Innovation Impact: How Rachel Petzold Uses Storytelling to Supercharge Product Success
When I first met Rachel Petzold through Fractionals United, I had the same reaction a lot of people have when they encounter a true product storyteller: "Wait, why isn't everyone thinking about innovation this way?"
We recently sat down to talk about how innovation, community feedback, and storytelling shape products people actually love — and how so many founders and companies miss the mark.
If you're building a product (or rebuilding a broken one), I think you’ll find this discussion to be inspirational and a helpful playbook.
Start with Chaos (Yes, Really)
Rachel's first advice was simple and disarming: "Start messy."
When you're shaping a product story, don't rush to polish it. Instead:
Talk out loud about your idea — in all its half-formed, chaotic glory.
Let contradictions surface naturally.
Watch what metaphors, emotions, and worries keep showing up.
The goal isn't perfection. It's to find the heartbeat.
“When you say it out loud, you’ll feel when it’s true," Rachel told me.
In working together with Rachel on the startup TalentLed, I can’t tell you how many times our team found it helpful when she asked us to articulate something about the product and how the group collectively lit up when we landed on something that simply felt true.
Community Feedback Isn't Optional (But It's Dangerous)
One of the strongest themes from our conversation: Community involvement is critical — but dangerous if you do it wrong.
Rachel's framework for gathering feedback:
Before asking for feedback, get clear on who your personas actually are.
Don't mistake "everyone's opinion" for good product insight.
Use community input to refine the path — not to rewrite the map.
I loved Rachel's analogy here. Taking an idea into a community without clear guide rails is like asking 100 people to build a house without showing them a blueprint.
Chaos isn't the problem. Lack of intent is.
Story First, Feature Second
In our work together on startups like TalentLed, Rachel constantly reminded our team of a hard truth:
“Nobody falls in love with features. They fall in love with what those features mean for them.”
Practical how-to advice here:
Write your product story as if you're telling it to a friend who isn't in tech.
Focus on problems solved, emotions evoked, futures unlocked.
THEN talk about features — but only after the story lands.
In practice, we found this often meant cutting 70% of the "cool stuff" we wanted to show off… and focusing instead on two or three ideas that truly mattered to our users.
Beware Design by Committee (and Other Innovation Killers)
Community feedback is powerful. Design by committee is deadly.
Rachel gave some battle-tested advice for keeping your innovation process healthy:
Be opinionated in the design phase. You can’t crowdsource vision.
Find alignment with your top funders and stakeholders early.
Use community to test, validate, and enhance — not to dictate.
In Rachel's words: "Be a magnet, not a mirror." Invite feedback, but stay true to the center of gravity that makes your product matter.
Create "Minimally Lovable Products"
You've heard of MVPs (Minimum Viable Products).
Rachel advocates something deeper: MLPs — Minimal Lovable Products.
What's the difference?
MVP: It technically works.
MLP: People want it, love it, and tell others about it.
The "lovable" part almost always comes from emotional resonance, not technical perfection.
When we worked together on the early stages of TalentLed, Rachel helped us say no to a lot of "nice-to-have" features — and stay laser-focused on delivering something people would feel was built for them. I smile when I remember how many times Rachel would say, “That’s a great idea. We are definitely going to do that, but let’s maybe push it to the next iteration of development.” Without that reminder, we could have become bogged down in never-ending scope creep.
Framework: Chaos and Innuendo
Rachel’s personal storytelling framework — Chaos and Innuendo — is deceptively simple:
Chaos: Let people talk. Let the story emerge.
Innuendo: Listen between the lines. Find the truth that people don't always know how to say directly.
If you’re shaping a product narrative, start every conversation assuming you don’t know the full story yet. Let patterns surface through energy, surprise, resistance.
I’ve adopted this method myself. It’s faster, more honest, and frankly… a lot more fun.
Bonus: The Starbucks Sharpie Test
One of my favorite Rachel-isms from the interview was her "Starbucks Sharpie Test."
“Take a giant piece of paper to Starbucks. Sketch out your idea. When people ask what you’re doing, buy them a coffee and get their gut reaction.”
You can't hide behind a pitch deck or a branding guide at Starbucks. You’ll get honest, fast reactions. And sometimes, that's where your breakthrough will come from. I loved the personal approach inherent in this method.
Wrapping It Up: Innovation Needs a Story, Not Just a Strategy
Innovation isn't about building a better mousetrap. It's about making people care that you built it. Rachel Petzold's approach reminds us that storytelling isn't some "soft skill" bolted onto innovation later. It is innovation.
The next time you launch something — or rethink something that's struggling — ask yourself:
Are we solving a real problem?
Are we telling a story people can believe in?
Are we listening to the right voices, at the right time?
If the answer isn't yes yet, go back to chaos. Talk it out. Find the heartbeat.
Ready to build your next great product story? Schedule a consultation.
ABOUT RACHEL PETZOLD
Rachel is a product leader that spends more of her time these days focusing on product storytelling. She is Chief Product Officer for a number of start-ups and businesses that are looking to grow their revenue and impact. She lives with her family in Frisco, Texas and grew up in Portland, Oregon, where she learned to innovate alongside her father, who gave her the nickname of "Gossamer Girl".
Show Notes
The Road to Innovation (4:48): Rachel chronicles her journey of working with companies in product innovation and storytelling. There is a warning around falling in love with a solution without actually talking to the intended community. There is a balance between the opinions of the consumers and the opinions of the people paying for the development of the product. Community provides an opportunity for more genuine conversations.
Community Collaboration (16:01): Community accelerates the ability to talk to a lot of people and get feedback, positive or negative. On the flip side, there have also been cases of community derailing product innovation. Taking an idea to community can lead to analysis paralysis.
Phases and Startups (23:47): The design phase has to be opinionated and alignment among the top funders/supporters. Then community feedback can be gleamed for incremental changes. Rachel touches on the difference between joining a large corporation versus a startup. There are bigger opportunities for involvement in startups, rather than being a small part of a bigger team within a corporation.
Chaos and Innuendo (30:05): Discussion switches to shaping the narrative of a product. Rachel uses a framework called Chaos and Innuendo, which starts with simply talking and then looking at the data. Rachel discusses some current projects, including improving the wording on the website for Emely.AI and Periscope Dossier.
