The art of data storytelling: 6 tips from an award-winning storyteller

Transforming data into compelling stories is a vital skill in the market research industry. 

In a recent episode of the Inside Insights podcast, we interviewed Grant Feller, seasoned journalist, award-winning storyteller and founder of EveryRung, who discussed how journalistic storytelling techniques can elevate your insights.

Read on for the top six takeaways from their discussion.

Grant kicked things off by stressing how crucial it is to know your audience. In journalism, it's all about connecting with both the reader and the editor, ensuring the content is relevant and engaging, which is quite similar to the market research industry. 

“What I realized at that moment was that this is what journalists do. We have all of these piles of data, which we call facts, and we try to figure out a way of piecing together these facts to make our audiences care, whatever audiences are — right wing, left wing, TV, radio, whoever it is.

You always want to think about what it is that my audience wants and how can I repurpose these facts to make it so meaningful to them?”

— Grant Feller, award-winning storyteller, journalist and founder of EveryRung

In market research, it’s important to understand the different stakeholders within a company and what they care about, which can change how you share your insights. 

💡 Key takeaway: Tailor your insights to address the specific concerns of your audience, whether it’s the C-suite, marketing team or other departments.

One of the major points Grant makes is the need to filter and highlight the most significant data points. As a researcher, consumer data is of course at the core of everything you do, but are you sharing out the meaning derived from the data or are you hoping the data will simply speak for itself? 

As you’ll see in the clip below, it never does:

In the episode, he also shared an anecdote about a telecom company that buried a crucial insight about iPhone market gaps deep in a lengthy report, which led to critical information being overlooked. 

The lesson here is clear: Don’t bury your learnings in a crowd of information — make the meaning behind the data the star of the show.  

💡 Key takeaway: Highlight the most important data points. Your insights should not just inform but also drive action and decision-making.

In journalism, headlines grab attention and summarize the story in a few words. In market research, a strong headline helps focus your narrative and highlight the key takeaway.

Grant explains that starting with a headline is a good move for both industries to make the story you’re trying to tell is clear from the start.

💡 Key takeaway: Create a concise and compelling headline for your reports. This quickly conveys the essence of your findings and their importance.

In a newsroom, ideas are constantly questioned and refined through a collaborative process. Grant calls this "question storming" and believes it's just as valuable in market research. Why? Because by continuously questioning the relevance and impact of your data, you can refine your insights and make them more robust.

“One of the things that you get in a newsroom that perhaps people don't realize is that we are all questioning each other's work…And we don't mind, we have that thick skin, so you'll say, ‘Okay, tell me why.’

It’s this kind of concept of brainstorming, right? You bring an idea in and in journalism, it's called question storming. You bring something to the table and say, ‘Come on, question it, push me, tell me, how can I make it better? Why does it matter? What is the, what's the important thing here? Why should I care?’“

— Grant Feller, award-winning storyteller, journalist and founder of EveryRung

💡 Key takeaway: Foster a culture of questioning and collaboration. Challenge your data and narratives to ensure they are impactful and accurate.

Effective storytelling in market research means providing clear, actionable insights that help decision-makers understand the implications and next steps.

In the interview, Grant shared a a great example of a CFO who was frustrated with the lengthy reports he was receiving:

Ultimately, the CFO just wanted the main points so that he could make more effective business decisions, instead of having to dig through the data to find the information he needed. 

💡 Key takeaway: Simplify your reports to highlight actionable insights. Focus on the “so what” and “now what” to help your audience quickly grasp the significance of your findings.

Finally, storytelling isn't just about presenting facts; it’s about making your audience care. Grant emphasizes the need to engage your audience emotionally to ensure your insights are remembered and acted upon.

“I know that still there is a problem with making sure that people take decisions from this material and realize that what they have here is the gold dust. And I think the missing link is storytelling. Because that's exactly what we do. We take all of this data and we say, right, how can we get people to engage with this data?

Not just engage, but share, remember, care, make decisions, have emotional feelings about it, and do it in a matter of seconds. Seconds. Because they will click somewhere else, they will turn the page, they will switch the channel.”

Grant Feller, award-winning storyteller, journalist and founder of EveryRung

💡 Key takeaway: Use storytelling techniques to make your data resonate on an emotional level. This drives greater engagement and influence within your organization.

Incorporating storytelling techniques into market research can significantly boost the impact of your insights. 

By knowing your audience, making the data stand out, crafting strong headlines, embracing questioning, streamlining for decision-making and engaging emotionally, you can turn raw data into powerful narratives that drive action and influence.