2020 Storypreneur Working Group gets to work!
Inspired by the strangeness of the times, Annelise Larson has launched a number of experiments. This is one of them.
“I was interested in helping a diverse team of storytellers revisit and relaunch past projects using the storypreneur approach to see what could be done to create a very practical and applied case study.”
After a very successful call for submissions, six teams/projects were selected for the inaugural STORYPRENEUR WORKING GROUP which met for the first time this week.
Participants will get together once a week for the next 8 weeks and then one project will be selected for further support in its relaunch this fall. Introducing these amazing and exciting stories and people:
Ansuya Nathan (US) & The Art of Keeping it Casual – A bite sized romcom web series for those avoiding romance at all costs!
Colin Scheyen, Elvira Parent, Moniquea Marion & Masih Khalatbari (ON) & Mum's the Word – An interactive documentary on the history and legacy of forced adoptions in Canada.
David Lloyd (ON) & In the Scene – An ensemble series of 8 stories that are connected through the behind-the-scenes dramedy of the entertainment industry in one of Canada’s biggest multicultural cities.
Heidi Lynch (ON) & Avocado Toast – An intergenerational sex comedy web series where coming out and divorce lead to Molly and Elle learning about their parents' new sex-capades.
Jonathon Fournier & Jen Viens (QU) & Unicorn Included - A sitcom-esque web series following the mundane misadventures of Jonathan and his sassy unicorn roommate.
Krista Loughton (BC) & US & THEM - A deeply visceral documentary film about a woman who sets out to help four homeless people, but they end up helping her.
Stay tuned!
Listener Mailbag & Season 2 Teaser: Episode 108: STORY + AUDIENCE podcast
In the last episode of the season, screenwriter Jill Golick and I answer some great listener questions like how does creating kid's content affect the STORY+AUDIENCE approach & what are the biggest mistakes made in both story and audience development. We also share some of our ideas for Season 2 and invite others to join our conversation.
ALSO, check out my latest project: the Storypreneur Working Group 2020. Call for submissions is now open. Learn more &/or submit by July 1, 2020
Mentioned in this episode:
Please rate & subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to get your podcasts. And share our story with YOUR audience on the social media platform of your choice!
You can also send your thoughts, questions & suggestions for Season 2 of STORY+AUDIENCE to both of us at STORYplusAUDIENCE@gmail.com
NB: You may have to refresh this page to see the embedded player below, or you can also find the podcast here: storyplusaudience.buzzsprout.com
Your Fandom & the Power of Data: Episode 107: STORY + AUDIENCE podcast
In this second last episode of the first season, screenwriter Jill Golick and I look at the "care & feeding" of the audience (and the storyteller) through the power of data. For this week's homework, Jill and the listeners will dig into the analytics of their website and social media to figure out what is working and what is not and stopping the latter.
Mentioned in this episode:
Please rate & subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to get your podcasts. And share our story with YOUR audience on the social media platform of your choice!
You can also send your thoughts & questions about STORY+AUDIENCE to both of us at STORYplusAUDIENCE@gmail.com
Discoverability: Episode 106: STORY + AUDIENCE podcast
In this sixth episode, screenwriter Jill Golick and I explore how to use the STORY+AUDIENCE approach to help you and your creative work get found more easily online. This is about more than appealing to the algorithms of the search engines (by using search engine optimization) and includes thinking strategically about social sharing and the first few minutes of your television show, web series or film. I encourage Jill and the listeners to revisit the homework from episode 103 and gather more data on what language to use and what to share where.
Mentioned in this episode:
Also check out my recent blog post for some specific basic & advanced search engine optimization (SEO) tips
Please rate & subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to get your podcasts. And share our story with YOUR audience on the social media platform of your choice!
You can also send your thoughts & questions about STORY+AUDIENCE to both of us at STORYplusAUDIENCE@gmail.com
Discoverability & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
When the topic of “discoverability” comes up in the creative sector, it is mostly in the context of getting found via algorithmically powered search results or recommendations. While I endorse a more holistic, audience led approach to discoverability, it is still important to have an understanding of the best practices of search engine optimization (SEO). The following are some basic and advanced tips to help get your creative work found through the mechanism of search and recommendation engines:
5 Basic SEO Tips: Building the Discoverability Foundation
1. Understand your (audience’s) language ecosystem
People search using words, whether they type or speak them. You need to understand the relevant areas of interest and the intent behind these queries to have an effective SEO strategy. It is a primary piece of data for the search engines that anyone can access through tools like the Google Ads Keyword Planner tool.
2. Provide the best user experience
The search engines want to send searchers to websites that provide the best user experience possible. That means have a fast loading site with no typos that is mobile friendly and has a logical navigation and structure so people can find things easily. There has also been more emphasis in recent years on security and so HTTPS sites often are given preference over HTTP sites.
3. Think strategically about creating content
Keyword research and other data can help you make informed decisions about what kinds of content your audience will be the most interested in, like answering pertinent questions or providing relevant entertainment or information. Content should also be of high-quality, and use focused, individual pages for key actors, events and other important elements. Remember: text still provides the context for all assets, visual or otherwise.
4. Think strategically about how to connect and share your content
Give thought to how you link and share the various parts of your online footprint as this also helps the search engines to better understand what you and your work are about.
5. Establish your authority
The search engines want to send searchers to the highest quality resources. It is important to imbue your entire professional and creative brand with expertise, authority and trustworthiness for the work or storytelling you want to be known for. Consistency, quality and publishing on external sites like LinkedIn and Medium can help with this.
