Knowledge of your audience’s wants and needs is vital for any business leader looking to get consumers to connect with their product, be it a physical item or a service they offer. 

In his most recent article for Inc., BigSpeak EVP and  business growth speaker Ken Sterling sat down with storytelling speaker, author, and Pixar veteran Matthew Luhn to dial in on why knowing your audience is a critical component to success, and what steps you can take to find the correct audience for your brand. 

Luhn believes that this knowledge is, bar none, the most important asset a company can have. A dangerous mistake a business can make is vying for universal appeal, which often results in a watered down, generic product that draws in no one. Luhn applies the rule of appealing storytelling to creating successful business pitches, sharing the four questions that were used in the construction of Finding Nemo, Up, The Toy Story Films, and Ratatouille, can be applied across both fields. The staring structure is as follows:

1. The Hero: Who is the protagonist? Who is your end-user? 
2. The Goal: What do they want? What is the desired outcome? 
3. The Obstacle: What is the conflict? What are their pain points? 
4. The Change: How do they evolve? 

Once this is determined, use the resulting story pitch to let your end client know how they will benefit from engaging with your business. Specificity in figuring out your heroes is key: what is their age range, what are their values, sense of humor, and desires? This information will give you the ability to help your consumers reach their goals, and foster your own success in the process.