The stories we tell: real voices in an AI age.
“When we actually take time to tell our stories, we make more sales.” – Stevie Boyle, Ocean Vertical
That line came up in a recent workshop with Ocean Vertical, and it’s no understatement to say it stopped the To Be Continued team in our tracks. Not because it was a revelation – but because it was a validation – a stamp of approval on everything we do.
So many purpose-led brands, like Ocean Vertical, know their values inside out. They live and breathe what they do, as they should. But, when it comes to telling people about it – talking to customers, clients, partners, investors or even their own team members – it can suddenly feel easier to take out the emotions. To play it safe, even, and just go with what sounds polished or professional. To talk about ‘bottom lines’ and ‘frameworks’, use buzzwords or even just fall back on the AI tools that these days promise to make things faster and easier.
At To Be Continued, we’re starting to see a pattern emerge. The most exciting organisations we work with (and there are a lot) are often the ones who struggle the most to communicate what makes them special. And it’s not because they don’t have anything to say – in fact, it’s often the reverse. They have so much to say that they don’t know where to start. The trick (and what we’re rather good at) is uncovering the parts that really resonate. The moments that matter. And they tend to be the human parts. The stories, the emotions… the bits that AI can’t do.
And that’s what we’ve started doing with Ocean Vertical: a purpose-led adventure company where real experiences in nature create lasting impact. In our storytelling session, we looked past the surface-level facts and stats to uncover what their customers really remember. The way the cold water made them feel… the team dynamic when someone really challenged themselves and overcame their fears… the emotional resets and personal shifts.
Stories are the shortcut to connection – and connection builds trust. It’s not fluff, or extras. It’s actual strategy, especially for brands trying to:
Reconnect with internal teams who feel disengaged
Create content that stands out in a sea of identical AI-written posts
Reach business audiences without defaulting to corporate speak and jargon
Show not just what they do, but why it matters (and how it feels)
When you lead with stories, as Stevie at Ocean Vertical says, people take notice – and quite often they buy in. But if you’re not sure where to start, here are three easy first steps:
Collect the stories that already exist
Talk to your team, your customers and your community and ask what moments have stayed with them. Look for turning points, challenges, wins, funny anecdotes, tricky parts, challenges… These can often be gold dust – the ‘secret sauce’.
Use real, human voices
Share stories using the words of the people who lived them. A founder’s turning point, a staff member’s ‘Road to Damascus’ moment or a customer’s over-excited feedback. Don’t over-edit or try and make it ‘perfect’. Keep it human (which means ‘flawed’).
Choose one story and build around it
Instead of listing every stat or service you offer, try sharing one story really well. Use it to illustrate your values, your purpose and importantly, your outcomes – what you do for your customers. Then you can build your message from there.
At To Be Continued, we’re not anti-AI: it’s here, whether we like it or not, and it’s a valuable tool when it’s used right. But we also believe the human part matters more than ever. In a world full of content, it’s stories about people, delivered by people, that stick.
That’s why we help purpose-led businesses find and tell the stories that build trust, prompt action and create lasting connection. If that sounds like something you need, we’d love to talk.