Does your organization have a great story to tell? One of the best ways to tell it is through an older adult’s personal story. 

Putting a face on your work helps people connect with your organization and quickly grasp the impact you have. Stories can be a powerful way to gain the attention of potential participants, funders, legislators, and partners. 

But what makes a good story, and what’s the best way to use them? These 10 tips can help you get started: 

1. Decide what you want to accomplish. 

What is your goal, and who is your audience? Do you want to attract more participants? Get noticed by local politicians? Obtain or protect funding? Answering this question first will help shape the stories you seek. 

2. Develop a set of questions in advance. 

And let your interview subjects read them in advance, so they can collect their thoughts. Sample questions might include: 

• Where did you first hear about (Name of Organization)? 

• Why and how often do you attend (Name of Organization)? 

• What are your favorite activities? 

• If funding for (Name of Organization) went away, what would you do? 

• What would you tell a friend who is considering joining (Name of Organization)? 

If you are interviewing someone about a specific event or program, consider these types of open-ended questions and prompts: 

• "How did you hear about the program?" 

• "How has the program helped you?" 

• "What did you like best about the program?" 

• "Why should other people join the program or why would you recommend the program to a friend? 

• "How did the instructors support your success?" 

3. Ask a variety of people. 

Old, young, male, female, black, white, Asian, Hispanic. Show the breadth of the people you serve. The more the merrier. 

4. Take photos. 

People see themselves in photos, and they add greatly to the overall narrative. The media loves using photos, as well. Make sure the photo is print/web quality—300 dpi or better. Take headshot-style photos against a neutral background, or if possible, use candids from an event or program that shows people in action. Always get signed permission, like with a release form, from the people you are photographing. 

5. Ask if the participant is willing to speak to the media once their story goes live. 

Media love stories in first-person format and often want to follow up with their own interview. If possible, have each interviewee sign a release form, so your center is covered legally.  

6. Keep your stories short and to the point. 

Answer the main questions of: who, what, when, where, and why—then edit as much as you can. Short, punchy stories tend to perform better than overly long ones.  

7. Be transparent. 

Tell readers that the older adult attends your organization and how you obtained the information. This adds credibility and authenticity to your story. Provide contact information in case other adults in the community want to access your organization’s resources or events. 

8. Plan how to use the stories. 

Sometimes it’s great to use the whole story at once, or one per month. Sometimes you can chop a story in half and leave people hungry for more! 

9. Capture video of your interviewee. 

Video is hot. Let older adults tell their story in their own voice if possible! See stories from NCOA’s  Discover Your Senior Center series for good examples of video stories. Keep these tips in mind: 

• Keep it short! 30-90 second videos are best 

• Remind people to speak like they are talking to a friend 

• Record videos vertically and horizontally (vertical video is better for some social media platforms; horizontal is better for websites and YouTube)\ 

• Film in quiet areas with good lighting and nice backgrounds 

10. Make the pitch. 

Send your story and photo to your local newspapers, online news sites, city officials, and the local offices of your state and federal legislators. A well-packaged story that about a hot topic is likely to get noticed. 

Don’t be shy! The work you do in the community is incredibly valuable. Telling your story shows why.