<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":527562,"id":527562,"title":"World Heritage in Danger","filename":"Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM.png","filesize":55064,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-12-48-10-pm","alt":"The cover layout of World Heritage in Danger; a split screen with a photo of ancient Greek columns and the title and subtitle of the story","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"Click to launch the story.","name":"screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-12-48-10-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 16:52:57","modified":"2019-06-16 18:56:29","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":440,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":255,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":422,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM.png","large-width":800,"large-height":440,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":440,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":440,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM.png","card_image-width":800,"card_image-height":440,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.48.10-PM.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":440}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/5fa1c58788394468a06e85349271e421"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n
For each step, we\u2019ll start by considering why it matters in the first place, then see how this step played out in three different story maps I\u2019ve worked on recently:<\/p>\n
- \n
- World Heritage in Danger<\/a><\/li>\n
- The Surprising State of Africa\u2019s Giraffes<\/a><\/li>\n
- Canine Surprises<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Finally, we\u2019ll conclude each step with a quick run through of questions you can ask yourself to help get this part right, as well as a few tips to keep in mind.<\/p>\n
Before we go any further, it\u2019s a good idea to quickly read through the stories. Being a little familiar with each one will make the specific examples I talk about below a lot more helpful (hopefully).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":527572,"id":527572,"title":"The Surprising State of Africa's Giraffes","filename":"Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM.png","filesize":42558,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-12-49-42-pm","alt":"A sidecar block in The Surprising State of Africa's Giraffes, with narrative text and a graphic of giraffe coat patterns on the left, and a map of their range in Africa on the right","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"Click to launch the story.","name":"screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-12-49-42-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 16:57:19","modified":"2019-06-16 16:58:40","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":440,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":255,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":422,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM.png","large-width":800,"large-height":440,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":440,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":440,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM.png","card_image-width":800,"card_image-height":440,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.49.42-PM.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":440}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/358b83b5f776402fa726cfa316aa197c"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n
Identify your target audience<\/h2>\n
An important place to start with any story is determining its intended audience: Who, specifically, are you creating this content for? The answer to this question will have a significant impact on your story\u2019s tone, vocabulary, emotional arc, and permissible level of detail.<\/p>\n
You wouldn\u2019t talk to a group of middle school students about the importance of biodiversity the same way you\u2019d talk to a group of postdoc biologists about the same subject. While the overall concepts might be the same, your overall delivery would be wildly different, from how you get them interested in the conversation to the amount of jargon you use. Understanding your audience, then tailoring your story to align with their interests and knowledge is perhaps the most foundational part of creating an effective story.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":527582,"id":527582,"title":"Canine Surprises","filename":"Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM.png","filesize":102136,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-12-51-07-pm","alt":"The cover of Canine Surprises, showing a minimal cover and fullscreen video with a dog and two hikers","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"Click to launch the story.","name":"screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-12-51-07-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 16:59:20","modified":"2019-06-16 17:00:13","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":439,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":255,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":421,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM.png","large-width":800,"large-height":439,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":439,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":439,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM.png","card_image-width":800,"card_image-height":439,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-12.51.07-PM.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":439}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/d7b4f25486914a7fa6f1a5c887bf1974"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"
World Heritage in Danger
\n<\/em><\/strong>When my colleague, Cooper, and I set out to create a story about UNESCO\u2019s World Heritage in Danger List, we decided we wanted to create a high-level explainer for someone who had no idea what this list was or why it mattered. In particular, we wanted the story to be a useful resource for students in high school or undergrad, while also piquing the interest of general travel enthusiasts. Members of both groups were likely to be interested in, but not intimately familiar with, the culturally significant sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. Providing greater detail about the ways UNESCO and its partners try to protect at risk sites seemed like a good way to get their attention.<\/p>\nThe Surprising State of Africa\u2019s Giraffes
