December 2, 2025
Storytelling has always been how humans make sense of the world. From myths around the fire to bestselling novels and blockbuster films, the same basic patterns repeat: a character wants something, faces obstacles, changes along the way, and emerges transformed.
Social media has not killed this tradition; it has compressed it. The scroll may be fast and attention spans short, but the content that sticks still follows the same narrative logic. The difference is that the story now unfolds in seconds, and the hero is no longer a distant character on a screen, but the consumer holding the phone.
The “hero’s journey”
Classical storytelling revolves around a few timeless principles. At the centre sits a hero: an ordinary person, in an ordinary world, with a problem or a desire. This hero is pulled out of their comfort zone by a challenge or an opportunity, whether that is slaying a dragon, starting a business or simply deciding to change a habit. Obstacles and tests follow, increasing in difficulty and stakes. Eventually, the hero faces a decisive moment, earns a reward, and returns to their world transformed, with something valuable to share.
The “hero’s journey” framework describes this path as a series of stages.
Strip away the fantasy elements and what remains is a simple pattern: a clear goal, meaningful obstacles, real stakes and a visible change from “before” to “after”. That arc is what engages an audience. People lean in when they see three things: someone they recognise, a problem they understand and a transformation they would like for themselves.
The “hero’s social journey”
On social media, the same principles apply; a reel has seconds to answer the question, “Why should this matter?” instead of minutes or hours. Structure becomes tighter, but it does not disappear.
The opening second of a Reel acts as the story’s “call to adventure”. This is where the hook lives: a line of text on screen, a surprising visual, a bold question, or a highly relatable situation. It replaces the leisurely first chapter of a novel with a sharp invitation: stay, because something useful or entertaining is about to happen. Conflict becomes the pain point. Instead of a dragon, there is a chaotic morning routine, a cluttered workspace, a confusing skincare regimen or a marketing report that no one understands. The struggle must feel real and specific. A quick shot of the “before” situation, paired with an honest emotional reaction, does a lot of narrative heavy lifting in moments. Resolution becomes the “after” shot: the transformed bathroom, the confident skin, the organised Notion board, the brand new ad strategy. The key is not just to show the product, but to show the person who has been changed by it.
Making the consumer the hero of the journey
In traditional storytelling, the hero is the one who grows. For brands on social media, the biggest shift in mindset is to stop casting the brand as the hero and instead position it as the guide. The consumer is the protagonist; the brand is the mentor, toolkit or magical helper that allows the transformation to happen.
Imagine a fitness brand planning a Reel. The brand-focused version would showcase a trainer talking about the programme, gym shots and a list of features. The hero in that version is the brand or the trainer. A consumer-focused version introduces an ordinary person first: a desk worker tired of back pain, a parent who cannot find time for exercise, a student anxious about confidence. The story starts in their “ordinary world”.
The call to adventure appears as a moment of decision: a friend’s comment, a doctor’s advice, a favourite pair of jeans that no longer fits. The brand enters as the guide that offers a realistic plan or a small, manageable first step. The Reel then jumps forward to show the hero doing something they could not do before: picking up a child without pain, running to catch a bus without losing breath, and looking relaxed in front of a mirror.
The caption brings the structure into focus without being heavy-handed. It can name the emotion, describe the shift and invite the viewer to imagine their own version of that journey. The call to action becomes less “buy this now” and more “take your first step”, anchored in a clear link between where the viewer is and where they could be.
Storytelling across multiple posts
Not every story needs to fit into a single Reel. Social media allows for episodic storytelling, where each piece of content acts as a chapter in an ongoing journey. Followers begin to recognise recurring characters, situations and themes. They start to care about what happens next, which deepens engagement beyond a single like or view. Instead of thinking in isolated posts, the work can revolve around arcs: a campaign about learning a new skill, a series about transforming a space, a recurring format that tracks progress over time. Each Reel has a clear narrative role, even if it stands alone in the feed.
Get in touch with us if you are interested in telling your brand story in the most captivating way. The platforms may favour fast, vertical video, and trends may come and go at speed. Yet the content that endures is built on the same foundations as any good narrative: a relatable hero, a meaningful challenge and a transformation that feels earned. The medium has changed; the core story has not.