How Tape a Tale is turning poets into brand storytellers one collab at a time

New Delhi: Brands are realising that while jokes and fashion tips are fun, there’s something truly magical about a well-crafted story or a heartfelt poem that hits you right in the feels. Enter poets and storytellers—niche influencers who are quickly becoming the secret sauce brands never knew they needed. 

It's like the world finally woke up and said, "Hey, maybe we don't need another meme. How about something that tugs at the heartstrings?" And just like that, brands have are leaning more into emotional, narrative-driven creator content that connects with audiences on a whole new level. 

Kopal Khanna, Founder, Tape A Tale, recalled a time not so long ago when the idea of brands working with poets and storytellers felt like an uphill battle. “Just three years back, we were practically begging brands to see the potential of storytelling and poetry for their ROI, views, and engagement,” she said. Comedy dominated then—everyone wanted comedians, not poets.

But times have changed. "We had to build our case, even doing brand deals at lower rates just to prove storytelling could be a real asset," Khanna shared. Now, brands are excited about genuine, heartfelt stories and poetic campaigns. Take Jeevansathi’s recent campaign, for example—it hit 10 million organic views in a day, something unheard of for a brand project. For Tape a Tale, the world has finally opened up to the art of story-led branding, and the future looks pretty poetic.

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According to Khanna, it's not just about numbers; it's about the raw emotion and relatability that poetry brings to the table. While other art forms may hide behind glitzy visuals or quirky jokes, storytelling lays it all bare, making it a perfect fit for brands aiming to connect on a deeper level. 

“For instance, Lenskart and Cadbury are now embracing this space, with poetry and storytelling becoming their go-to choices to evoke emotions and speak to their audience honestly. Plus, it’s a budget-friendly and simple form of content creation—minimal setup, maximum impact,” she said.

In 2017, Khanna launched ‘Tape A Tale’ due to the urge to create a space where people could be real. Social media back then was all sunshine and picture-perfect lives, but her friends were sharing their heartbreaks and struggles in private. She wanted to build a community where people could be honest without judgment. 

She recalled, “I just wanted to create a space where people could be their vulnerable, honest selves without feeling judged.”

So, she launched a website where people could submit audio stories.

It was a side hustle until, ironically, her full-time job let her go the day after ‘Tape A Tale’ launched. Without a backup, she took on part-time gigs to keep afloat while building her dream. When only a handful of listeners tuned in, she nervously organised a live event—and it changed everything. The room was filled with raw, heartfelt stories. Khanna knew then she wanted to do this forever.

She said, “It was the most powerful room I’d been in—people were laughing, crying, and connecting on such a deep level. That’s when I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.”

Today, ‘Tape A Tale’ has grown from small gatherings to nearly 40 events each month. With viral YouTube videos and a thriving community, it’s come a long way from that passion project she started in a cafe, on a whim, fueled by stories and vulnerability.

While Tape a Tale does events and earns from YouTube ads as well, its main sources of income are experiential marketing and branded content. 

Khanna knew early on that brand collaborations would be the way to sustain ‘Tape A Tale’—she just wasn’t sure how to find them. The first brand deal landed somewhat serendipitously, through a part-time job with AkkarBakkar. When the founder, Diksha Dwivedi, was working on a Tinder campaign but needed a live storytelling angle, ‘Tape A Tale’ became the perfect fit. They ended up curating stories from people who met on Tinder, blending real and fictional tales. “It was low on money,” Khanna laughed, “but big on impact.”

With time, Khanna honed her approach to brand storytelling, creating narratives that could resonate deeply with audiences. “We really understand how to tell brand stories,” she said. “We’re day in and day out working with storytellers. We know how to take a product and make it shine through a beautifully crafted narrative.”

One standout project was ‘Muskrao’ Nayab Midha, a campaign for Perfora that celebrated the power of a smile with poetic storytelling. “It blew up on the internet,” Khanna said proudly, “and showed brands the potential of spoken word.”

From intimate events to “phygital” (physical + digital) experiences, ‘Tape A Tale’ now offers unique brand storytelling options. Recently, they hosted a campaign for a female hygiene brand (yet to go live), where storytellers shared heartfelt and humorous period stories, breaking taboos with warmth. It beautifully captured Tape A Tale’s ability to create meaningful brand moments. 

“People shared stories around their first encounter with periods—men and women alike. It was raw, it was honest, and it was exactly why Tape A Tale exists: to make storytelling powerful, personal, and unforgettable.”

Khanna and her team are selective about the brands they collaborate with. Operating with a “very lean” team of 15, including four people in the brand solutions division, ‘Tape A Tale’ focuses on quality over quantity. “You won’t see us taking on everything and anything. We carefully curate each campaign to make it meaningful.”

