The Future of Storytelling: Why You Need To Master Mobile Platforms

Brian O’Leary, a good friend and one of the most respected voices in the publishing world, once told me that every story has two parts: the content and the platform. His focus was on the content, but his comment sparked something else in me—how often we overlook the platform entirely. We focus so intently on the story we want to tell—the characters we’ve created, the messages we hope will resonate—that we forget to consider where the story will live. We assume it will work everywhere: in a book, on a screen, over a campfire. And when it doesn’t, we blame the audience for not understanding, not paying attention, not caring.

This is where we are now with phones. And it’s where every generation before us has been with whatever new thing has come along to disrupt the way they communicate.

Consider this: the complaints about phones are everywhere. People mutter about kids staring into their screens, about how they can’t hold a conversation or make eye contact. It’s the noise of a society uneasy with change, but it’s familiar noise. It echoes the way every generation reacts to the next, with skepticism and superiority, as if the things that defined one era should be universal, immutable, eternal.

We all become that grumpy old man yelling, “Get off my lawn!” sooner or later.

But Brian’s comment wasn’t just about storytelling; it was about adaptation. Platforms change, he was telling me. Campfires became hieroglyphics, which became live theater, which became books, then radio, then television, then film. And now, here we are, in the era of phones and social media, where stories live vertically, in bursts, framed by algorithms and hashtags. It’s not that storytelling has become worse—it’s that we’re still figuring out the platform.

The early days of every platform are bad. That’s just the truth of it. Take television. Today, we marvel at its artistry—the sweeping cinematography of The Handmaid’s Tale, the intricacies of Game of Thrones. But television didn’t start there. Its first forays were awkward, wooden, amateurish. Shows like Kukla, Fran, and Ollie and Howdy Doody barely hinted at what the medium would eventually become. Why? Because the best storytellers of the time—writers, producers, directors—were still working in radio, which was mature and polished and full of talent. Television had to wait for the talent to migrate.

And now social media finds itself in the same position. We’ve moved past dancing cat videos, but scroll through TikTok or Instagram, and you’ll still see content that feels disposable, shallow, unfinished. The professionals haven’t fully transitioned. The best directors and writers are still in Hollywood, still producing for film and TV. But the shift is happening, slowly but surely. History tells us it always does.

Adapting Stories to Fit the Platform

The challenge isn’t the platform—it’s the resistance to it. Too many organizations and individuals are clinging to the old, forcing their stories onto platforms that no longer fit. Ads designed for print don’t work on Instagram. Beautiful desktop websites look terrible on mobile phones. We’re trying to tell yesterday’s stories on today’s platforms, and we wonder why no one is listening.

But the phone isn’t just another platform. It’s the best communication tool we’ve ever had. It works. That’s why it’s unstoppable. It’s small enough to carry anywhere. It delivers video, text, sound, and interaction. It’s available whenever we want it, wherever we are—on a subway, at a desk, or in bed at 2 a.m. The phone does what no other platform can. It’s the ultimate medium for storytelling, education, and connection.

And yet, like early television, we’re still bad at creating for it. The stories we make for print or desktop don’t work on a phone. Ads designed for glossy magazines fail to engage on Instagram. We’re clinging to the old when we should be mastering the new.

Great ideas endure because they work. Consider Galileo’s claim that the sun, not the Earth, was the center of the solar system. At the time, his idea was met with scorn. Many rejected it outright, believing it impossible for God to place anything other than man at the center of creation. But sailors, surveyors, and mapmakers embraced Galileo’s idea—not because it was popular, but because it worked better. It solved problems they couldn’t otherwise solve.

The phone works better. It’s the best idea we have for communication. But like any great idea in its early stages, it demands refinement. The question isn’t whether the platform will evolve. It will. The question is whether we will evolve with it. The elements of great storytelling—arcs, themes, characters—haven’t changed. What’s changed is the frame, the format, the delivery. And for those who learn to master it, the possibilities are endless.

Brian was right. The content matters, but so does the platform. And the future belongs to those who can see the difference.

A Challenge for the Modern Storyteller: Start With Mobile First

Here’s a challenge for you: spend an entire day experiencing your work exclusively on your phone. Open your website and navigate it as your clients would. Review your contracts and proposals, imagining what they feel like when viewed on a small screen. Scroll through your ads and promotions, read your blogs, and consume your presentations—all on your phone.

Now ask yourself: What feels clunky or hard to read? What frustrates or disengages? What fails to grab your attention? These questions aren’t trivial—they’re vital. This is the reality of how most people experience your work today.

But don’t stop there. Take this insight and flip your process: start with mobile in mind. Create with mobile first. Assign someone on your team—or take on the task yourself—to reimagine everything you produce through the lens of the phone. Your website, contracts, proposals, ads, social media posts, presentations, blogs—everything.

Give mobile your full attention. Treat it as the priority, not the afterthought. Focus on making your content seamless, visually stunning, and irresistibly engaging on the smaller screen. Test every element: does it grab attention in seconds? Is it effortless to navigate? Does the design enhance, not distract from, the message?

This isn’t just about making things fit on a phone. It’s about creating something that feels like it belongs there—crafted with care for the platform where most of your clients and prospects already live. Because mastering mobile isn’t optional anymore—it’s the key to thriving in today’s world.

So, start today. Reimagine your work with mobile first—and watch your impact grow.