AI-powered success stories

Posted by  Mark Schenk —March 19, 2025
Filed in Business storytelling

“Your customers’ successes are your greatest selling point. But without the right storytelling, those wins can go unnoticed.”

This was the first line in an unsolicited marketing email I received last week. And I agree with the statement wholeheartedly.

Attached to the email was a .pdf ‘Success Story’ as evidence of their work.

The trouble is, there was no storytelling.

I uploaded the example into ChatGPT and gave it the following task: “Please evaluate the content and give your views on a) is it a story, b) how engaging is it, and c) what would you do to make it more engaging and impactful.”

Here is the ChatGPT response:
a) Is it a story?
Answer: No, it is more of a case study or product feature summary with customer quotes.
b) How engaging is it?
Answer: Moderately engaging, but mostly for a technical audience. Weaknesses include:
– Dry, technical tone: There’s no human element or emotional hook.
– Lacks narrative flow: It’s a collection of facts, rather than a story unfolding.
– Too product-heavy: It reads like a spec sheet or marketing brochure.
– General audiences or execs looking for a strategic partner might find it dull.
c) How would I make it more engaging and impactful?
Answer:
1. Add a human-centered narrative: Introduce a “central character” who faces a challenge, tries to solve it, struggles, and finally finds a breakthrough
2. Add emotional elements and stakes: Why does this innovation matter? What’s at stake?
3. Have a clear turning point
4. Instead of just listing specs, show the future this makes possible.

The beauty is that I then uploaded our Success Story structure and asked ChatGPT to rewrite the case study using it. Seconds later, I had an excellent first draft Success Story. There was some information that needed to be added which wasn’t in the case study, but overall, I was impressed.

You can do exactly the same thing. Imagine turning all your case studies into compelling Success Stories … in just a few seconds. Message me at people@anecdote.com if you want a copy of our Success Story template.

Mark Schenk About  Mark Schenk

Mark works globally with senior leadership teams to improve their ability to communicate clearly and memorably. He has been a Director of Anecdote since 2004 and helped the company grow into one of the world’s leading business storytelling consultancies. Connect with Mark on:

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