What's the difference between a campaign story and a policy platform?

A platform tells voters what you'll do. A story tells them who you are and why you'll do it. Both matter, but they do different things. Most voters don't decide based on a detailed policy comparison, but whether they believe a candidate understands them and will fight for the things they care about. Your story is the evidence for that belief.

Does my story of self need to be dramatic?

No. The most effective stories of self are often simple and specific – a conversation that changed your perspective, a problem you encountered in your own life, a moment of clarity about what you had to do. What makes a story of self work isn't drama, but authenticity and relatability. A story that reveals a genuine moment of decision or conviction is more powerful than one that dramatizes or exaggerates.

How do I make my story of now feel urgent without being manipulative?

The urgency in your story of now has to be grounded in real stakes for real people, not manufactured pressure or artificial deadlines. Talk about what actually happens if nothing changes, stating specific consequences for people in your community where possible. Then offer genuine hope: not false optimism, but a real reason to believe that action can make a difference.

How long should my campaign story be?

Build two versions: a full version of three to five minutes for contexts where you have time to tell it completely (a launch event, a major endorsement meeting, a town hall opening), and a shorter version under a minute for introductions, quick media opportunities, and canvassing conversations. Both should work independently – the short version isn't just the long one with pieces removed, it's its own distillation of the core story.

Should my volunteers tell their own stories?

Yes, and investing time to help them do it pays off significantly. A volunteer who can tell their own story of why they support you (their own story of self, their connection to the community, and their own call to action) is far more persuasive in their networks than one who is simply delivering your message. This is especially true in one-on-one conversations, where personal authenticity matters more than any script.

How to Run for Office · Section 15 of 17

Campaign Story

Your campaign story is how you move people from curiosity to commitment. Policy positions tell voters what you'll do; your story tells them who you are, what drives you, and why you're the right person to lead right now. Built on the public narrative framework developed by Marshall Ganz at Harvard's Kennedy School, your campaign story has three components: a story of self (your call to leadership), a story of us (the shared values that connect you to your community), and a story of now (the urgent challenge and specific call to action). This guide explains how to build each component, how to develop your story in long and short forms, and how to use it across your campaign.

Why your story matters

Policy positions are necessary but not sufficient. A voter who understands your position on local schools may or may not support you. A voter who understands why you care about local schools – what shaped that conviction, what you've seen, why you are the right person to do something about it – may connect with your campaign on a deeper level and do more than just vote.

Story creates that difference. When you share who you are, what drove you to run, and why you believe your community can meet this moment, you give people a reason to trust you that goes beyond a platform. You become someone they know something real about, not just a name on a mailer.

This matters throughout the campaign – at launch events, in fundraising conversations, at the door, in endorsement meetings, and in every piece of communication that carries your voice. A candidate who can tell a clear, compelling, authentic story has an advantage that no amount of policy research can substitute for.

The goal isn't to perform emotion or manufacture a narrative. It's to be honest about what brought you here and make that honesty visible to the people you're asking to support you.

The public narrative framework

The public narrative framework was developed by Marshall Ganz, a longtime organizer and lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School. It's used by campaigns, organizing movements, and community leaders around the world as a structured way to turn personal experience into collective motivation.

The framework has three components that work together. Each answers a different question that potential supporters are asking (consciously or not) when they encounter a candidate for the first time.

The three components of public narrative
Component	Purpose	Core question	What it answers for the audience
Story of self	Establish who you are and why you're called to lead	Why are you running?	Can I trust this person? Do they share my values? What makes them qualified beyond their resume?
Story of us	Connect your story to your community's shared values and experiences	What do we share?	Is this candidate one of us? Do they understand what matters to our community?
Story of now	Create urgency and issue a specific call to action	Why does this matter right now?	Why should I act? What happens if I don't? What specifically are they asking me to do?

The three components are designed to be used together, in order. Your story of self establishes who you are. Your story of us places you within a community and its values. Your story of now gives people a reason to act. Each builds on the one before it.

A note on frameworks

Public narrative is one well-regarded approach, not the only one. Other frameworks – from Simon Sinek's "Start With Why" to Aristotle's classical ethos, pathos, and logos – offer different lenses on the challenge of inspiring people to action (though Ganz's, unlike most others, is specifically political in its focus). What's consistent across all of them, and across every effective political story regardless of the framework used, is this: you have to genuinely connect your own story, values, and priorities to those of the people you're asking to vote for you. The framework is a tool. That connection is the goal.

