Sharing your organisation’s origin story is not about reminiscing on the past, contemplating how far you’ve come, and then deciding to share it with your audience or whoever cares to read it. It serves a deeper purpose than that.

Storytelling in corporate communications helps you foster a connection with your organisation’s stakeholders (employers, investors, shareholders, and customers), building trust and loyalty and making your organisation more remarkable in their minds. Sharing your organisation’s story differentiates it from the competition and helps your customers remember your purpose, increasing engagement and loyalty.

Your organisation has a unique journey that reflects its purpose, values, vision, and the challenges it has overcome. On their own, these components that form your organisation’s culture do not connect with your audience on an emotional level, but when you’re able to bring them together to form a cohesive, compelling story, they become engaging and invite your audience to become part of your story.

A quote often attributed to Seth Godin says, ‘People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.’

How can you craft your organisation’s origin story to capture its core components and connect with your audience on an emotional level?

In this blog post, we’ll share how to write a captivating origin story and use KFC’s story as a case study.

Use a captivating title

Your title is the first impression, and it will determine whether your audience will read your story. It’s important your title captures the attention of your audience. Use a strong headline or hook to captivate and pull your audience into your story.

Identify the core idea

This is the memorable message you want to leave with your audience. This could be your organisation’s purpose, values, vision, or unique journey.

Set the scene

Describe the problem your organisation noticed and decided to find a solution to. Paint a vivid picture for your readers so they can understand the need for your organisation.

Introduce the founder(s)

Go into the background of the founders and what motivated them to start the company. Write about their passion and vision.

Describe your journey

Highlight the steps that were taken to start the organisation, the challenges faced, the major milestones, and the successes achieved.

Be authentic

Be open about the struggles your organisation faced at the beginning. Share the challenges that you experienced when you started that have helped you succeed now. Share the difficulties you faced.

Infuse emotions

Infusing emotions into your story helps to foster a strong connection with your audience. Decide what kind of emotion you want to evoke in your readers. Do you want to inspire, motivate, or fill them with awe? Let the emotion you seek to evoke guide how you craft your story. Studies have shown that emotional engagement can increase brand loyalty by up to 40 percent. (The Power of Brand Storytelling in Influencing Customer Behavior).

Invite your audience

They are the recipients of your story, so let them feel like they are a part of it by asking them to share your story with their friends and family. Let them also be ambassadors of your brand. If they’re customers, you can invite them to share testimonials, which you then share as customer stories/testimonials. If they’re employees, encourage them to share their own experiences working with your organisation, which you then share as employee stories.

Case study

Authenticity: KFC’s origin story begins with Colonel Harland Sanders, who started selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Sanders’ journey from a humble beginning to a global fast-food empire is a testament to authenticity. He faced many challenges, including the loss of his family farm and multiple failed careers before finding success with his fried chicken recipe.

Vision and values: Sanders’ vision was to create the perfect fried chicken recipe. He spent years perfecting his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, which remains a closely guarded secret to this day. His dedication to quality and innovation laid the foundation for KFC’s brand values.

Emotional connection: The story of Colonel Sanders evokes strong emotions. His perseverance through adversity, his passion for cooking, and his commitment to excellence resonate with audiences. The image of the Colonel in his iconic white suit has become a symbol of trust and reliability.

The journey: KFC’s journey from a small roadside restaurant to a global brand is remarkable. The first franchise opened in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1952, marking the beginning of KFC’s expansion. Sanders’ innovative franchising model allowed the brand to grow rapidly, and by the time he sold the company in 1964, KFC had become a household name.

Relevance: KFC’s origin story is relevant to its audience because it highlights the brand’s commitment to quality and innovation. The story of Colonel Sanders’ journey from humble beginnings to global success inspires both employees and customers, reinforcing the brand’s values and mission.

KFC’s origin story is a fitting example of how a well-crafted narrative can build a strong brand identity. By focusing on authenticity, vision, emotional connection, the journey, and relevance, KFC has created a story that resonates with its audience and reinforces its brand values.

Sources: History of KFC – Wikipedia, KFC Founder’s Inspiring Journey: Colonel Sanders, KFC – Our History | KFC

Your organisation started somewhere. Your audience is curious about how and why you started; satisfy their curiosity and help them feel connected to you. What motivated you to start your company? What problem was your organisation looking to solve? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

Sharing your origin story humanises your organisation and fosters a stronger, authentic connection with your audience.