This presentation was originally presented by Jodie Patterson, co-founder of Doobop, at the 2015 Project Entrepreneur Summit in Austin, TX. Women start companies at a rate 1.5 times the national average but account for less than 10 percent of founders at high-growth firms*; while the passion and talent clearly exists, barriers stand in the way of women maximizing the economic significance of their efforts. That’s where Project Entrepreneur comes in. Project Entrepreneur is a foundation and competition sponsored by Rent the Runway and UBS for women entrepreneurs. Apply now to win $10,000 in funding and an accelerator program!

1. THE STORYTELLER
The Power of Your Narrative:
Building Your Marketplace
Community with Social Media &
Storytelling
Jodie Patterson
jodie@doobop.com
IG: Jodiepatterson
Twitter: Jodie_GeorgiaNY

2. THE PROCESS:
FINDING YOUR STORY / DETERMINING CONTENT
*Identify top 5 most talked about topics in your industry
(trade magazines, social media, hashtags, key people, comments)
*Identify 5 taboo topics that your industry shy’s away from (go deep, think unconventionally)
*Identify 5 things your audience is asking for / thinking about
*Envision what your audience doesn’t yet know they need & cant live without (a new thing, idea or
an emotion)
*Identify a personal connection you have to each taboo topic & new idea
*Tell a personal story around those taboo topics (go off script)

3. STORYTELLING
Emotional vs Rational approach
*Tapping into emotion and using it
as a means of communication,
bypasses the skepticism that can
exist.
*Through an emotional process,
we’re stripped of our rational
considerations, and what’s left is
compassion, empathy and
connectedness.

4. STORYTELLING
Pull vs Push approach
*Use a well constructed narrative
that’s authentic and exciting, and
the experiences that are
transmitted are rich, real and
universal
*A picture should a) reveal
something personal, intimate or
unknown about the person, b)
connect us with a specific
emotion that mobilizes, c) take
us on an imaginary journey that’s
transformative

5. STORYTELLING
Sharing vs Selling approach
*Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (it’s a
philosophy and a great marketing book)
*Most of what we talk about should be
storytelling (the jab)
*Less of what we talk about should be
direct selling (the right hook)
*Create an atmosphere with your jabs
(Strength, individuality, beauty)
*Connects us with a specific emotion
that may or may not be
rational (Courage, transformation,
triumph)

6. STORYTELLING
People vs Product
*People don’t buy products, but
rather the stories that these
products represent. Nor do they
buy brands, but rather the myths
and archetypes that these
brands symbolize
*If you’re uncomfortable telling a
story about yourself, find
customers or other people who
reflect the values of your brand
and share their stories

7. With your picture, videos & speeches…
*Reveal something personal, intimate, or
unknown about the person or brand
(otherwise it’s boring)
*Connect people by using a specific
emotion: fear, desire, anger or happiness
(otherwise it won’t mobilize people into
action)
*Take people on an imaginary, narrative
journey where it allows them to
experience a transformation from the
beginning, the knot, and the outcome.
ELLEMENTS OF A STORY

8. *Tell us about you the founder & the
origins of your brand. Share your history
*Tell real stories about real people (from
your company or your larger community)
*Be clever, honest, unique, human
*Include values in your content; what you
care about (women, the planet, water,
animals, the environment, etc)
*Integrate content generated by the
audience, so they can also tell their story
ELLEMENTS OF A STORY

9. *We are people connecting with other people. Show your
brand’s human side
*Sharing your personal story can have a positive & far
reaching impact on your business
*Being curious. Reading outside your scope, talking
outside your scope and going off script can create
community
*We can’t push our message across, we need to pull the
customer in. Inspire.
*Don’t be scared to identify the conflict. Stand for change.
*Well constructed stories and authentic characters can
move people to action
ALWAYS REMEMBER

10. *Work narrative into your updates
*Challenge convention & pique interest
*Use the appropriate language for each
platform (Twitter, IG, FB…)
*Inspire
*Have a consistent thread that runs
through your posts & tweets
*Incorporate hashtags that are frequently
searched
SOCIAL MEDIA

11. *To find your voice
*To matter
*To engage people and inspire change
*To up your business
WHY WE STORYTELL