\n<\/em><\/strong>Cooper and I teamed up on this story, too. This time we were motivated by the peculiarities of the world\u2019s tallest land mammal, and its worrisome conservation status. Given our own subject knowledge, we knew we weren\u2019t equipped to craft a story for experts in the conservation field. Instead, we sought to create something that would intrigue and inform everyday animal lovers who had a general interest in conservation. With lions, elephants, and rhinos typically receiving the bulk of the coverage in conservation pieces, a story about giraffes would be different enough to cut through the vast amount of animal-related content these readers consume.<\/p>\nCanine Surprises
\n<\/em><\/strong>A fun, personal project, this story grew from my need to scratch a creative itch\u2014but that didn\u2019t negate the importance of keeping the reader in mind. As a reflection on what it\u2019s like to have your life and plans get completely rearranged because of new responsibilities, I wanted the story to feel accessible and relatable to my millennial peers. These were the kinds of discussions my friends and I would engage in regularly, so it made sense that this would be the right audience to cater to as I worked.<\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<\/p>\n
Keys to success:<\/u><\/p>\n
- \n
- Your target audience should never be \u201ceveryone.\u201d That\u2019s setting the bar unrealistically high, and it makes it rather impossible to answer the two questions that come next. If you need to target lots of different audiences, repurpose your content and create versions more closely tailored to the needs of each group.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Ask yourself how much knowledge you can reasonably assume your target audience has about your given subject; if they\u2019re new to it, avoid jargon and keep things focused at a high level; if they\u2019re subject matter experts, don\u2019t bore them by restating the most basic principles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Think about how you can make your story relatable to your target audience. Can you include a character in it, with whom they\u2019ll identify? Can you describe a scenario similar to one they\u2019ve likely been in themselves? If you can find a way to relate to your readers, the chances of them hanging on every word of your story increase exponentially.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":527602,"id":527602,"title":"Drawing attention to the plight of giraffes","filename":"Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM.png","filesize":34941,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-1-06-52-pm","alt":"An excerpt from our giraffe story showing a quote drawing attention to the need for conservation intervention","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"Our story on the conservation status of giraffes was designed to emphasize their plight and inspire readers to take action.","name":"screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-1-06-52-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 17:07:26","modified":"2019-06-16 17:10:09","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":440,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":255,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":422,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM.png","large-width":800,"large-height":440,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":440,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":440,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM.png","card_image-width":800,"card_image-height":440,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.06.52-PM.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":440}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n
Define your key takeaways<\/h2>\n
A common pitfall for many storytellers is trying to fit too much into one piece. You might be extremely excited about or invested in your topic, but chances are your readers aren\u2019t\u2014at least to the same degree. Don’t try to throw every single detail at them. Instead, figure out what\u2019s the most important message\u00a0 for them to remember if they only recall one or two things from your story. Write these key points down for easy reference, then be strict about keeping those few takeaways at the center of your work. This will be especially important when you\u2019re creating your outline(s).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"
World Heritage in Danger
\n<\/em><\/strong>The main thing we wanted to convey in this story is that some of the world\u2019s most unique natural and cultural places are at risk of disappearing. But, through the work of UNESCO and its partners, there is a process for preventing such irreversible loss.<\/p>\nThe Surprising State of Africa\u2019s Giraffes
\n<\/em><\/strong>This story\u2019s key takeaway was that giraffes\u2014these funky, peculiar, and cool creatures\u2014need conservation intervention more desperately than most realize.<\/p>\nCanine Surprises
\n<\/em><\/strong>If a reader was left with just one thought after reading this, I wanted it to be that life has a way of throwing your well-intentioned plans out the window; but, sometimes, those disruptions bring you to positive outcomes you\u2019d never even considered.<\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":527642,"id":527642,"title":"Using images to help underscore meaning","filename":"Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM.png","filesize":51828,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-1-12-49-pm","alt":"A photo from Canine Surprises showing a dog sitting among ferns","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"I used images throughout my story to juxtapose the anxious feelings I was describing with evidence of our eventual positive outcome.","name":"screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-1-12-49-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 17:17:26","modified":"2019-06-16 18:18:52","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":441,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":256,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":423,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM.png","large-width":800,"large-height":441,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":441,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":441,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM.png","card_image-width":800,"card_image-height":441,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.12.49-PM.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":441}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/d7b4f25486914a7fa6f1a5c887bf1974"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n
