If the term “storytelling” sounds overwrought and complicated to apply to your startup, fear not: The most basic building block of story is often all you need.

Our brains don’t store facts well.They thrive on relationships between information. This caused that. This because that. The most powerful relationship—and the core element of a story—is the answer to the simple question: Why? Why does this fact I just told you matter? What does it mean?

It’s hidden in plain sight in every good news article you read. It’s what journalists call the “nut graf.” It summarizes the key point of the article and tells you why it matters.

I just clicked to a random news article to find an example:

“Surgeons in Southern California have performed the first human bladder transplant, introducing a new, potentially life-changing procedure for people with debilitating bladder conditions.”

I don’t care about one operation in California. But a new kind of operation that promises life-changing procedures for an entire group of patients? Now I know why the author believed the story matters.

Here’s another: Famed football coach Bill Belichick has been getting a lot of press for dating someone who could be his granddaughter. A New Yorker article wanted to be clear that talking about this romance wasn’t being prurient; it shed light on Belichick’s entire career:

“Belichick and Hudson are consenting adults; love is love; etc. What’s really shocking is that Bill Belichick has ceded this much control to anyone.”

Neither of these examples offers a stop-the-presses argumentation why it matters. But say you’re a football fan, or one of your parents suffers from a bladder situation—you’ll sit up and take notice, because the author has spelled out the reason why their reporting matters, so you can easily decide whether you feel addressed.

Let’s apply the nut graf concept to your business. First, take another look at my Messaging Pyramid—each layer of Why can be repurposed for your nut graf:

The layers echo Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. There is no wrong answer as to which level of benefit you’re speaking to at any particular moment; they’re all important. But being conscious of the vocal range of your Whys lets you compose an intentional narrative about what you do and speak confidently to the right Why at the right time.

Otherwise, you’re just dumping facts onto the page.

I’m currently working with an exciting new precision agriculture startup called Terrablaster that uses NASA technology to do instant readings of soil conditions. Here’s what we see as we climb the Ladder of Why:

What: "We provide real-time soil nutrient readings at 1-meter resolution."

Problems Solved: “Farmers instantly see where nutrients are needed and can apply exactly the optimal amount."

Larger Benefit: "Farmers save money and increase yields."

Society’s Gain: "Precision fertilization lowers food prices while reducing runoff and protecting the environment.”

Using your new range of Whys, we can come up with company descriptions that move far beyond a dry statement of What:

Figma

• Fact: Figma is a browser-based design tool.

• Nut Graf: By eliminating install barriers and enabling real-time collaboration, Figma does for design what Google Docs did for documents—unlocking faster iteration, greater creativity, and democratized participation across teams

• Impact: Suddenly, it's not just a design tool—it’s a collaboration revolution.

Stripe

• Fact: Stripe helps developers integrate payment processing into websites.

• Nut Graf: By making it easier to accept payments online, Stripe removes one of the biggest friction points for internet businesses—helping more entrepreneurs launch faster and compete with larger incumbents.

• Impact: It’s not about APIs—it’s about economic acceleration.

Duolingo

• Fact: Duolingo lets users learn languages through gamified lessons.

• Nut Graf: Language learning creates job opportunities, travel, and human connection—yet most people can’t afford private tutors. Duolingo makes that access free for everyone.

• Impact: This elevates the app from fun to empowering.

Take the time to think through the Why of each aspect of your product or service. You’ll see you’ve captured the core element of story. In fact, as you read each of your Whys (try it with the Terrablaster example above), you’ll see it’s a small leap to think of complete stories you can create for each of your Whys and put into your website copy, case studies, and social media posts.

Now try it with your startup—let me know if it helps!