One standout example is their partnership with SBI Life. “The first quarter of this year was all about SBI Life’s ‘Beyond the Boundary’, one of our biggest campaigns,” Khanna shared. With SBI Life's recent partnership with IPL’s Lucknow Giants, ‘Tape A Tale’ created a unique, cricket-themed event at Mumbai’s Famous Studios. “It was a celebration of cricket fans from across India—some well-known, like Mayanti Langer, and others just everyday people with amazing stories,” she said. They curated an 11-person lineup, symbolising a cricket team, with each participant sharing personal journeys related to their cricket dreams.

We spent nearly three months crafting this experience,” Khanna said, emphasising the dedication her small team brings to every project. But even with limited hands, her company thrives by pulling in extra support when needed. “For big events like SBI Life’s, we bring on additional project-based help to ensure everything runs smoothly. A lean team doesn’t limit us; if anything, it makes us more focused.”

While Tape a Tale offers performance marketing-led campaigns, its main play has always been brand-building campaigns. “The most successful campaigns have been the ones where we have created IPs for the brands,” she added. 

According to Khanna, performance marketing campaigns work better if they are built up after the brand has done extensive brand-building exercises. “So many times, brands ask us for the digital rights of the campaigns on which they run performance marketing,” she said. 

Khanna said that Tape A Tale has mastered the art of collaboration with brands and agencies alike, often juggling creative freedom with brand mandates.

“Initially, there was a lot of back and forth. But after seven years, I understand where everyone’s coming from. There’s always negotiation, but sometimes you manage to win those creative discussions,” she commented. Despite occasional challenges with brand mandates and creative interference, Khanna is clear-eyed about the process. “Brands have their mandates—they’re paying, after all. You can debate, but it’s all about finding a balance. Over time, I think we’ve become quite good at handling it.”

Khanna emphasised that while many agencies and platforms offer branded content and experiential marketing, ‘Tape A Tale’ stands out due to its deep understanding of brand needs, its curated talent pool, and its strong distribution network. "Platforms like ‘UnErase Poetry’ and ‘Spill Poetry’ work in similar spaces but are more focused on distribution and poetry than brand-led content," she explained. 

“Our unique edge,” she continued, “is that we can be a one-stop solution. We don’t just ideate or co-create—we create and execute. We don’t need a third party to manage or build our events and brand campaigns. We’re equipped to handle it all, start to finish.”

Khanna takes a careful approach to talent management. Instead of signing every storyteller or poet who knocks, she keeps her roster lean and focused. “It would be tempting,” she explained, “to onboard 50 talents and route all their earnings through me. But that’s not ethical or realistic if I can’t truly deliver for them.”

Her approach is all about quality over quantity. Unlike larger talent agencies juggling hundreds of artists, ‘Tape A Tale’ prioritises each talent. “When you manage 100 people,” she said, “who are you really selling? How are you prioritising them?” Rather than spreading thin, she ensures every artist gets the attention and opportunities they deserve. And if someone outside the poetry or storytelling sphere reaches out, ‘Tape A Tale’ will help in non-exclusive ways.

‘Tape A Tale’ boasts a lineup of storytellers and poets, with exclusive partnerships with 15 talented artists, including Yahya Bootwala, Priya Malik, Vanika Sangtani, Gunjan Saini, Amandeep Singh, and Helly Shah. They also collaborate non-exclusively with notable names like Nayab Midha and Laksh Maheshwari.

Khanna added, "It’s not just storytellers and poets—we also work with comedians and other creatives."

Besides its core artists, the platform collaborates with other influencers to boost brand campaigns, bringing a fresh, multifaceted approach to storytelling and engagement.

Looking ahead, Tape A Tale aims to expand its footprint in events and digital experiences, creating larger IPs and festival events for brands with an enhanced distribution network. 

Khanna never planned to manage artists—Tape a Tale was meant to be a pure storytelling platform. But as storytellers and poets on her platform went viral, amassed followings, she realised the need for a guiding hand. “If we didn’t step in, the industry would be scattered, with everyone fending for themselves,” she laughed. So, they took the reins to bring structure, setting fair rates and partnership standards to keep the scene cohesive.

As for the future? Khanna’s eyeing new territory. “I’d love to bring in more digital storytellers—those crafting emotional, funny, or downright powerful tales on Instagram,” she said. And in five years? “Why not storytellers on screen? Web series, shows...that’s the dream.” 

When asked about 2-3 things people must keep in mind while creating content for social media, Khanna said, “There’s no foolproof formula.” 

After eight years of running Tape a Tale and managing social media platforms, she knows there will always be that hit-and-miss element. But one thing that has worked for them? Consistency. For seven years, they've posted a new story every Saturday at 11 AM—no exceptions. 

However, in the world of algorithms, where trends change faster than you can blink, flexibility is key. “We were huge on YouTube for the longest time, but then Instagram threw in reels. And our stories are 7-8 minutes long—totally not reel material! So we had to adapt without losing our essence.” 

Her advice for content creators? Keep up with trends, stay on top of your game, and always, always create for the love of it. If you’re chasing views or following trends just for the sake of it, you’re likely to fall short. “It’s an algorithm game, and one small change behind the scenes can throw everything off. You just have to be adaptable, consistent, and love what you do—because that’s when the magic happens.”