{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/5c267bc58b414df94d0a5fd7/6ae4ab1386d4399f6fdf2675?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"What a Head of Storytelling Actually Does All Day with Elliott Rayner","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/5c267bc58b414df94d0a5fd7/1793367515092-d15bfc3b-8c98-4e2c-93bb-68630d5113ce.jpeg?height=200","description":"<blockquote><em>&quot;The narrative function is no longer about writing the story. It&#39;s about building the system that allows thousands of people to tell consistent versions of it simultaneously.&quot;</em> — Amazon, cited by Elliott Rayner</blockquote><p><br></p><h2>Episode Breakdown</h2><p>What exactly is a Head of Storytelling? What does a Chief Storytelling Officer actually do on a Tuesday morning? Where do they sit in the org chart, what do they get paid, and who do they report to?</p><p><br></p><p>These are the questions Elliott Rayner set out to answer when he started collecting and analyzing job listings for narrative leadership roles. The result was the State of Storytelling 2026, a report that has quickly become required reading for anyone in the organizational storytelling space.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, Elliott—a Fractional Head of Storytelling with a product marketing background at Adidas and beyond—breaks down what he found across 25 different roles spanning 21 industries. The through line: it&#39;s not about creativity, it&#39;s about alignment. The job is to find the story that already exists inside an organization, build consensus around it, and then build the system that lets thousands of people tell consistent versions of it simultaneously.</p><p><br></p><p>This is a must-listen for anyone in marketing, brand storytelling, or organizational leadership — and for anyone who&#39;s ever wondered whether the Chief Storytelling Officer role is actually a real thing.</p><p><br></p><h2>Key Takeaways</h2><p><strong>In this episode, you will learn to:</strong></p><ul><li>Understand what a Head of Storytelling or CSO role actually entails — and why only 19% of organizations can answer the three questions this role exists to solve</li><li>Use the Discover, Define, and Deploy framework to find, align, and scale your organizational narrative</li><li>Recognize why narrative alignment across a buying committee matters more than product quality in complex B2B sales</li><li>Apply the fingerprints principle to get internal stakeholders to adopt a narrative they didn&#39;t write</li><li>Understand where the CSO role is headed and why now is the right time to pursue it</li></ul><p><br></p><h2>Links &amp; Resources</h2><p>Follow Elliott Rayner:</p><p>LinkedIn → <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotrayner\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliottrayner</a></p><p>Website → <a href=\"https://www.productnarratives.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.productnarratives.com</a></p><p>Report → State of Storytelling 2026 → <a href=\"https://www.productnarratives.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.productnarratives.com</a></p><p>Course → Product Storytelling Cohort on Maven → <a href=\"https://maven.com/elliot-rayner\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://maven.com/elliott-rayner</a></p><p><br></p><p>Person Referenced → Park Howell (Business of Story podcast)</p><p>Person Referenced → Terrence Gargiulo, Chief Storytelling Officer at Accenture</p><p>Tool Referenced → Gong (sales narrative analytics)</p><p><br></p><p>Book → <em>The Chief Storytelling Officer</em> by Rain Bennett → <a href=\"https://www.rainbennett.com/store\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.rainbennett.com/store</a></p><p>Film → <em>There You Are</em> — Rain&#39;s first narrative feature, shot in Washington, NC and Chapel Hill, NC</p><p><br></p><p>For more storytelling tips and strategies, visit:</p><p>Website → <a href=\"https://rainbennett.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://rainbennett.com</a></p><p>Podcast → <a href=\"https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com</a></p><p><br></p><p>Or follow along at:</p><p>TikTok → <a href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer</a></p><p>Twitter/X → <a href=\"https://twitter.com/rainbennett\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://twitter.com/rainbennett</a></p><p>Instagram → <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett</a></p><p>Facebook → <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab</a></p><p>YouTube → <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett</a></p>","author_name":"Rain Bennett"}