Keys to success:<\/u><\/p>\n
- \n
- Identify your key takeaway(s) by asking yourself why you\u2019re even making this story in the first place; your motivation will usually be closely linked with what it is you want others to know.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- While it\u2019s okay to have more than one key takeaway, you should limit yourself to three at most. Any more than that and you\u2019ll have too many ideas competing for a reader\u2019s attention, which can make their experience draining or confusing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- This is also a good time to define your story\u2019s goals and success metrics. Is there something you want readers to do, now that they know your key takeaway? How will you know if you\u2019ve successfully spurred them to action? From link clicks, to pageviews, to social shares, there are lots of ways you can measure success; the most appropriate one will depend on your goal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":527982,"id":527982,"title":"A content inventory for our giraffe story","filename":"Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM.png","filesize":41508,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-2-00-08-pm","alt":"An example of a content inventory\u2014a simple bulleted list with ideas and questions for key points, maps, graphics, and photos","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"Listing out all your possible content, data sources, and other potential media will make planning you narrative and managing your workload much easier in the long run.","name":"screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-2-00-08-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 18:05:16","modified":"2019-06-16 18:07:25","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":665,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM.png","medium-width":314,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":638,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM.png","large-width":800,"large-height":665,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":665,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":665,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM-559x465.png","card_image-width":559,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.00.08-PM.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":665}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n
Create a content inventory<\/h3>\n
Now that you\u2019ve identified your core messages, take stock of what you have\u2014and what you\u2019ll need\u2014to convey these points to your audience. Don\u2019t worry about a specific structure just yet, you can get to that in a moment. But first, come up with a list of the visual assets, data visualizations, anecdotes, etc. that will bring your message to life for a reader, and leave it lingering in their mind. Which of these assets do you already have on hand? Are there maps or infographics you need to make? What about examples you need to track down?<\/p>\n
Gathering your different pieces of content now will make it easier to outline and assemble your story. Plus, this exercise can help set expectations for workload by identifying how many things you\u2019ll need to create for a specific story.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":527592,"id":527592,"title":"Historical Monuments of Mtskheta | Georgia","filename":"Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM.png","filesize":69413,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-1-01-23-pm","alt":"From World Heritage in Danger, a sidecar with a large image of an ancient building in Georgia, with descriptive text and a locator map to the right.","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"We wanted our story on World Heritage Sites in danger be a helpful resource for students, and to catch they eye of those eager to travel. We knew we'd need lots of examples, with quality photos and a locator map for each one.","name":"screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-1-01-23-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 17:02:46","modified":"2019-06-16 17:26:42","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":440,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":255,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":422,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM.png","large-width":800,"large-height":440,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":440,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":440,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM.png","card_image-width":800,"card_image-height":440,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.01.23-PM.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":440}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"
World Heritage in Danger
\n<\/em><\/strong>Luckily, the UNESCO website<\/a> had already assembled most of the content we\u2019d need for this story in one place. Their prepared datasets helped Cooper quickly create a few maps and charts to show the geographic distribution of World Heritage Sites and those on the Danger list. The biggest lift we identified was to source appropriately licensed photos for sites we wanted to mention specifically.<\/p>\nThe Surprising State of Africa\u2019s Giraffes
