When I started out as a product designer many years ago I never imagined that one of the most wonderful aspects of the world of product management and leadership would be storytelling. It became apparent to me that the glue that helps teams work wonderfully together is not simply about frameworks, goals, KPIs or suchlike but more about a common belief in something. Product management is a demanding discipline – maintaining morale and keeping enthusiasm going can often be tough. As a product leader it is our job to not only convince the board, the CEO of the vision of the product team but also carry this through to those executing on the strategy.
When you look at examples you realise how incredible storytelling is a rallying call, a hugely powerful motivator. And when you look at all the great products and visionary ideas out there, somewhere along the line a story was told to kickstart the project or dream.
A wonderful goosebumps moment happened when Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, it wasn’t just a technical presentation. Jobs told a story—one that merged the roles of a phone, an iPod, and an internet communicator into a single device. He didn’t dwell on the technical specifications, but instead focused on what it would mean for the user. Jobs explained how the iPhone would transform how people communicate, work, and interact with the world. Looking back fondly on this video it is so clear how powerful storytelling can be in product management.
Apple’s approach is a masterclass in how storytelling can help a product manager communicate the why behind a product, not just the what. By painting a vivid picture of the future with the product, Jobs aligned teams internally and captured the imagination of consumers globally. This narrative-driven strategy is one reason why the iPhone became a revolutionary success.
As a product leader, storytelling is an essential tool for selling the product vision to your team and ensuring its success. At this level, you’re not just managing features or timelines; you’re responsible for aligning the broader organisation around a cohesive strategy. A well-crafted narrative helps your team understand the why behind product decisions, inspiring them to see beyond the technical details and connect emotionally with the product’s purpose. This sense of purpose can be a powerful motivator, driving teams to work towards a shared goal with passion and clarity. I’ve always been a bit of a dreamer and by using storytelling to paint a picture of how the product will evolve and impact customers’ lives, you can galvanise cross-functional teams—from engineering to marketing—ensuring that everyone is aligned and working in unison. When teams are unified under a clear, compelling vision, the execution becomes smoother, the decision-making process is more consistent, and the likelihood of delivering a product that truly resonates with the market increases, ultimately driving success for the business.
In many ways I’ve often found my vision types to be very ambitious. When I was at Healthily I built a concept of a data driven orb that would glow around health endpoints – it was a little insane but the team bought into the concept. I think even one of the talented product managers developed a mathematical model to inform how the orb would change in relation to health metrics. Great times!
Engaging Stakeholders: Airbnb’s Pitch Deck
When Airbnb first started, convincing investors and stakeholders to support their unconventional idea was a significant challenge. Their original pitch deck, now famous in the tech world, didn’t just list facts or figures. It told the story of why Airbnb existed—how travellers were seeking authentic experiences and how hosts could earn extra income. They emphasised the emotional and social aspects of travel, making a strong case for their marketplace by narrating it from the perspectives of both the host and the traveller.
This story-driven pitch deck played a pivotal role in Airbnb’s early fundraising success, securing initial investments and eventually leading to its meteoric rise. For product managers, this demonstrates how storytelling can make complex concepts relatable, ensuring buy-in from investors, stakeholders, and even internal teams.
Building Empathy with Customers: Slack’s Journey
Slack’s early success wasn’t just about creating a chat platform for teams; it was about solving a problem that the founders themselves had faced. Slack’s origin story is tied to its predecessor, Glitch, an online game that failed but led the team to develop the internal communication tool they wished they had.
CEO Stewart Butterfield made it clear from the beginning that Slack wasn’t just another communication tool. He described it as a tool that “makes your working life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.” By focusing on the pain points that teams experience in workplace communication, Butterfield’s storytelling made Slack more than just software—it became an empathy-driven solution to a shared problem.
The result? Slack grew from 15,000 daily active users at launch to over 10 million by 2019. Butterfield’s focus on the story of why Slack exists, rather than just what it does, resonated with users who identified with the same workplace challenges.
Creating Emotional Connections: Nike’s “Just Do It” Campaign
Although not an example directly related to product management, Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign is a masterclass in creating an emotional connection to a product. Nike didn’t focus on the technical features of its shoes or apparel. Instead, it focused on the aspirational story behind athletic achievement. The “Just Do It” tagline and campaign became a rallying cry, encouraging athletes (and non-athletes alike) to push their limits.
For product managers, this offers a valuable lesson. Features are important, but the emotional connection a user feels towards your product can have a much greater impact (JTBD!). Whether you’re launching a fitness app, a productivity tool, or a new feature in a software platform, consider how the product improves your users’ lives and tell that story.
Driving Product Adoption: Spotify’s User Stories
Spotify’s product strategy has long been rooted in understanding and narrating the stories of its users. Whether through playlists curated for different moods or its annual “Wrapped” campaign, which visualises individual users’ listening habits, Spotify engages users by showing them a narrative they can relate to. And storytelling is viral – we all share (or lament!) Spotify’s ‘metrics’!
Spotify Wrapped is an excellent example of storytelling driving product engagement. By turning user data into personalised stories, Spotify made each listener’s year feel unique and memorable. This not only encouraged users to share their Wrapped stories on social media but also increased product loyalty. Spotify’s personalised approach creates a sense of connection between the user and the platform, which in turn strengthens product adoption and retention.
Communicating Product Roadmaps: Atlassian’s Transparency
Atlassian, the company behind popular tools like Jira and Trello, has incorporated storytelling into how it communicates product roadmaps to its user base. Atlassian’s product managers use storytelling to explain why they’re building certain features, not just what they’re building. They craft narratives that link back to user pain points and company values, helping users understand the journey and roadmap.
Atlassian’s blog often includes real stories from customers, describing how they use Atlassian products to solve real-world problems. This not only builds trust but also demonstrates how storytelling can foster transparency and maintain alignment between the product team and the users.
How to Incorporate Storytelling in Your Product Management World
If you’re a product manager, here are a few tips for using storytelling to your advantage:
- Define the Hero’s Journey: Your user is the hero, and your product is the tool that helps them overcome challenges. Use this framework to design your product’s story arc.
- Focus on the Why, Not Just the What: Always start with why your product exists. What problem does it solve? How does it make your users’ lives better?
- Use Real User Stories: Collect and share stories from actual users about how your product has impacted them. This can be through testimonials, case studies, or user-generated content.
- Be Transparent About Challenges: If your product has limitations or is evolving, be open about it. Tell the story of how you’re working to improve it. This builds trust and keeps stakeholders and users engaged.
- Create a Vision for the Future: Good storytelling in product management isn’t just about the present; it’s about where your product is headed. Paint a picture of how the product will evolve and continue to solve your users’ needs.
In closing and when I was writing this piece I realised how important storytelling is in the product or tech world. Often we cannot predict what’s next or even if what we’re building will work, or if people will use it. So what do we have? Hopes and dreams. Without wanting to romanticise the most mundane of apps or product features I still believe in relentless optimism. And even the smallest stories I find great to weave into my day to day. What features could we build next? What could the future mean for users if we were to roll it out? Keep dreaming and keep telling those stories!