survival instinct today.
When we hear a story with threat or conflict, our brain registers it as important, raising our alertness. Research shows that stories with challenges activate this stress response, grabbing our attention and keeping us focused until we know how it’s resolved.
Conversely, stories with no conflict, and therefore no strong narrative arc, have little impact on our brain chemistry. We simply don’t notice them.
Without conflict, our brains are more likely to disengage.
The problem: your positive story doesn’t have conflict
That’s what’s happening with your positive story of impact and change. Your desire to show your brand in a good light means you lead with the resolution and not the conflict. You resolve the narrative in the headline. The result: your audience sees no threat and there is nothing motivating them to read on. There are other more pressing stories on their timeline that require attention.
3 ways to use conflict to capture attention
1. Hook the reader with headlines highlighting the conflict, not the resolution
Many press release headlines focus on showcasing a company in a positive light. For example,
“New Hydrogen Energy Pilot Helps Achieve Net Zero Targets and Cleaner Energy for All.” While this is positive, it’s also bland. By starting with the solution, there’s no reason for the reader to continue—there’s no tension or conflict.
Instead, lead with a question or a problem to create intrigue: “Can Hydrogen Solve the Clean Energy Dilemma? Industry Leaders Bet on a New Pilot.” This adds tension by posing a question which remains unanswered, for now. Or, “The Clock Is Ticking on Net Zero—Will Hydrogen Energy Be the Game-Changer We Need?” which adds urgency and raises the stakes.
Compare “From Setback to Success: How One Woman’s Resolve Pushed the Hydrogen Project Past Its Breaking Point” with the more straightforward “Meet the Team Behind the Breakthrough: How Hard Work and Innovation Brought Our Hydrogen Energy Project to Life.” The former introduces conflict, and an individual character, drawing readers in.
2. Raise the stakes by tapping into universal human conflicts
You can deepen the conflict by taking a leaf out of Nike’s playbook. Nike brilliantly taps into universal human conflict with its taglines. “Just Do It” speaks to a struggle we all face—the internal conflict between staying comfortable or taking action. The negative side of the conflict is unspoken, but the tagline’s simplicity means we understand it instantly. We all recognise our own inner battle.
What about “Greatness is not born, it is made” or “Yesterday you said tomorrow.” or “Don’t believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody.” The oppositions are distilled into a single powerfully highlighting universal conflicts—procrastination, fear of failure, or society’s expectations. These conflicts engage the audience because they matter to us all.
When crafting your story, start by asking: Where is the conflict? Is it a personal struggle, external pressure, or a battle with nature? These universal conflicts help your audience connect more deeply with your story. Create taglines or soundbites that capture this conflict. Use imagery, contrast, and short, direct sentences to highlight the tension.
For example, if your story focuses on a team overcoming challenges to deliver a project on time, you might say: “When the lights dimmed, we pushed harder. Now, we’re powering the future.” Or “Setbacks shaped us. We learned, evolved, and kept pushing ahead.” These concise lines make the conflict clear and memorable.
3. Explode the moment – bring key moments of conflict to life
Some moments deserve more attention—like key turning points or climaxes when everything is on the line. This is where you can use a technique called “exploding the moment”. It means zooming in on one of these key points and slowing it down, almost like it’s happening in slow motion.
To do this, focus on describing the thoughts, feelings, and senses that were heightened at that exact moment. Use vivid imagery and sensory details to bring it to life for your audience. It’s about making the reader feel what the character or team felt at that crucial time.
In your story, identify 3 key moments where the stakes are high. These are the places where you can zoom in and explode the moment to build tension and connection with your audience. For example: “The screen flashed red, and for a split second, the team’s breath caught. If the pressure didn’t stabilise in the next few seconds, months of work would be lost—but then, the numbers shifted, and the tension broke.
Conclusion: Craft Positive Stories That Cut Through
In a world hooked on negative headlines, getting positive stories to stand out takes some strategy. Start with conflict – it grabs attention by triggering that natural stress response in our brains. Sustain the tension, so your reader stays engaged, eager to see how it all plays out.
Positive stories don’t have to fade into the background. If you tap into the psychology of storytelling, your stories won’t just stand out – they’ll move people, spark action, and create real change. It’s all in how you tell it.
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