\n<\/em><\/strong>At the start of this story, we had specific study results in hand that would help drive most of our narrative, and species range data was readily available from the IUCN Red List<\/a>. We\u2019d also need to source images, which was less of a challenge for this topic. I got to work on that while Coop\u2014fascinated by the distinct mottling patterns of the different giraffe species\u2014set about creating graphics to alert others to this interesting piece of trivia. The most time-consuming piece of content to assemble, we knew, would be the map of recommended places to see giraffes in the wild. But we also knew the time spent researching safari locations would be worth it, since it would help readers see themselves connected to the world of giraffes.<\/p>\nCanine Surprises
\n<\/em><\/strong>Unsurprisingly, I had most of the assets needed for this story on hand before I even thought of making it\u2014one of the perks of a personal story. The narrative was my own, and I had plenty of images and video clips edited and ready to use. The only things I made from scratch were the maps of our GPS tracks.<\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n
Keys to success:<\/u><\/p>\n
- \n
- A variety of media is a must for digital storytelling. Photos, videos, and maps can pull a reader into a story in a way the written word rarely can, so make sure you have enough visual assets to speak to each message in your story. If you\u2019re telling a story about a journey, or series of events, you should have visuals to illustrate each part of the sequence you\u2019re describing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Along those lines, you want diversity in the views your media provides. By this I mean a mix of wide shots to set the scene and close-up detail shots that help readers feel like they\u2019re part of the setting. You\u2019ll need both views working together to really transport\u00a0 your audience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Make sure your visual elements have a consistent look to them, so they naturally feel like they belong to the same story. Coop used the same color palette for his giraffe graphics and maps, for example, while I drew on colors from my hiking photos with Kaya to determine the aesthetic for my maps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":527742,"id":527742,"title":"Create a unified visual style.","filename":"Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM.png","filesize":49852,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-1-36-21-pm","alt":"A sidecar block in Canine Surprises with a series of photos on the left and a large map at right, the color palette of which is based on the photos next to it.","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"I let the predominant colors in my photos dictate the color palette for my hiking map, ensuring that the two types of media were visually harmonized.","name":"screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-1-36-21-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 17:37:18","modified":"2019-06-16 17:39:39","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":441,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":256,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":423,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM.png","large-width":800,"large-height":441,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":441,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":441,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM.png","card_image-width":800,"card_image-height":441,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-1.36.21-PM.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":441}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n
Draft an outline (or two or three)<\/h2>\n
With your content inventory complete, you can pivot to thinking about how you might weave all these pieces together. One of the easiest ways to do this is by creating a story outline.<\/p>\n
Outlines can take a variety of formats, from a simple bulleted list, to a full-blown storyboard, a slide deck, or even a collection of index cards you shuffle around on your desk. The exact format isn\u2019t very important\u2014what matters most is that you choose whichever one makes it easiest for you to experiment and get creative.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":528042,"id":528042,"title":"My blog outline","filename":"Image-from-iOS-6.jpg","filesize":990625,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/processed-with-vsco-with-f2-preset","alt":"My outline for this blog: Three pieces of notebook paper with headings for each blog section and the repeated subsection within each, plus bullet point of what I wanted to say for each part","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"This is the outline I made for this blog. I used similar doodles in my notebook to mark repeated elements across sections. ","name":"processed-with-vsco-with-f2-preset","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 18:14:38","modified":"2019-06-16 18:16:35","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":3898,"height":2922,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6.jpg","medium-width":348,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6.jpg","large-width":1441,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1151,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1535,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6-620x465.jpg","card_image-width":620,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6-1441x1080.jpg","wide_image-width":1441,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n
Keep in mind that there are countless ways to tell any single story. Some, of course, will be more effective than others\u2014here\u2019s where keeping your target audience and key messages in mind will be the most important.<\/p>\n
Take time to experiment with a few different options as you work on your outline. Move elements around, and don\u2019t be afraid to get a little unconventional. Then, step back and see how the new order flows. How does it make you feel?<\/em> A step-by-step account of events as they unfolded may be easy for a reader to follow, but does it pull on their emotions enough to keep them reading all the way through? Outlines provide a very low-risk way of testing different ideas\u2014you (and your readers) might be delightfully surprised by what you come up with when you think outside the box.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"
