Research shows that 55% of people are more likely to remember a brand if it’s told through a story, and content framed through emotion can achieve a 44% higher ROI than purely rational messaging (Amra & Elma).
Audiences actively want narrative—92% of consumers say they prefer ads that feel like a story, and 68% say brand stories directly influence their decisions (Business Dasher).
It’s no wonder that stories are central to how charities, public sector teams, and membership organisations communicate. They’re what turn abstract impact into something real and relatable.
The challenges of collecting and managing stories
For many communications and marketing teams, the biggest barrier isn’t a lack of stories — it’s the practical process of capturing and organising them.
-
Collecting stories can be difficult when they come from many different people or locations. Local teams might not know what to capture, or they might collect images and quotes without the right consent. Even when stories are gathered, they’re often inconsistent in quality or incomplete, making them harder to use effectively later.
-
Managing stories is just as tricky. Behind every case study are multiple moving parts — photos, video, documents, reports, and consent forms. Too often these end up scattered across email threads, personal drives, or shared folders.
The result? Valuable stories are under-used, or worse, lost.
Why it matters
Case studies are more than nice-to-have content. They’re also one of the most trusted sources of evidence: 47% of people say case studies are extremely valuable when making decisions (Extu).
That means every untold or misplaced story is a missed opportunity to engage audiences, demonstrate impact, and build support.
It also means that collecting stories in a structured way — and then managing them with clear governance — is essential if you want to get the full value out of them.
A better way to keep stories working for you
At BrandStencil, we’ve seen this challenge time and again, which is why we built a Stories Management feature designed to make both collecting and managing stories easier.
It helps by:
-
Bringing everything together — photos, videos, documents and consent records linked in one place.
-
Adding approvals and expiry dates — so only safe, compliant stories are shared, reducing the risk of outdated or unauthorised use.
-
Tracking usage — showing how stories are being downloaded and used, giving Stories Officers and comms teams visibility into what resonates and where stories deliver value. This insight not only helps prove the ROI of storytelling, it also helps teams prioritise which stories to collect more of in the future.
The aim isn’t to add complexity, but to make storytelling smoother — so your teams can focus less on admin and more on sharing stories that inspire action.
Final thoughts
Stories are too valuable to be left in forgotten folders or scattered inboxes. By paying attention to how they’re collected, organised, and used, organisations can unlock more of their storytelling power — and reach audiences in a way that facts alone never could.
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash