THE ART OF OOO STORYTELLING
Here's a line I bet you've encountered thirteen thousand times in your career:
Thanks for your message. I am currently out of the office
with limited access to email.
I bet your eyeballs have seen those exact words strung together that exact way so many times that your brain can actually finish the message after the first word. Like, verbatim.
Our brains are prediction machines, constantly generating expectations to help us navigate our environments as efficiently (and safely) as possible.
The world's best marketers, on the other hand, love nothing more than to disrupt our brain's predictions. Marketers are always on the hunt to find that one thing your brain thought was automatic and be like: SURPRISE!!!
A prediction error is the neurological difference between what your brain expects to happen and what actually happens, when, say, you expect a standard corporate OOO message but you get something like this, instead:
Mr. Talk Triggers, Jay Baer, has been telling OOO stories since the before times.
Whether or not you're in marketing (aren't we all?) it's important to understand three principles that guide the world's best marketing, advertising, comms, and brand folk.
Every touchpoint matters
If we don't tell our story, someone else will
When everyone else zigs, ZAG
We've seen what happens when a clever copywriter dusts off an overlooked touchpoint, like a 404 page or some App Store release notes. With notable effect.
Like...
Wait, what?
Someone actually thought about this?
A surprisingly thoughtful piece of messaging can catch us when we least expect it. It might even prompt us to lean in... and willingly read marketing copy.
A story-driven OOO responder is the ultimate prediction error.
I asked Google's AI to analyze a bundle of autoresponders that kicked back from a recent marketing email. Gemini informed me that nearly every one of the ~20 autoresponders followed a standard, functional structure: "a brief 'thank you,' a clear statement of unavailability, the expected return date, and a point of contact for urgent matters (or instructions for when to expect a response)."
I asked how many told a creative story.
Lack of Narrative: None of these messages could be described as "creative storytelling." They are functional business documents.
Marketers read that as “opportunity." And that's why I love you.
Now, I need to take a minute to confess that I am the worst at OOO messages. I often forget to set them up until about halfway through my trip, and then decide it's not worth it. This is coming from a guy who once forgot to pack underwear for a conference trip, and didn't realize he hadn't booked his flight home on another.
So, yeah, vacation autoresponders tend to be the LAST thing I'm thinking about during the chaos preceding a travel outage. Sometimes we just need to settle for sheer utility.
But every now and then, we are reminded of storytelling's power to connect, to build trust, and to open doors to conversation. How can we read about Jay's trip to visit his 48th state, and not feel invested, eager to hear whether or not he checked off that final box in Idaho.
I am so grateful for my Story Camp teammate, Daniella Balona, for reminding me of the power of such intentional storytelling in overlooked places. Dani took it upon herself to write up three Auto-Responder messages for Story Camp 2026 attendees. And I'm pasting them... below.
(this feels like one of those crazy long recipe blog posts where I've buried the recipe below an entire novel's worth of setup)...
WELP.
Here are your Story Camp 2026 Out-of-Office Auto Responders, courtesy, Dani B:
OPTION 1
SUBJECT: Wish you were here...
Dear Sender,
I am currently under the Flatirons, several thousand miles from my inbox, fully immersed in the kind of stories you only learn by living.
Where am I? I am at Story Camp, sharpening my storytelling skills (yes, there are mountains which means there will be hiking… and yes, there are campfires which means there are stories and s’mores).
I will be back on [DATE], leveled up and ready to share what I've learned. If it’s urgent, please contact [ALTERNATIVE CONTACT].
Otherwise, I will chat to you soon.
OPTION 2
SUBJECT: Called to adventure
Dear Sender,
At 7:42am on Tuesday, [NAME] left for an adventure.
He/She carried a bag, a laptop and a notebook with nothing in it, and no intention of bringing it home that way.
He/She went [west].
Beyond the familiar streets and fluorescent lights of the working world, he/she boarded a plane bound for Boulder, Colorado, a place where the mountains rise abruptly from the horizon and, apparently, people gather to discuss the ancient and mysterious art of making other people care.
There, beneath the Flatirons, [NAME] entered Story Camp.
What happened next is still being pieced together.
There are reports of long conversations, of unexpected ideas, of people who know far too much about stories, screens and stages.
As for [NAME], his/hers exact current whereabouts remain unknown.
The last confirmed sighting placed him/her somewhere between a compelling story and a very good excuse for being out of the office.
They’ll return on [DATE], with a notebook full of stories and the kind of perspective you only get under big skies and bigger questions.
If your matter is urgent, please contact [ALTERNATIVE CONTACT].
Otherwise I will get back to you on [DATE].
Until then…
OPTION 3
SUBJECT: SYSTEM UPDATE
[NAME] has left the chat.
DESTINATION: Boulder, Colorado
MISSION: Story Camp
OBJECTIVE: Learn about the effective art of Story Telling
SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Hikes, interesting conversations and s’mores
STATUS: Having the best time and learning so much
EXPECTED RETURN: [DATE]
Your message has been successfully delivered to the inbox.
If this is urgent please contact [ALTERNATIVE CONTACT]
END UPDATE.
Okay, what did you think?
Which would you use?
Have your own favorite OOO messages you've crafted?
Do you work with an OOO storytelling all-star?
Have you checked out Lianna Patch's OOO generator?? Spice it up on your next outage! https://www.punchlinecopy.com/ooo/
Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to write back!
✌️💚🏕️
Mikey