World Heritage in Danger
\n<\/em><\/strong>Since this story was intended to be an easy, high-level explainer, we opted for a straightforward structure. We stuck to the basics, first introducing UNESCO and the concept of World Heritage Sites generally, before introducing the idea that some of these sites are at risk. Not wanting to end on a gloomy note, we made sure to conclude with a discussion that there is hope\u2014some sites have already been removed from the Danger list thanks to successful intervention.<\/p>\nThe Surprising State of Africa\u2019s Giraffes
\n<\/em><\/strong>Given our animal-loving audience, we didn\u2019t want to open this story with a discussion of giraffes\u2019 uncertain future\u2014a dark opening could risk scaring off our readers. Instead, we opted to ease them into the story with some fun, lesser-known giraffe trivia, before pivoting to their dire circumstances. We also wanted to help our readers feel like they could make a difference with the knowledge they gained from the story, which led to our including an organization they could support in the fight to save giraffes.<\/p>\nCanine Surprises
\n<\/em><\/strong>It was tempting to tell this story from a purely chronological standpoint; in fact, that\u2019s how I started my first outline draft. But as I reviewed it, it felt pretty dull. Instead, I opted to start in the middle, and draw readers in with a rich description of the setting. Then, I surprised them with a bit of a twist, and went back to the start of the plot I was describing. This allowed me to work my way back to the present day from a nuanced perspective, now that readers were more invested in the tale and therefore more willing to put up with nuance.<\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":528092,"id":528092,"title":"Outlining World Heritage in Danger","filename":"Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM.png","filesize":56324,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\/screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-2-19-56-pm","alt":"A photo of our World Heritage outline, which consisted of a hierarchical bulleted list in a shared online document","author":"7211","description":"","caption":"With multiple people working on this story, having our outline available for simultaneous editing and review helped us collaborate and stay organized.","name":"screen-shot-2019-06-16-at-2-19-56-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":527412,"date":"2019-06-16 18:21:07","modified":"2019-06-16 18:22:27","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":530,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM.png","medium-width":394,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":509,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM.png","large-width":800,"large-height":530,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":530,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":530,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM-702x465.png","card_image-width":702,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-16-at-2.19.56-PM.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":530}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
<\/p>\n
Keys to success:<\/u><\/p>\n
- \n
- Make sure your story starts off with a compelling hook\u2014something attention-grabbing or irresistible to suck your target audience in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Once you have your audience\u2019s attention, keep it by introducing some tension to the narrative arc. Tension is what happens when there is a gap between what is (like a newly discovered giraffe species) and what could be (that species disappearing entirely, or existing for future generations to enjoy). Readers naturally want this tension to be resolved, and will stay engrossed in your story so long as they feel they\u2019re making progress toward closing that gap.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Once you\u2019ve settled on an outline, run it by someone who resembles a member of your target audience. If you find that their takeaway isn\u2019t what you hoped, it\u2019s a lot easier to make adjustments at this stage than after you already assembled all your content in the story builder.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
_______________<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When it comes down to it, planning out your story is all about identifying and creating a compelling narrative arc; one that speaks to your audience\u2019s interests, and clearly establishes your main point in their mind. Of course, storytelling is an iterative process, and chances are you\u2019ll find something isn\u2019t working quite as expected once you start putting all the pieces together. It\u2019s okay to deviate from your outline and adapt your content when this happens. But defining your target audience and key message, then taking the time to find the story structure that best aligns with them will pay off massively in the long run.<\/p>\n
Looking for more tips on telling a great story? Try this set of nine<\/a> next. And when you\u2019ve finished your next story map, let us know how it went! Did these pre-production steps help? Share your thoughts\u2014and your finished story\u2014with us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n"}],"authors":[{"ID":7211,"user_firstname":"Hannah","user_lastname":"Wilber","nickname":"hwilber.storymaps","user_nicename":"hwilber-storymaps","display_name":"Hannah Wilber","user_email":"HWilber@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2018-03-02 00:19:27","user_description":"Upstate NY transplant. Former content creator for Esri's StoryMaps team. Fascinated by how storytelling affects the human brain. Lover of conservation. Overly proud dog mom.","user_avatar":"
