Episode 001 · Storytelling · Strategy · Communication Storytelling: Real Life vs Fictional
Business storytelling splits into two worlds — and most companies are operating in the wrong one.
Show notes
The first episode of The Evergreen Playbook. Falk Ebert and David Göz dive into the world of business storytelling — differentiating types, deep-diving into examples, and building a practical framework for choosing the right approach.
What makes a real-life story work? When does fictional storytelling serve a brand better? And why do most companies default to the wrong mode without realising it?
"You can tell incredibly interesting stories and have great and successful communications if you just talk about reality — stuff that really happens. Just show what you're doing."
"Real-life storytelling versus fictional storytelling — you can do both on very new and very traditional channels."
"Building in public really takes time. But just being a little bit more transparent about the roadmap, especially if you have products that people sign up for and invest in — that is incredibly powerful."
The Playbook
The reusable principles from this conversation.
The Playbook
1. Channel choice does not determine story type
Real-life storytelling (showing what you actually do) and fictional storytelling (creative narrative) can both thrive on TikTok or on television. The mistake is choosing story type based on channel rather than based on what is actually true and interesting about the brand.
Why it's overlooked: Marketers conflate "modern channel" with "authentic story" and end up making try-hard content that signals effort without delivering substance.
The Playbook
2. The interesting truth compounds through consistency
A mortician posting about death on TikTok attracted over a million followers because the content was genuinely interesting — not because the platform was new. Find the interesting truth in your operations and keep showing it. Interest compounds.
Why it's overlooked: True authenticity feels slow and risky. Brands want viral shortcuts. But the mortician example is not a hack — it is a long-term commitment to a clear point of view.
The Playbook
3. Build internal confidence before external reach
Before you amplify a story externally, ensure the people inside the company understand and own the narrative. External amplification of an internally contested story creates contradictions that audiences detect immediately.
Why it's overlooked: Internal alignment feels like overhead with no visible external payoff. It is actually the foundation that determines whether external storytelling lands or falls apart.
The Playbook
4. Transparency about the process is itself the story
Building in public — sharing roadmaps, decisions, challenges, and reasoning — creates a story that is inherently episodic, credible, and differentiated. Most brands hide their process and narrate their outcomes. The opposite approach builds more durable trust.
Why it's overlooked: Transparency about process feels vulnerable and hard to control. But control is the enemy of credibility in a world where audiences are trained to detect managed narratives.
The Guest
Falk Ebert
Strategy and Innovation Consultant
Falk is a strategy and innovation consultant who helps companies find the right stories and tell them in ways that actually stick.
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