The Wall Street Journal reported recently that, in the desire to control their narratives, companies are “desperately seeking storytellers.” While many writers who have labored in the realm of marketing communications are probably using their head-exploding and head-slapping emojis in texts crossing the globe, it should be reassuring that companies seem to believe that a well-planned story, expertly told, can create value. This is why, however, merely dusting off liberal arts diplomas and providing writing samples is not going to cut it. What companies need are stories that express their strategic trajectory — across new channels, with new energy. We know the new channels. But what would be a new energy? First, corporate storytellers are largely putting forth the facets of the enterprise story — so they must engage deeply with the subject matter. Yet they do not need to be subject matter experts — they just need to be experts in getting at features and the competitive advantage. Any speechwriter worth their salt will tell you that their gift is pulling from the speaker’s mind the content that lives only there — otherwise, they’d be working on Hollywood scripts for actors to deliver. The great speechwriters are great prompters — think of them as early AI agents. This article is part of Branding Strategy Insider’s newsletter. Join the world’s smartest marketers and subscribe here for actionable insights delivered directly to your inbox. After the engagement energy, the second layer is strategic energy. Storytellers must be able to express strategic nuance in…