"}],"related_articles":[{"ID":519742,"post_author":"9232","post_date":"2019-06-05 03:11:31","post_date_gmt":"2019-06-05 10:11:31","post_content":"","post_title":"Not too short, not too long: Explaining our mission with a perfectly sized story map","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"explaining-our-mission-with-a-perfectly-sized-story-map","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-04-17 12:15:07","post_modified_gmt":"2026-04-17 19:15:07","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=519742","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":520382,"post_author":"7211","post_date":"2019-06-06 11:02:25","post_date_gmt":"2019-06-06 18:02:25","post_content":"","post_title":"Six great stories made with the ArcGIS StoryMaps Beta","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"great-arcgis-storymaps-stories","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-04-15 11:33:28","post_modified_gmt":"2026-04-15 18:33:28","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=520382","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":504742,"post_author":"7201","post_date":"2019-05-07 06:00:38","post_date_gmt":"2019-05-07 13:00:38","post_content":"","post_title":"Four Ways to Tell a Story with Place","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"four-ways-to-tell-a-story-with-place","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-08-09 06:06:26","post_modified_gmt":"2022-08-09 13:06:26","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=504742","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6-copy.jpg","wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6-1.jpg"},"yoast_head":"\nPlanning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Planning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ArcGIS Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-12T15:07:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ESRI\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hannah Wilber\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/abfa971d93bdce747ecc0c11937e9826\"},\"headline\":\"Planning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-06-16T18:57:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-12T15:07:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\"},\"wordCount\":12,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"outline\",\"planning\",\"Storyboarding\",\"storytelling\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Sharing and Collaboration\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\",\"name\":\"Planning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-06-16T18:57:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-12T15:07:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Planning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/\",\"name\":\"ArcGIS Blog\",\"description\":\"Get insider info from Esri product teams\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Esri\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Esri.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Esri.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Esri\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ESRI\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/5311\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/abfa971d93bdce747ecc0c11937e9826\",\"name\":\"Hannah Wilber\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/17265216_10113217109268964_8718639653559646517_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/17265216_10113217109268964_8718639653559646517_n.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Hannah Wilber\"},\"description\":\"Upstate NY transplant. Former content creator for Esri's StoryMaps team. Fascinated by how storytelling affects the human brain. Lover of conservation. Overly proud dog mom.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/hannahwilber\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/wilberisbananas\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/author\/hwilber-storymaps\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Planning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Planning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success","og_site_name":"ArcGIS Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2021-08-12T15:07:41+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@ESRI","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success"},"author":{"name":"Hannah Wilber","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/abfa971d93bdce747ecc0c11937e9826"},"headline":"Planning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success","datePublished":"2019-06-16T18:57:16+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-12T15:07:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success"},"wordCount":12,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["outline","planning","Storyboarding","storytelling"],"articleSection":["Sharing and Collaboration"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success","name":"Planning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-06-16T18:57:16+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-12T15:07:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/sharing-collaboration\/planning-and-outlining-your-story-map-how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Planning and outlining your story: How to set yourself up for success"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/","name":"ArcGIS Blog","description":"Get insider info from Esri product teams","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization","name":"Esri","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Esri.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Esri.png","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"Esri"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ESRI","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/5311\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/abfa971d93bdce747ecc0c11937e9826","name":"Hannah Wilber","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/17265216_10113217109268964_8718639653559646517_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/17265216_10113217109268964_8718639653559646517_n.jpg","caption":"Hannah Wilber"},"description":"Upstate NY transplant. Former content creator for Esri's StoryMaps team. Fascinated by how storytelling affects the human brain. Lover of conservation. Overly proud dog mom.