Story of self: your call to leadership

Your story of self is not your biography, a list of credentials, or a summary of your professional history. It's the answer to a more personal question: what brought you to this moment?

The power of a story of self comes from specificity – not from telling people about your values in the abstract, but from showing them the moments in your life when those values shaped what you chose to do. A story about a specific time you saw something that troubled you, and what you did about it, is more compelling than any general statement of principles.

Questions to build your story of self

When did you first care about the issues you're running on? What made them feel important?
Was there a moment when you realized this was something you had to do something about, not just believe in?
What made you decide to run for office rather than find some other way to contribute?
What would it mean to you personally if the things you're running on actually changed?

You don't need a dramatic origin story. Many of the most effective stories of self are simple and relatable, like a conversation with a neighbor, a problem encountered in your own life, or a moment of frustration that turned into a decision. What makes them work is that they're real, they're specific, and they reveal something genuine about the person telling them.

One thing to avoid: a story of self that is entirely about others. "I'm running because of the people of this community" is a generous sentiment, but it leaves voters with no picture of who you actually are. The story of self is where you let people in to the experiences that made you who you are as a candidate.

Story of us: shared values in your community

Once you can tell your own story clearly, the next step is connecting it to something larger. Your story of us is about the values and experiences you share with the people in your district – not just what you have in common demographically, but what you believe together.

The "us" in a story of us is defined less by categories (neighborhood, profession, political affiliation) than by shared experience and the values that come from it. Stories of community are how those values come to life: the local institution that everyone in the district has a connection to, the challenge that affected a whole neighborhood, the thing that makes people here proud of where they live.

Questions to build your story of us

What do the people in your district share that isn't obvious from the outside?
What are the experiences (of daily struggles, of community, of the place itself) that shape who your neighbors are?
What do you personally love or admire about your community?
Where does your story of self connect to the experiences of the people you're trying to represent?

Your story of us is also where you make the case that you're not just running for your district, but as a part of it. A candidate who can genuinely articulate what this community values, why it matters, and how their own story is connected to that is a candidate who can make politics feel human.

The story of us should draw on real stories: specific people, specific places, specific moments in your community's history that illustrate the values you're talking about. Abstractions about "our community" don't land the way a specific, grounded story does.

Story of now: urgency and call to action

Your story of now is where you bring everything together and ask people to act. It's built on the foundation of your story of self (who you are and what drives you) and your story of us (what your community values and what connects you to it), but it points toward the future: why does this moment require action, and what specifically are you asking people to do?

A story of now without genuine urgency is just a closing statement, so the urgency needs to be real and tied to actual stakes for actual people.

What your story of now must address

The challenge. What is the specific problem or opportunity that makes this election matter? Not in the abstract, but concretely: what is at stake for the people in your district if nothing changes?
The hope. What makes you believe change is possible? What evidence do you have that the community can meet this challenge?
The ask. What specifically are you asking people to do? Vote for you, volunteer, donate, come to an event, tell their neighbors? The ask needs to be specific to be actionable.
The invitation. "Will you join me?" The story of now ends with a direct invitation to become part of something, not just a passive audience for it.

The call to action in your story of now will be different depending on the context. At a fundraising event, you're asking for donations. At a volunteer recruitment meeting, you're asking for time. At a voter contact door, you're asking for a vote and perhaps a commitment to bring others along. The framework stays the same; the specific ask changes.

Building and practicing your story

Knowing the framework is the beginning, not the end. Your story needs to be built, tested, and practiced before it will do what you need it to do.

Develop two versions

Build at least two versions of your complete story:

A longer version (three to five minutes). This is for settings where you have time to tell it fully: a campaign launch, a major endorsement meeting, a town hall. It should include enough detail and specific moments to make the story real.
A shorter version (under a minute). This is for introductions, canvassing conversations, quick media opportunities, and any situation where attention is limited. It should capture the essence without losing the authenticity.

Both versions need to work independently. The short version shouldn't feel like it's missing something, and the long version shouldn't feel padded. Write each one with its specific context in mind.

Practice out loud

A story that reads well on paper often sounds different when spoken. Practice your story out loud (not just in your head) with people who can give you honest feedback. Does it feel authentic? Does the progression from self to us to now land? Is the urgency in the story of now actually felt, or does it seem stated?

Iteration matters here. The first version of your story is rarely the best one. Early feedback from trusted advisors, friends, or family members will identify the moments that work and the ones that don't. Keep what resonates and rework what doesn't.

