The Power of Narrative – How to Make People Care About Your Advocacy
By Sarah Ailish McLoughlin
May 21, 2025
A well-told story isn’t just persuasive—it’s impossible to ignore.
Why Some Stories Get Ignored—and Others Change Everything
When I was a kid, I didn’t know I was learning advocacy. I was just tagging along with whichever parent was working at the time.
If I was with my dad, I watched him command the attention of a crowd as a musician or negotiate business deals as a state manager. If I was with my mum, I saw her fight for elderly patients in aged care—not because it was part of her job, but because she couldn’t stand to see people mistreated.
Neither of them were politicians. Neither of them had any formal advocacy training. But both of them knew how to move people—how to get them to care.
I didn’t realize at the time, but I was learning one of the most important tools in advocacy: narrative power.
Advocacy is Storytelling—And Not All Stories Get Heard
People think advocacy is about facts, policies, and logic. It’s not. It’s about attention.
It’s about how you frame the issue—how you turn a problem into a story so undeniable, so urgent, that inaction becomes impossible.
Because here’s the truth:
- If a politician can ignore it, they will.
- If a bureaucrat can deflect responsibility, they will.
- If people don’t feel personally connected to the issue, they won’t act.
That’s why the most successful advocacy campaigns don’t just provide evidence—they create emotional momentum.
Case Study: How a Story Restored $500,000 in NDIS Funding
When a child’s NDIS funding was suddenly cut, I could have followed the standard process—submitting complaints, waiting, hoping.
Instead, I built a story that couldn’t be ignored.
Step 1: Frame the Problem as Bigger Than One Case
I filed complaints, requested reviews, and informed the local MP. Nothing worked.
So I reframed it: if this happened to one family, it was happening to thousands.
Step 2: Escalate the Narrative to a Level of Public Importance
- I sent the documents to the NDIS Safety Commission’s media team.
- I encouraged other families in Facebook groups to contact A Current Affair.
Step 3: Make It a Crisis They Can’t Ignore
The next morning, the journalist called. They’d received so many stories, they had to act.
Result:
- Linda Reynolds was forced to respond publicly.
- Over $500,000 in funding was restored.
- Timeframe: Two months.
This wasn’t just pressure—it was narrative strategy. One complaint is ignorable. Hundreds sent in real time to the media? That’s a crisis.
What Makes a Story Impossible to Ignore?
- It Must Be Relatable: People must see themselves or someone they care about in the story.
- It Must Be Bigger Than One Case: A single issue gets dismissed. A pattern becomes policy failure.
- It Must Have Clear Villains and Stakes: Who is responsible? What happens if nothing changes?
- It Must Offer a Path to Action: Give people a role in the solution.
Advocacy Isn’t Just About What’s Right—It’s About What Moves People
It’s not the most logical argument that gets action—it’s the most emotionally compelling one.
Because if no one feels it, no one will fight for it. And advocacy without momentum dies in silence.
What Happens Next?
In the next issue, we’ll explore how to build coalitions that actually work—because even the most powerful story needs people behind it.
Have you ever struggled to get people to care about an issue that mattered to you? What worked? Let’s talk.