5 Advanced SEO Tips: Leveraging the Knowledge Graph
1. Use structured data markup
Search results have grown more complex and sophisticated, with standard listings being pushed further and further down in the rankings. One of the best ways to enhance your listings is to use structured data, an in-page code markup that adds extra meaning and value to your content. The major search engines agreed to the Schema.org standards for structured data. Creative work including TV series and movies, as well as actors and events are some of the schema that could be used by media storytellers.
2. Get included in publicly accessible data sources
Google uses information from a wide variety of data sources to inform what is known as its Knowledge Graph. These “trusted and authoritative” sources include Wikipedia, LinkedIn, Fandom.com, IMDb and Wikidata to name just a few. In Canada, there is also an attempt to establish a data source like this for our culture sector called ArtsData.ca. Some of these are easier to get into than others (the human editors at Wikipedia are notoriously difficult to please) but a good place to start would be LinkedIn for you and your company and Wikidata for yourself and specific creative work.
3. Establish your “notability”
To be seen as notable or important enough to be included in the Google Knowledge Graph or Wikipedia, you will need to go even further than the steps recommended to establish authority under the basic SEO tips above. You, your company and your work will need to have coverage in major press, participate in industry research or publications, and establish presence through PR and similar professional initiatives.
4. Maximize the opportunity of Google My Business
Google My Business is the foundation for any kind of geographic based searches (think queries that include “near me”). While not all creatives will have a significant physical presence serving a specific local community, Google My Business offers a great opportunity for those for whom it is relevant. You can control the information about your business, get reviews and post updates and event information. This can help you stand out visually in the Google search results page and establish presence in some very unique ways.
5. Create a kicka** ABOUT US page
It may seem like a small thing, but creating an About Us page that has complete info about your business location and key personnel and that is marked up with appropriate Schema.org structured data, can do a lot to help get enhanced listings in search and recommendation engines (and is something rarely done in the creative sector).
Fandom 101: Episode 105: STORY + AUDIENCE podcast
In this fifth episode, screenwriter Jill Golick and I explore the concept of fandom and how to write scripts that inspire & invite these superfans into your storyworld. The homework this week is to walk in the shoes of fandom and for listeners to find existing fan influencers, conversations and communities that align closely with their own work.
Mentioned in this episode:
And for another perspective, read this article: Superfans: A Love Story
Please rate & subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to get your podcasts. And share our story with YOUR audience on the social media platform of your choice!
You can also send your thoughts & questions about STORY+AUDIENCE to both of us at STORYplusAUDIENCE@gmail.com
Career Building: Episode 104: STORY + AUDIENCE podcast
In this fourth episode, screenwriter Jill Golick and I discuss how writers and other creatives need to grow their own audiences. Jill explores how she can use the tools in her writer's toolbox to create an online version of herself, a persona, to only share as much of her life as she strategically needs to and I challenge her to use what she's learned so far in some very practical and applied ways.
Mentioned in this episode:
Please rate & subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to get your podcasts. And share our story with YOUR audience on the social media platform of your choice!
You can also send your thoughts & questions about STORY+AUDIENCE to both of us at STORYplusAUDIENCE@gmail.com
Development: Episode 103: STORY + AUDIENCE podcast
In this third episode, screenwriter Jill Golick and I discuss how the research many writers do during the development phase for their scripts, can be deepened and repurposed for strategic audience development (and which can probably start earlier than you think). I also give everyone a long list of free tools and a process for enhancing the research for your writing to help find your audience
Mentioned in this episode:
Please rate & subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to get your podcasts. And share our story with YOUR audience on the social media platform of your choice!
You can also send your thoughts & questions about STORY+AUDIENCE to both of us at STORYplusAUDIENCE@gmail.com
The Power of Specificity: Episode 102: STORY + AUDIENCE podcast
In this second episode of our podcast, screenwriter Jill Golick and myself discuss the power of specificity and how it can help increase the authenticity of your story and the effectiveness of your audience development. I also give Jill and the listeners homework and a process that will help segment specific audiences for a story.
Mentioned in this episode:
Please rate & subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to get your podcasts. And share our story with YOUR audience on the social media platform of your choice!
You can also send your thoughts & questions about STORY+AUDIENCE to both of us at STORYplusAUDIENCE@gmail.com
Announcing the new STORY + AUDIENCE podcast
I am so excited to finally announce the release of a new podcast I have been working on for a few months with my colleague & brilliant writer friend, Jill Golick. The launch got delayed slightly because of, you know, a world pandemic, but here it FINALLY is!
The first season is eight episodes long with a new episode being released every week starting this week. So, without futher ado, I give you STORY + AUDIENCE with Jill Golick and Annelise Larson.
“Screenwriter Jill Golick and digital marketing strategist Annelise Larson invite you to join their conversation about creating stories that connect deeply with audiences and how to use that connection to build a long-term career as a storyteller (especially of film, TV, web series and other screen based stories). Each episode will include practical, applied homework for writers and other creators to start to develop their own STORY + AUDIENCE strategy.”
In this first episode, Jill & I discuss the inspiration for this podcast series, which episodes we are looking forward to and I give everyone their first homework assignment.
You may have to refresh this page to see the embedded player above, or you can also find the podcast here: storyplusaudience.buzzsprout.com
Please share, like, follow & subscribe on your podcast platfrom of choice (it may take a few days or even weeks for it to populate) and send your thoughts & questions about STORY+AUDIENCE to both of us at STORYplusAUDIENCE@gmail.com