Help your supporters find their own stories

Your story alone can only travel as far as you can personally reach. One of the most powerful things you can do as a candidate is help your supporters develop their own stories – their own answers to why they support you, why this community matters to them, and why this moment requires action.

A volunteer who can tell their own story of self, connect it to a story of us, and make a story of now ask is exponentially more effective than one who can only deliver a script. When you invest time helping your key supporters work through their stories, you're building a network of advocates who can speak authentically to their own networks, reaching people and communities you'd never reach alone.

Where to use your story throughout the campaign

Your campaign story isn't a speech you give once at launch and file away. It's the connective tissue of everything your campaign communicates. The specific version you tell will change depending on context, but the core – who you are, why you're connected to this community, why this moment matters – should be consistent everywhere.

Launch and public events. The launch event is where you tell the full story for the first time, publicly. Set the tone here: if your story is authentic and well-delivered at launch, it gives your whole campaign a foundation to build on.
Fundraising conversations. The most effective fundraising asks connect the story of now to the specific ask. People give to candidates they believe in, and they believe in candidates whose story connects with them.
Endorsement meetings. Organizational endorsers are evaluating whether to lend their credibility to your campaign. Your story – particularly your story of us – is evidence that you understand their community and share their values.
Voter contact conversations. At the door or on the phone, a brief version of your story of self and story of now gives undecided voters something to connect to beyond a policy position. Canvassers who can tell a short, genuine version of why they support you are more persuasive than those who only read a script.
Media and public appearances. Reporters and debate moderators will ask why you're running. A clear, practiced story of self is a better answer than a list of policy priorities.
Digital and social media. Your story of self and story of us translate well to social media in short, specific formats. A video of you at a meaningful place in your community, or a post about a moment that shaped your conviction, does more for authentic connection than a policy announcement.

Next steps

Answer the story of self questions. Write down the moments and choices that brought you to this candidacy. Look for the specific, the concrete, the honest. That's where your story lives.
Connect your story to your community. Find the values and experiences you share with your district. Where does your story of self meet the story of your community?
Build your story of now. Be specific about the challenge, the hope, and the ask. Know what you're asking people to do before you finish the story.
Write two versions. A full three-to-five minute version and a version under a minute. Practice both out loud until they feel natural, not recited.
Get feedback. Share your story with trusted advisors, friends, or family. Ask specifically: does it feel authentic? Does the urgency land? Is the call to action clear?
Help your supporters find their stories. Walk your key volunteers and early supporters through the same framework. A campaign full of people who can tell their own story is far more powerful than one where only the candidate can.

Frequently asked questions

What is the public narrative framework?: Public narrative is a framework for turning personal experience into collective motivation, developed by Marshall Ganz, an organizer and lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School. It structures a story into three components: a story of self (your call to leadership), a story of us (the shared values of your community), and a story of now (the urgent challenge and call to action). It's used by campaigns and community organizing efforts around the world as a way to make authentic connection between a leader and the people they're trying to move.
What's the difference between a campaign story and a policy platform?: A platform tells voters what you'll do. A story tells them who you are and why you'll do it. Both matter, but they do different things. Most voters don't decide based on a detailed policy comparison, but whether they believe a candidate understands them and will fight for the things they care about. Your story is the evidence for that belief.
Does my story of self need to be dramatic?: No. The most effective stories of self are often simple and specific – a conversation that changed your perspective, a problem you encountered in your own life, a moment of clarity about what you had to do. What makes a story of self work isn't drama, but authenticity and relatability. A story that reveals a genuine moment of decision or conviction is more powerful than one that dramatizes or exaggerates.
How do I make my story of now feel urgent without being manipulative?: The urgency in your story of now has to be grounded in real stakes for real people, not manufactured pressure or artificial deadlines. Talk about what actually happens if nothing changes, stating specific consequences for people in your community where possible. Then offer genuine hope: not false optimism, but a real reason to believe that action can make a difference.
How long should my campaign story be?: Build two versions: a full version of three to five minutes for contexts where you have time to tell it completely (a launch event, a major endorsement meeting, a town hall opening), and a shorter version under a minute for introductions, quick media opportunities, and canvassing conversations. Both should work independently – the short version isn't just the long one with pieces removed, it's its own distillation of the core story.
Should my volunteers tell their own stories?: Yes, and investing time to help them do it pays off significantly. A volunteer who can tell their own story of why they support you (their own story of self, their connection to the community, and their own call to action) is far more persuasive in their networks than one who is simply delivering your message. This is especially true in one-on-one conversations, where personal authenticity matters more than any script.

← Back to the full course