Don’t Just Show the Data — Tell the Story 🤌
Most Product Managers have the Data — but few know how to Make it Matter.
Welcome to Part 5 of "Product Voyagers' Sprint: Storytelling in Product 🤌".
A 7-part, hands-on course that turns everyday communication into powerful mini-narratives.
When Data Fails to Speak
Some time ago, a senior business leader — let’s call her Anna — invited us to a meeting to present her refreshed strategy. It was a big moment: she had just taken over a team that had been drifting without clear direction. The meeting was meant to align product, design, engineering, and business on a new path forward.
Before the session, she shared a deck as a pre-read. Curious, I opened it right away. After scrolling through the first few slides, I glanced at the sidebar.
Ninety slides? Really?
Still, I gave it a shot.
The beginning covered business performance, including how different markets were doing, what looked promising, and where things were lagging.
However, I got lost quickly in the flood of numbers. Page after page of charts, percentages, A vs B vs C vs D… all without a clear takeaway.
I hoped the live presentation would bring it to life. It didn’t.
Anna walked us through the deck, slide by slide, until a senior engineering leader finally said what many of us were thinking:
I don’t understand how to read these numbers.
What are they telling us, and what should we prioritize?
The moment was honest and devastating. The alignment goal dissolved into silence. Anna took on the challenge, answered some questions and wrapped up the call saying, It seems we’re aligned. But in reality, we weren’t.
What Went Wrong?
Anna believed that “you can’t argue with data.” In theory, she was right. In practice, it was a mess.
Her slides were packed with:
1–2 sentence long headlines and numbers
Tables comparing multiple variables
Dozens of graphs without clear conclusions
There was no main message. Just data, detached from story, impact, or decisions.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen this happen in many product presentations. Product managers often have the data. What they lack is the story.
So let’s talk about how to fix that.
Start Here: The 3 Golden Rules of Data Storytelling
If you remember one thing from this article, let it be this: your job is not to present data — it’s to make it stick.
Here are three golden rules to help you do that:
🥇 1. Choose Three Numbers. Repeat Them Relentlessly.
Pick the three most important numbers you want your audience to remember. These numbers should tie directly to:
A real problem
A clear opportunity
A decision that needs to be made
And then? Repeat them.
Say them early (in your intro), reinforce them through the body of your deck, and say them again at the end. A good product story doesn’t bury the lead — it drives it home.
📌 Example:
42% of new users drop off before completing onboarding. That’s nearly half of our potential customers walking away before they even see the product — which is why simplifying onboarding is our top priority this cycle.
Only 9% of orders use the new reordering feature — despite it being built for 60% of our most frequent users. That gap shows we have a discoverability problem, not a functionality one — which is why we’re testing new entry points this month.
🥈 2. Tell a Story, Not a Spreadsheet
Data without structure is noise. Frame your narrative using a simple arc:
Problem — What’s broken or painful for users?
Pattern — What’s the data telling us?
Opportunity — What can we do about it?
Drop the temptation to go slide-by-slide through analysis. Lead people through a journey.
Bonus tip: Pair your data with a moment. For example:
Imagine trying to order baby food at 2am, and the app shows dog food instead. That’s what 22% of new parents are experiencing.
Now your numbers have a heartbeat.
🥉 3. Tailor the Story to Your Audience
Different people care about different things.
Your VP wants to know: how does this impact revenue, users, or strategic direction?
Your engineers want: what’s technically feasible and what tradeoffs are involved?
Your designers want: what’s the user behavior and pain?
Don’t deliver the same story to every stakeholder. Reframe the same data based on who’s in the room.
🎯 Tip: Before presenting, ask yourself:
What does this person care about? What decision do they need to make?
From Raw Data to Resonant Narrative
Let’s break down the craft of building your data story.
1. Start with a Hypothesis
Before diving into the data, be clear on what you’re looking for. Data is endless. Direction is not.
Ask:
What am I trying to prove, disprove, or explore?
Which data points help me do that?
📌 Example:
Hypothesis: Users abandon cart due to surprise fees.
Data: Drop-off rates at fee step, feedback comments, impact of free shipping tests.
2. Highlight Your Methodology (Even Briefly)
Especially when working with experimentation, mixed data sources, or limitations — tell people how you got the data. This builds credibility and keeps the room grounded in reality.
Even a simple line can help:
We ran this A/B test across 12 markets, holding constant for delivery zones.
Or:
This data excludes one market due to tracking gaps — but the pattern is consistent across all others.
3. Blend Quant with Qual
Some insights need numbers. Others need a voice. Use support tickets, user quotes, or screen recordings to reinforce key patterns. This gives texture to your story.
📌 Example:
Only 3% of users who start filtering by dietary preferences end up placing an order. One user told us: ‘I couldn’t tell what’s vegan and what’s not. I gave up and used a different app.’
4. Be Honest About Gaps and Contradictions
Sophisticated data storytellers don’t hide weak spots —t hey highlight them thoughtfully.
📌 Example:
Interestingly, while conversions improved 12%, average order value dipped. We believe it’s due to the placement of promotional items, but we need to investigate further.
This builds trust. It also invites collaboration.
5. Use Storytelling Beyond Presentations
Data storytelling isn't just for fancy decks. You can (and should) apply it in:
Roadmaps: Use data to justify priorities
PRDs: Anchor your feature rationale in observed patterns
Decision logs: Summarize trade-offs clearly with numbers
OKR reviews: Reflect on progress with a story arc, not just a table
Wherever decisions are made — storytelling belongs.
Final Thoughts: Your Data is only as Good as the Story it Tells
As product managers, we don’t just work with data. We advocate with it.
The best stories don’t overwhelm. They clarify.
So next time you prepare to “present data,” ask yourself:
What are the 3 numbers I want everyone to remember?
How does this story unfold?
Who am I speaking to — and what do they care about?
Data is powerful. But only when it’s felt, not just seen.
You’ve just read Part 5 of our 7-part Storytelling Sprint 🤌
If this clicked, don’t stop here. Catch up on what’s already dropped 👇 and get ready for what’s next: the tools, tactics, and our full storytelling cheat sheet 🧠