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/hannahwilber\/","https:\/\/x.com\/wilberisbananas"],"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/author\/hwilber-storymaps"}]}},"text_date":"June 16, 2019","author_name":"Hannah Wilber","author_page":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/author\/hwilber-storymaps","custom_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Image-from-iOS-6-1.jpg","primary_product":"ArcGIS StoryMaps","tag_data":[{"term_id":385662,"name":"outline","slug":"outline","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":385662,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":27411,"name":"planning","slug":"planning","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":27411,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":23,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":406722,"name":"Storyboarding","slug":"storyboarding","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":406722,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":27881,"name":"storytelling","slug":"storytelling","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":27881,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":121,"filter":"raw"}],"category_data":[{"term_id":37511,"name":"Sharing and Collaboration","slug":"sharing-collaboration","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":37511,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":424,"filter":"raw"}],"product_data":[{"term_id":36551,"name":"ArcGIS Online","slug":"arcgis-online","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":36551,"taxonomy":"product","description":"","parent":0,"count":2433,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":36611,"name":"ArcGIS StoryMaps","slug":"story-maps","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":36611,"taxonomy":"product","description":"","parent":36981,"count":573,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":380802,"name":"ArcGIS StoryMaps","slug":"arcgis-storymaps","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":380802,"taxonomy":"product","description":"","parent":0,"count":323,"filter":"raw"}],"primary_product_link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?s=#&products=arcgis-storymaps","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/527412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=527412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/527412\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=527412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=527412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=527412"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=527412"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=527412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Once you\u2019ve settled on an outline, run it by someone who resembles a member of your target audience. If you find that their takeaway isn\u2019t what you hoped, it\u2019s a lot easier to make adjustments at this stage than after you already assembled all your content in the story builder.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Once you have your audience\u2019s attention, keep it by introducing some tension to the narrative arc. Tension is what happens when there is a gap between what is (like a newly discovered giraffe species) and what could be (that species disappearing entirely, or existing for future generations to enjoy). Readers naturally want this tension to be resolved, and will stay engrossed in your story so long as they feel they\u2019re making progress toward closing that gap.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Make sure your story starts off with a compelling hook\u2014something attention-grabbing or irresistible to suck your target audience in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Make sure your visual elements have a consistent look to them, so they naturally feel like they belong to the same story. Coop used the same color palette for his giraffe graphics and maps, for example, while I drew on colors from my hiking photos with Kaya to determine the aesthetic for my maps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Along those lines, you want diversity in the views your media provides. By this I mean a mix of wide shots to set the scene and close-up detail shots that help readers feel like they\u2019re part of the setting. You\u2019ll need both views working together to really transport\u00a0 your audience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- A variety of media is a must for digital storytelling. Photos, videos, and maps can pull a reader into a story in a way the written word rarely can, so make sure you have enough visual assets to speak to each message in your story. If you\u2019re telling a story about a journey, or series of events, you should have visuals to illustrate each part of the sequence you\u2019re describing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- This is also a good time to define your story\u2019s goals and success metrics. Is there something you want readers to do, now that they know your key takeaway? How will you know if you\u2019ve successfully spurred them to action? From link clicks, to pageviews, to social shares, there are lots of ways you can measure success; the most appropriate one will depend on your goal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- While it\u2019s okay to have more than one key takeaway, you should limit yourself to three at most. Any more than that and you\u2019ll have too many ideas competing for a reader\u2019s attention, which can make their experience draining or confusing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Identify your key takeaway(s) by asking yourself why you\u2019re even making this story in the first place; your motivation will usually be closely linked with what it is you want others to know.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Think about how you can make your story relatable to your target audience. Can you include a character in it, with whom they\u2019ll identify? Can you describe a scenario similar to one they\u2019ve likely been in themselves? If you can find a way to relate to your readers, the chances of them hanging on every word of your story increase exponentially.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Ask yourself how much knowledge you can reasonably assume your target audience has about your given subject; if they\u2019re new to it, avoid jargon and keep things focused at a high level; if they\u2019re subject matter experts, don\u2019t bore them by restating the most basic principles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- The Surprising State of Africa\u2019s Giraffes<\/a><\/li>\n