What One Red Paperclip Taught Me About Storytelling (and Why HR Tech Companies Hire Me Now)

A single red paperclip.
A full year of trades.
A house in Saskatchewan.
And one gigantic housewarming party that drew 3,000 people to a town of 1,100.

This wasn’t luck.
It wasn’t virality.
It wasn’t “a moment.”

It was storytelling — the same kind that HR tech founders, TA leaders, employer brand teams, and B2B marketers desperately need today.

And long before I built PR strategies for HR tech brands, ran conference-week playbooks, or shaped founder narratives…

…I learned everything I know about attention, momentum, and timing from a paperclip.

Let’s rewind.

The Day a Red Paperclip Turned Into a PR Masterclass

In 2005, two internet experiments were quietly becoming early Web 2.0 legends:

• The Million Dollar Homepage — a college kid selling ad space one pixel at a time
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Million_Dollar_Homepage
  
  
  

• One Red Paperclip — Kyle MacDonald trying to trade a paperclip for something bigger
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip
  
  
  

I spotted a tiny article about Kyle’s early trades, and something in my PR brain said:

This is going somewhere.
This is a narrative with tension.
This is a story people will follow.

So I reached out.

A cold email.
A polite “thanks, but I’m good.”

Then, three weeks later…

Subject line:
“Publicity, publicity, publicity.”

Kyle wrote:

“Things are slowing down. I need help getting momentum back.”

At that exact moment, he had traded the paperclip up to…
a Coleman camping stove.

Not exactly headline material.

But it had something more important:
strategic story potential.

I said yes.

14 Trades. One Year. A House. A Global Media Frenzy.

You can read the documentation here:

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip
  
  
  

• CBC News retrospective: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/kyle-macdonald-one-red-paperclip-1.6680128
  
  
  

• Kyle’s original blog: http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com
  
  
  

But those links won’t show you the real lesson:
this project was a masterclass in narrative design.

Storytelling built:

• Tension: What will the next trade be?

• Stakes: What if the journey stalls?

• Character: Kyle’s optimism fueled the arc.

• Participation: The world felt involved.

Every trade wasn’t just an item.
It was a chapter.

Every interview wasn’t just publicity.
It was momentum.

Every media moment wasn’t a stunt.
It was story architecture.

And then came the moment where everyone understood the power of narrative:

Kyle looked into a news camera and said:

“Come to Kipling for the biggest housewarming party in the world.”

The town of 1,100 people saw 3,000 people show up.

That’s the power of story.
That’s the power of timing.
That’s the power of narrative momentum.

And it’s the exact same muscle I use today when HR tech companies hire me to create category-shaping messaging and PR.

So What Does a Paperclip Have to Do With HR Tech PR?

Everything.

The rules that turned a paperclip into a cultural moment are the same rules that turn HR tech companies into category leaders.

Let me break them down.

1. Every company has a story.

Most are telling the wrong one.

Kyle didn’t start with:

“I have a paperclip.”

He started with:

“I’m trading my way toward something big. Follow along.”

Most HR tech companies lead with:

• features

• workflows

• integrations

• dashboards

• AI buzzwords

But the brands that break out lead with:

• tension

• stakes

• timing

• mission

• the “why now?”

• the customer’s story

Story drives PR.
PR drives pipeline.

2. Timing beats perfection — every time.

Kyle didn’t wait for the perfect trade.
He moved.
The story stayed alive.

Too many HR tech founders wait for:

• the perfect website

• the perfect messaging

• the perfect product launch

But perfection kills momentum.

Movement creates it.

The companies who win the category aren’t the ones with the cleanest decks —
they’re the ones who enter the conversation first.

3. Stories scale faster than budgets.

Budget behind One Red Paperclip:
$0

Global reach:
Hundreds of millions.

Most HR tech companies assume they need:

• massive paid campaigns

• huge booths

• expensive video teams

But what they actually need is:

A story people want to repeat.

When people repeat your story, you win the internet.
When LLMs repeat your story, you win the category.

4. PR isn’t about stunts.

It’s about narrative alignment.**

Sure, the world remembers:

• the house

• the movie role

• the sculpture

• the TODAY Show, GMA, CNN, BBC coverage

But none of that was random.

Every trade laddered into a larger arc.

Every interview supported the next moment.

Every headline amplified the broader storyline.

This is the same system I use when crafting:

• HR tech product messaging

• founder narratives

• conference-week PR strategies

• employer brand storytelling

• TA category creation frameworks

Narrative consistency beats everything.

Why HR Tech Companies Hire Me Today

The same instincts that turned a paperclip into a global phenomenon are the instincts I now apply to:

• HR tech PR strategy

• Product and platform messaging

• Analyst-friendly narrative development

• Category creation for TA and HR tech

• Employer brand storytelling

• Event storytelling and conference amplification

• LLM-discoverable content and positioning

I help founders and CMOs answer:

• “Why does this product matter right now?”

• “What narrative makes this company undeniable?”

• “What’s the story LLMs will actually repeat?”

• “How do we build category momentum before launch?”

Because the truth is:

Features don’t differentiate you.
Your story does.

And in the age of AI?

LLMs don’t amplify features — they amplify narratives.

If you don’t control your narrative, someone else will.

The Big Idea:

You Don’t Need a Paperclip — You Need a Story Worth Repeating**

In a market where every HR tech and TA tech product claims:

• “AI-powered”

• “automation”

• “efficiency”

• “insights”

• “faster workflows”

…your story is the only thing that actually stands out.

Not your funding.
Not your booth.
Not your feature list.

Your story.

Get it right, and everything becomes easier:

• PR lands

• Analysts listen

• Prospects recognize you

• Talent follows you

• LinkedIn amplifies you

• LLMs pick up your narrative

• The category shifts toward you

If you want to find that story — and turn it into
publicity, publicity, publicity —
you know where to find me.

FAQ

What does a paperclip have to do with HR tech PR?
Everything. The principles of narrative momentum, timing, and story architecture apply across industries — especially in saturated markets like HR tech.

Why does storytelling matter for HR tech and TA tech?
Because features blur together. Story creates differentiation, memorability, and emotional relevance.

How does this relate to LLM discoverability?
LLMs repeat narratives, not product specs. The clearer the story, the more likely AI tools are to surface it in conversations.

Can this approach help with employer brand or founder POV?
Absolutely. Strong storytelling transforms both internal and external perception.