A growing number of visualization systems have been developed both commercially and within the research community. While these tools can aid in building charts, they can also present challenges for non-expert analysts. One particular challenge is providing support to visually highlight data facts in graphs. The manual effort employed by non-expert analysts or designers (without programming skills) to create annotations can be complex and time-consuming. In this research, we investigate visual representations of data facts in supporting non-expert analysts to explore and communicate insights through data. To address these challenges, we developed a conceptual model relating visualizations, data facts, and their visual representations. We implemented it into a visualization tool named VisStoryMaker, which allows generating annotated charts without requiring specialized knowledge. To benchmark its perceived value, we conducted a mixed-methods user study comparing it to Tableau Public. Overall, VisStoryMaker provides an easy-to-use approach to highlight facts visually, and the use of visual annotations in data visualizations can support non-expert users in data exploration and communication. However, their use must be carefully considered and designed to avoid visually cluttering the charts.