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Yeah, I Said It...
Every Tuesday, The Productive Disruptive delivers storytelling science, message makeovers, cultural commentary, and a little rebellious hope for anyone still stubborn enough to believe communication can change the world.
Dorian Johnson
July 29, 2025
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Let me tell you what didn’t happen…
I didn’t sit down and write a post with a particular goal. If anything, I would’ve loved it if someone chuckled.
I didn’t A/B test captions, stress over a call to action, or even rollout a clever hashtag strategy.
I just made a simple post (that you can do too).
The post was a simple meme.
People felt it.
Not because it was fancy. But because it was familiar.
It was the kind of post that stops people mid-scroll with “I agree” energy.
That’s when I realized
It wasn’t just a joke.
It was a microstory.
It didn’t need a full arc.
It just needed a spark of truth, a flicker of recognition, a flash of tension.
Because a microstory doesn’t just deliver a message.
It creates a moment.
And when that moment lands?
People don’t just scroll.
They share.
But let’s pause a bit before we go deeper...
🪞Reflect for a second:
Think back to the last meme you saved, sent, or screenshot for later.
What made it stick with you?
How did it make you feel?
Did it say something you’ve wanted to say out loud?
Seriously, explore that.
Because inside that reaction is data.
It tells you what you care about.
It tells you what you’re willing to align yourself with.
And maybe even what kind of person you want to be seen as.
Wildly enough, it’s intel, and it can help you become a more effective storyteller.
That’s another marker of memes.
They carry identity.
And when you share one, you’re sharing a version of yourself.
They move at a rapid speed and land at the heart of how people want to be perceived.
(Hint: it’ll likely be a socially desirable characteristic)
Let’s break down this meme
Story structure inside the meme
Element | What’s Happening |
|---|---|
Character 1 (Protagonist) | A public health professional, embodied by Rihanna. The truth-teller. The challenger. |
Character 2 (Antagonist / Claim) | A widespread belief that is responsible for unhelpful attitudes and behaviors |
Tension | The visual rejection of an oversimplified, blame-heavy idea. You can feel the “nope.” |
If this resonates with you…
What emotion can you notice and name as the protagonist here?
Write it down.
📌 You can use that later, in your own microstory.
What do I believe makes this work?
A strong microstory…
Doesn’t overexplain → It trusts the audience to fill in the gaps.
Builds emotional connection quickly → They’ve probably made that same face and likely at that same idea.
Signals shared values → When people repost this, they aren’t promoting me.
They’re saying: “This reflects what I believe.”
And here’s what hits different:
When someone shares a meme like this, they’re also sharing a piece of themselves.
It’s identity-affirming.
🧠 Story Science Side Note: Ever see a face and instantly feel what they’re feeling? Psychologists call it emotional contagion. When we mimic someone’s expression or posture, we often catch their emotion, too.
Same Format, Lower Stakes
How might you use this same format for something you want to tell?
So, whether your message is about public health or pizza preferences, the structure remains the same.
Because the microstory isn’t about the scale of the topic.
It’s about the spark.
📝 Message Makeover: Engagement
What people say:
“We need better engagement.”
What they often mean:
More likes. Higher reach. Feeding the algorithm.
But here’s the flip:
Engagement isn't just scrolling or saving.
It's when someone sees your message and says:
“This is me.”
“This is what I’ve been trying to say.”
“I need someone else to see this.”
The goal is to speak to humans, not platforms. The algorithm will follow the people.
So remember to speak to people first.
🛠️ The PHacilitator’s Corner:
So you thought back to the last meme you saved, sent, or screenshotted.
How could you tell that same truth?
👉🏾 Could you use a face (or something visual) to show a reaction?
👉🏾 Could you let emotional contagion carry the message before the caption even hits?
👉🏾 What does it say about someone if they were to share it?
Memes move because they say something about the message and about the person sharing it.
Use that.
That’s the power of a microstory.
That’s all, folks
PS: “Yeah, I Said It” is the title of a Rihanna song if you weren’t sure where the subject line came from.