Why Impact Is Everything in Storytelling

The best stories don’t just inform.

They don’t just entertain.

They hit you — in the gut, the heart, the spine.

That’s impact. And it’s the epicenter of every story worth telling.

When I was managing teams in Miami, that’s what my boss and I drilled into every editorial decision: What’s the impact?

Not just what happened — but why does it matter?

Why should a viewer stop scrolling? Why should a reader lean in?

Why should a total stranger care about someone they’ve never met?

That’s your job as a storyteller. That’s my job.

This photo was taken of me – in 2007 – when I was the assistant news director at WOOD TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

You don’t get that kind of connection by skimming the surface. You get there by digging deep. Finding the heartbeat. Getting under the character’s skin and figuring out what makes them tick — what they fear, what they fight for, what keeps them up at night.

Because once I understand them… I can help the audience understand themselves.

Make Me Feel It.

Whether you’re telling the story of a policy change, a small-town fire, a new business opening, or a family in crisis — impact is what makes it matter.

If I’m from a different city, a different background, a different tax bracket…

make me care anyway.

Make a couple of extra phone calls, or pull some new numbers from the web on a couple of different locations and weave that into your story.

That’s where storytelling becomes craft.

Put me in the room. Let me hear their voice, see their hands shake, feel the tension.

If the story is complex or abstract? Show me the numbers. Break it down. Give me scale. Give me perspective.

Because impact isn’t about the event. It’s about the effect.

Protecting the Audience

At its core, storytelling with impact is about protection.

You’re helping your audience see the world more clearly.

You’re arming them with understanding.

You’re helping them feel less alone, more informed, more prepared.

You’re saying: This story matters. Because you matter.

That’s the job.

And when we get it right — when we make people feel something, understand something, want to do something — that’s where the magic is.

That’s why I’m still in this.

That’s why I teach it.

That’s why I build every narrative — whether it’s a blog post, a bio, a brand, or a breaking news script — around one central question:

What’s the impact?

Let’s find it.

Add the impact filter into your editorial meetings and writing.

Then let’s tell it.