To develop a solid story bank, experts find it is important to entrench themselves in the community. Advocates have employed a variety of tactics to gather stories, from starting a helpline to building strong partnerships to reach new audiences. Whatever the strategy, it is critical that the work be done on an ongoing basis and that it feed into all areas of work.

Go to the consumer

Everyone we spoke to agreed that the best strategy for finding consumers was getting out of the office and into the community. By organizing community forums and setting up a booth at Minnesota’s state fair, Sarah Greenfield of TakeAction Minnesota was able to identify many new consumer stories. By increasing their visibility in the community, groups can make new connections and interact with people one on one, both of which are invaluable to building a story bank.

Stay on the look out

Make sure you don’t miss opportunities to get stories. Advocates in Florida and Utah recommend incorporating story collection into your everyday interactions. By actively listening to friends, neighbors, your children’s teachers, or your parent’s home care worker, you can find some of the strongest consumer stories. Other groups, such as Citizen Action of Wisconsin, make sure to attend rallies and congressional town halls to gather petition signatures and names of engaged consumers. It’s key to have a quick, easy form to capture their information in a timely manner and then follow up later.

Make the most of online tools and technology

Advocates have many online tools at their disposal: Facebook, Twitter, Google ads, email, etc. According to Athena Ford of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, asking for stories via email has gotten the largest online response. Athena recommends asking for specific types of stories and urges advocates to frame the story request around a particular campaign or direct it at a key decision maker who is attempting to take away important services or consumer protections. If people on your email list or social media networks are given context and a reason to share their story, they are much more likely to do so.

Make the most of key partnerships

Some advocates advised spending time engaging coalition partners, direct service organizations, national partners, and the broader progressive community. Sue Berkowitz of South Carolina Appleseed and Brooke Hisle of Maryland Health Care for All Coalition say that partnerships are the most fruitful when you work with the right person, who can be anyone from a story bank coordinator to a local organizer or an executive director. Whoever the person, it’s critically important that they value story banking and are willing the devote time and resources to it. Sue added that partners are most helpful around specific and time-sensitive story requests—for example, when the request is for a reporter or legislative hearing. All advocates agreed that partnerships were also most successful when they were mutually beneficial. When possible, provide partners with resources, technical policy advice, and other capacity assistance.

Target your outreach

To garner support for public programs and enhance the effectiveness of legislative campaigns, increase efforts to collect certain types of stories. According to Sherry Prowda of the Herndon Alliance, it’s important to think through what type of story is best for the media or specific audiences. Generally speaking, the best stories come from small business owners receiving tax credits or those eager to use the exchange to bring down cost; people with pre-existing conditions; young adults who are able to stay on their parents’ plan until age 26; people of color; women; and seniors, people with disabilities, or kids receiving Medicaid coverage. Sherry added that uncomplicated stories work best because the worst health stories are often too extreme for the general public to relate.

Diversify your story bank

A robust story bank has consumers with a broad array of issues as well as consumers with different economic backgrounds, age, health status, ethnicity, and geographic areas. Nellie Price of Health Access California suggests partnering with groups that work to address inequality, such as disability coalitions, women’s groups, and multicultural organizations. These nontraditional partners will help you reach more diverse constituencies who have valuable health care stories and who can provide insight on ways policies can be more effective for all populations.

Vet consumer stories

According to many advocates, it is best to start with broad questions first when vetting a story. Open-ended topics prompt the consumer to do most of the talking. Once you have a general idea of their story, ask follow-up questions to identify additional details, get a sense for how the consumer talks about their story, and clarify any inconsistencies. After you’ve gathered all the necessary information, advocates suggest ending the conversation by reminding the consumer of the unique importance of their story and telling them how you’ll proceed. Reiterate that you will call again to ask permission before releasing their information to an outside party, such as a reporter or an elected official.

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