Print storytellers remind the world just how powerful print can be. They prove that print drives results, builds trust, and delivers tangible impact. But the message rarely travels beyond their own networks and customers, leaving many people unaware of how much they need print in their lives. Those people are not looking for a sales pitch about the power of print. They are not interested in samples or talk tracks about your business. They are waiting for an invitation to experience it — from passionate print storytellers who turn information into inspiration and transform every printed piece into proof of what print can do.
The Power of Print Storytellers
Printing technology is evolving. We do not need to defend it. We need to define it. That is where print storytellers come in. They tell the stories that change how people think and feel about print.
Every print project is an opportunity to educate and inspire. Share how it was printed, how it was finished, what it set out to achieve, and the difference it made. Connect it to emotion and to purpose. Whether it is a direct mail piece that outperforms an email campaign or packaging that sparks engagement through a QR code, print storytellers should build a personal library of stories and samples that hold meaning — not just for themselves, but for the people they share them with.
The best print storytellers build bridges between design, data, and emotion. They inform that print is not competing with digital. It complements, supports, and strengthens it.
Sharing print success stories helps customers shift their focus from print production to project purpose, and from ink coverage to impact. Print storytellers prove that print is not a medium of the past. It is part of the future of data-driven communication with measurable and trackable results, and it is integral to the future of marketing that blends technology with meaningful messaging and the authentic human experience.
Print Storytellers are Always Prepared
A few days ago, I stopped at a local shopping plaza to pick up a few things and noticed a new coffee shop had replaced a Freshii healthy fast-food restaurant. I went in, ordered an iced coffee, and asked the manager how long they had been open. “Three months,” she said. Surprised, I told her I lived about a mile away and hadn’t seen any marketing. She replied that people were SLOWLY DISCOVERING the shop.
I took a deep breath.
Discovery was accurate for me, and probably why I was the only customer in the store at prime coffee time. But I also knew some things she perhaps didn’t. I have been chronicling the constant turnover and vacancies in that plaza since the pandemic. In the past two months, a tattoo shop and a tanning salon have closed. A dental franchise and a Firehouse Subs have sat empty since 2020. One commercial realtor manages the whole plaza, and his marketing strategy consists of taping posters with his name and number inside the vacant windows.
Hoping to be “discovered” was possibly the worst strategy for this location.
So I put on my print storyteller hat. I told the manager about Every Door Direct Mail, a US postal program that lets you send mail to every address in a chosen zip code. I suggested she send a postcard inviting people within a mile or two to discover a great new coffee spot. She started taking notes.
I recommended including an offer: bring the postcard in for a stamp on a loyalty card, maybe a discount on a specialty coffee, a free mini baklava – which they had by the cash register – with purchase, or whatever worked for them. ps.. They didn’t have a loyalty program. I was planting seeds.
She was hooked and amazed that it was possible to reach potential coffee-loving customers by proximity. I explained that once they built a customer list, they could send personalized offers and updates based on preferences and behavior.
She shook her head and said, “Why don’t I know about any of this?” I said, “Now you do!” and that I would be happy to talk with her and the management team about effective print marketing strategies for new businesses and connect them with a printer who can help.
In under ten minutes, most of it while my coffee was being made, I transformed into a print storyteller and shared how print helps small businesses grow, build loyalty, and engage with customers. Whether or not they act on it, they now know print marketing is powerful. And I guarantee they will share that story with others.
Now it’s Your Turn!
A Call to Action: Tell Your Print Story
The global print industry will unite for International Print Day 2025, an annual celebration of print’s creativity, innovation, and influence. Each year, thousands of professionals share their work, ideas, and inspiration across social media using the official #IPD hashtag – #IPD25 this year – to share about all the industry can do, and help print to trend the planet.
The official #IPD25 poster, designed by Craig Bower of Design That Rocks, features a dynamic Digital Link QR code that launches an interactive demo with Cleo AI. Download the poster for a firsthand look at how printed materials can drive engagement, capture data, and tell stories that move people.
Join me for a free webinar on October 16 at 1 PM ET to explore how Digital Link technology turns print into an active, data-driven channel. It’s your chance to learn, share, and become part of the story. REGISTER HERE.
Because print doesn’t need defending. It needs print storytellers who can connect what we create to why it matters. Your next chapter in print starts with the story you tell today.
TELL LONG AND PROSPER!
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See Deborah’s recent post: Pushing Boundaries in the Print Industry Through Creativity and Innovation
Deborah Corn is the Intergalactic Ambassador to the Printerverse at Print Media Centr and Executive Director of Girls Who Print, a global nonprofit supporting women in the industry. She’s a ‘Print Buyerologist’, international speaker, blogger, and host of Podcasts From The Printerverse. Deborah also leads the Print Production Professionals Group on LinkedIn, the largest print group on the platform.
She is the founder of Project Peacock, an educational initiative that has connected with more than 8,000 print customers, students, and printers through live events, online programs, and streaming video content on ProjectPeacock.TV. She is also the founder of International Print Day, an annual global celebration of print, and the recently launched PrintFM Radio, the first 24/7 global internet radio station dedicated to print and graphic communications.
Through all her work, Deborah delivers printspiration, education, and valuable resources to print and marketing professionals around the world. She’s the recipient of multiple industry honors, including the 2016 Girls Who Print Girlie Award, and serves on advisory boards and technical committees supporting print education and career development, including the Advertising Production Club of NYC, Graphic Communications Education Association (GCEA, Lewis-Clark State College, and Five Keys Schools and Programs.
Connect with Deborah on LinkedIn
Explore Podcasts From The Printerverse
PrintFM Radio: Turn UP the Volume on Print!
Calling all Girls Who Print!! Check out our NEW Member Platform and Program!
ProjectPeacock.TV is streaming PRINTSPIRATION to brands, agencies, students, and printers!
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