How to tell a great story on TikTok
When I first started on TikTok, I was really struggling. My first few videos were bad. I was mostly posting videos of my poetry, and frankly, it wasn’t engaging a lot of people. So I started experimenting. I started posting different types of content, such as posting drawings and painting tips. Then, one of my painting videos went viral, garnering more than a million views, but I noticed that I didn’t gain any followers and the virality didn’t lead to any growth for my channel.
I was back to where I originally started, a channel with stale, unengaging content.
As a systems thinker by nature, I took a step back from what I was doing to assess how I could make things better. What could I fine-tune, cut, optimize? First, I tried to make my videos shorter. I went from posting 15-second videos to seven-second videos. There wasn’t a lot of change in engagement metrics. Next, I tried to follow trends like lipsyncing trending sounds, or using popular filters. But I didn’t get much traction. Then, I tried using viral music in my videos. Again, I didn’t see any noticeable differences. It felt like nothing was working. TikTok wasn’t broken. The real problem was that I wasn’t posting engaging content.
I needed to go back to basics. I needed to refocus my efforts on telling a good story.
After analyzing my work and the work of other successful TikTokers, I found that there are a few storytelling formats and techniques that could help me connect with audiences and keep them watching. Here’s what I found:
Tell a great TikTok video by using a hook
Start with a provocative question: This is a common mechanism a lot of content creators use. They pose a question and then they go on to provide an answer in the video. I often use this technique when I want to dive deeper into a topic. For example, I’ve seen TikTokers say things like: Did you know there are some influencers who fake their lifestyles in order to seem famous? And then the rest of the video explains why.
Share an interesting fact: There are many successful TikTokers who basically just share facts on their channels. It could be animal facts, science facts, pharmacy facts, there are a lot of topics to explore. These content creators will state an interesting fact at the beginning of their videos: Dolphins are the bullies of the ocean. When I hear a statement like that, I want to learn more, so I keep watching. It’s really effective in grabbing the attention of viewers.
Open the video with a quote: I’ve seen a lot of TikTokers start their videos with a powerful quote, either from someone famous or something they have thought about, and then they share it with their audience as a motivational mantra, or as a piece of information they want their audience to keep in mind. For example, a healthy person has many wishes, but a sick person has only one.
Use motion or sound to grab viewers’ attention: It’s common to see content creators step into a video frame or use their hands or swiftly change camera angles in order to keep their videos visually interesting. I try to use this method often when I’m sharing a video that is mostly just commentary.
Start with a big piece of data or a strong statement: I often use powerful statements or data at the start of my videos because they help me quickly launch into the point I’m trying to make. I found that if you are declaration and clear at the beginning of your videos, audiences see you as an authority or someone who has something interesting to say and they want to continue watching.
Use the narrative arc to engage viewers
The narrative arc, or story arc, is used to describe a story’s progression and timeline. It shows the rising and falling tensions or emotions of the story. This progression of rising and falling in the story happens as the plot progresses and as the characters develop and encounter new challenges. You already know that every story has a beginning, middle, and end, but there’s a certain format great stories take in order to be compelling and drive engagement.
The rise and fall in a story, the cause and effect, creates a compelling universe for the audience. This dynamic helps the story build its logic and rules. You will see story arcs not just in movies and TV shows, but also in video games, board games, commercials, and yes, even in short TikTok videos.
In fact, there’s a video I put together that demonstrates the story arc. Take a look at the video below video and see if you can answer the following questions afterward:
When the video starts, what’s the current situation the main character is facing?
What does the character desire?
What event happens that destabilizes the main character?
What is the climax or main action of the video?
What resolves the climax of the story?
How is the main character after the climax of the story? How does she feel? Did she get what she wanted?
As you can see from the video, even though it was only a minute long, the video has a beginning, middle, and end, and it follows a basic story arc. I break down to show at which points the story progresses forward.
Stories that follow a narrative arc keep audiences engaged because audiences are seeking a resolution for the main character or they want to see a resolution to a situation. And by introducing new challenges and situations, you keep the story interesting, and the audience engaged.
