Tips for identifying "feel-good" stories for storytelling
Use this page when you need to identify human-centered stories with emotion, campus relevance, and clear proof points.
Story finder
Spot stories with people, emotion, and campus impact.
Feel-good stories work best when they are grounded in a real person, a clear act of care, and a reason the wider campus or local community should care. Use this guide to identify promising leads before turning them into a media pitch, story submission, or social content idea.
01 / Story signals
Look for the human part of the work.
A feel-good story is not just a nice activity. It has a person, a meaningful action, and a visible benefit to students, associates, campus partners, or the local community.
Individual team members, chefs, associates, students, or community partners making a difference.
Acts of goodwill, uplifting moments, philanthropy, donations, volunteer work, or service-driven initiatives.
Photos, videos, quotes, numbers, testimonials, or examples that make the impact easy to understand.
02 / Find leads
Build story-spotting into regular conversations.
If someone on your team would make a strong story, use these paths to surface the details before reaching out to broadcast media or submitting the lead.
Ask associates
Ask Chartwells associates whether they do community or volunteer work they are passionate about.
Use social media
Ask for examples of community heroes and keep DMs open so people can respond privately with story ideas.
Watch local news
Monitor local news for feel-good human interest stories and potential community heroes your team could connect with.
03 / Examples
Use examples to understand the shape of a strong story.
These examples show the kinds of human-centered angles that can work well: community service, campus impact, nonprofit partnerships, and recognizable local moments.
04 / Next step
Gather enough context before pitching or submitting.
Before a story moves forward, collect the details that help the communications team quickly understand the hook, audience, visuals, and proof.
Keep shaping the story
Need a chef or campus voice?
Use the chef Q&A guide when the story needs a stronger person-first angle, or return to the Storytelling Hub for related resources.