Why Data Storytelling is the Secret to Gaining the Audience Trust

Published on 03.09.2025 by Chizoba T

According to Edelman’s study, “price” is the most critical factor people consider when buying a product. The study indicates that the second factor is trust. That means for a successful social media marketing strategy, it is essential to cultivate your audience’s trust. To successfully do that, you need to be consistent in your social media content creation. 

You should also leverage well-crafted stories to position yourself as a trusted resource. While you can tell your stories differently, one of the most effective ways is through data storytelling to captivate your audience. In this article, we will guide you on how to use data storytelling to increase your audience’s trust.

What is Data Storytelling?

Data Storytelling is using a story to give meaning to a dataset in a way that resonates well with your audience. It combines visuals, data, and a story to create a tool to inform and persuade. With the vast amount of data available, brands struggle to convert data into actionable insights.

Data storytelling can bridge the gap as it makes complex concepts more understandable and relatable. It turns the abstract data into narratives that resonate with their audience. To provide a clear, actionable, and compelling story, you need to use different skills such as:

  • Data analysis 
  • Domain knowledge
  • Visualization
  • Thoughtful presentation

Instead of sharing the raw data, you can create a data story that clearly illustrates its purpose and context. This ensures that the story resonates with the target audience.

Why Use Data Storytelling to Build Trust

In an era when challenges and competition in social media marketing are increasing, it is now more critical than ever for brands to build trust. In a social media crisis, the people who will defend and stand with your brand have earned their trust. The Edelman study shows that when people trust a brand, they are more likely to: 

  • Buy it even when it's not the cheapest.
  • Be loyal to the brand.
  • Be ready to try out the brand’s product.

The study also shows that when people trust a brand:

  • They are more likely to share its content or give positive reviews about the brand.
  • Recommend the brand to the people close to them.
  • Defend it from criticism.

However, it's important to note that brand trust isn't given but earned, as it has become harder nowadays. Most studies indicate that people now demand more from brands, especially in how they act and think. 

The good news is that data storytelling can help you build a deeper connection with your audience and gain their trust because data can be effective in revealing complex numbers. When you dig deeper into the data, you can see different stories packaged in trends, correlations, and outliers. 

The stories can offer a clearer picture of any particular subject. Additionally, the insights gained from data can influence behavior, expand knowledge, and change how people view things strongly. When you create a strong narrative backed by data, you will be perceived as creating factual content. 

How to Use Data Storytelling to Gain the Audience’s Trust

Whether your data storytelling visuals are a social media infographic, a website interactive element, or a detailed article, you can use data storytelling to position yourself as an expert and provide unique insight into your brand. If you are unaware of how to use data storytelling to build trust, here are three ways to help you get started: 

Position Yourself as a Reliable Source

Using generative AI to create content, images, and videos has made it harder to differentiate between real and fake news. This means that social media users are now searching for reliable sources that they can trust. When you back up your stories with reliable data, you are more likely to come out as trustworthy.

Be Honest

While there is a lot of data out there, one of the most powerful tools you should leverage as a data source is a company's internal data. When you share data that isn't in the public gallery, you can provide social media users with important insight about your brand. By showing transparency, you can show the vulnerable side of your brand, leading to a greater level of trust.

For instance, if you market yourself as a manufacturer in sustained manufacturing, you can back up your claims using data, such as how the use of your products helps reduce the amount of plastic getting into landfills. 

You can also showcase different data points, such as the average rating in customer service, the number of users of your products, and your successful initiatives. In addition to your external audiences, this kind of data storytelling can help increase your organization's trust. By showing clarity and transparency, you will also gain the trust of your audiences.

Show Value

People are more interested in the value offered by a company as much as its products and services. You can use data storytelling to show people the behind-the-scenes operation, and concretely show who you are. Also, when you use data to show people what they care about, people are more likely to support your brand.

Therefore, consider the things that show your values and cultures. What is the number of hours your team has spent this year? How many bales of clothes did you donate to the less fortunate? All these can make interesting data points..

Final Thoughts

Data storytelling can help you transform raw data into valuable insights. By backing your stories with data, you can position yourself as a trusted thought leader in your industry. It also makes complex data comprehensible, actionable, and engaging. If you are getting started with data storytelling and wondering how to go about it, our detailed guide will place you on the right path.