We’ve all heard it a thousand times: tell your story.
And yet, here we are, still talking about it. Why? Because while everyone knows they’re supposed to do it, too many are getting it wrong — and the difference between checking a box and truly connecting is everything.
The fatigue people feel around storytelling doesn’t come from the act itself. It comes from forgetting why we do it. If you’re telling your story because a VP of marketing told you to crank out three LinkedIn posts a week, you’re not actually telling a story — you’re fulfilling a quota. That’s not connection, that’s compliance.
The stories that matter — the ones that resonate with farmers, regulators, customers, and your peers — start with intent. True intent. And that’s where most organizations stumble.
When your intent is about making yourself the hero, you’re just information sharing. That’s fine, but it’s not storytelling. Storytelling begins when the other person becomes the hero. When your audience can see themselves in the arc of what you’re saying, you’ve crossed into connection.
I like Merriam-Webster’s take on what intent is: “earnest and eager attention.” That’s it. If you bring earnest and eager attention to the person you’re trying to reach, your story will land.
Here’s where we complicate things unnecessarily. Too often, companies jump straight into planning: firing up the social media calendar, drafting the press release, booking the booth at the trade show.
But a plan without strategy is like building a seed plant without a blueprint. Strategy is the how and why. Plan is the what and when. When you shortcut strategy, execution falls apart.
So before you post another video or write another article, ask three questions — in this order:
- Who’s the audience? Who specifically are you trying to reach?
- What’s the message? What do they need to hear?
- Which channel? Only after the first two are clear does the channel matter.
Flip that order, and you’ll end up with noise. Follow it, and you’ll find connection.