Develop a story using classic storytelling formats
1. Rags to Riches [a complete rise]
Everyone loves a great rags-to-riches story. It’s when the main character comes from adversity, poverty, loss, tragedy, and they overcome those issues and succeed. It’s sort of an American Dream narrative – coming from nothing and becoming something. We see this all over movies:
Rocky (1976)
Citizen Kane (1946)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Scarface (1983)
Annie (1982)
Pretty Woman (1990)
The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006)
2. Riches to Rags [a fall]
Riches to rags is a less common storyline and operates more like a cautionary tale. One true story that comes to mind for me that fits this formate is the story of Bernie Madoff, an American financier who was ultimately convicted for running one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history, worth about $64.8 billion and destroying the financial lives of millions of people. His fraudulent actions led to his imprisonment and great suffering for his family as well.
Other movies that follow this story format include:
Blue Jasmine (2013)
Schitt’s Creek (2015 TV show)
Midnight Mass (TV show)
Psycho (1960)
3. Man in a Hole [fall then rise]
This story format is believed to draw some of the strongest emotional reactions from audiences. A 2018 study by the University of Birmingham found that this story format usually created buzz and blockbuster success. In fact, “man in a hole” films had the highest gross domestic revenues, earning $37.48 million on average. This story format isn’t always popular with mass audiences, but it is provocative and memorable. Some of the most evocative stories follow this format.
The most famous “man in the hole” movie is “The Godfather.” Another great example is the movie “The Dark Knight Rises,” where a fallen Batman tries to redeem himself and save Gotham.
4. Icarus [rise then fall]
This is another cautionary story format that follows the “rise then fall” narrative. It’s also called the story of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the Sun and then fell into the sea.
Other popular movies with this format include:
Mary Poppins (1964)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Goodfellas (1990)
The Aviator (2004)
The Artist (2011)
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Scarface (1983)
Casino (1995)
5. Cinderella [rise then fall then rise]
This Disney classic actually derives from a pretty gruesome fairytale. But it’s one of those narrative formats audiences love. A beloved character at the top of life endures hardship, falls from grace, and then rises back to the top. It’s a story of loss and redemption. People love a good comeback story, and Cinderella's format is one that is inspiring and gives audiences hope.
6. Oedipus [fall then rise then fall]
Oedipus is a Greek tragedy. In mythology, Oedipus is the king of Thebes. When he’s younger, he leaves his parents’ kingdom after he learns of a prophecy that states he would kill his father and marry his mother – only he doesn’t know at the time that he’s adopted. On his journey to outrun the prophecy, he unwittingly kills his biological father and then goes on to marry his biological mother in a neighboring kingdom. When it is discovered that Oedipus’s wife is actually his mother, she hangs herself. Oedipus, crushed with grief and despair, blinds himself. This story format is another cautionary tale that warns its audiences about the dangers of pride and trying to fight one’s destiny.
Other movies that have a similar format
Back to the Future (1985)
The Graduate (1967)
Black Swan (2010)
Donnie Darko (2001)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Tell a great story like Pixar
If you want to explore telling stories beyond the classic formats, then Pixar’s Story Spine might intrigue you. In 2012, Pixar Story Artist Emma Coats shared the 22 storytelling tips Pixar uses to build a great story on Twitter. The list sort of went viral, and people were dubbing the list Pixar’s 22 rules of storytelling. In this list of rules, number 4 intrigued a lot of people because it seemed like a new storytelling format: Pixar’s Story Spine.
Here’s how it goes:
Once upon a time, there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
If you think back to every Pixar story, they all basically follow this narrative arc. The main character is living their life. Every day they follow a certain routine. But one day, something happens that changes their routine or causes them to have to break from their routine. And because of that, they have to act. And that action causes another effect. And this cause and effect go on until we get to the resolution of the story, which brings the main character back to equilibrium, and back to their new normal.
It’s believed that Pixar didn’t come up with rule number 4. In fact, Hollywood lore has it that a Pixar employee took an improv class, which was being led by writer, director, and teacher Brian McDonald who introduced his students to the idea of the story spine. The Pixar employee took the lessons he learned from the class and brought them to Pixar. And then the story spine was ultimately incorporated into their rules of storytelling.
This format is so successful and so good at captivating audiences that Silicon Valley hopefuls use this format to pitch their startups to potential venture capitalists, it’s THAT effective.
If you want to explore the other Pixar storytelling rules, I’ve listed them below:
You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
Trying for a theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
Once upon a time, there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working upfront.
Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
Discount is the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
What are the stakes? Give us a reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
Telling stories is a part of the human experience. It’s how we communicate information, emotions, and beliefs. If you can tell a good story, audiences will find you.
