How to Use Storytelling to Write Better Content

 I believe pretty much any situation can be turned into content. 

Random sign I saw on the street? Newsletter.

Cricket in my garage? Newsletter. 

Getting chewed out by a stranger over text who thought I was a scammer? Newsletter.

#1 – Stop using “nothing exciting happens to me” as an excuse

You don’t need fascinating, extraordinary stories to write the memorable, story-driven content that will inspire connection (and drive insane engagement + revenue).

In fact, the most mundane, seemingly random situations can be turned into A+ marketing content for your brand.

Actually, they often make the BEST content, because—guess what?!—everyone else’s lives are pretty normal and mundane, too.

It’s much easier for someone to relate to you and connect with you over a trip to the grocery store gone wrong than a first-class flight to Dubai.

All you need to do to capture their interest is learn how to mine the so-called “boring” stuff for the engagement gold.

#2 – Learn how storytelling is used for content marketing

Mastering how to tell great stories is one of the BEST skills you can learn as a marketer, because storytelling is everywhere in marketing. 

In fact, I’d even argue that storytelling is the most authentic, effective organic marketing strategy to use to get more sales.

Because, as I said, people can effortlessly resonate with stories.

In other words: stories don’t take extra effort to consume, because people like reading them. They’re entertained by them. They want to spend their free time reading about your awkward run-in with that flight attendant, or the time you excitedly waved to someone you thought was your friend, or the way your dentist responded when you told him how often you flossed. 

It’s the same reason content creators have skyrocketed to celebrity-level success. PEOPLE LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES.

It’s human nature to be nosy.

And it’s smart marketing to capitalize on that, in order to build real connections with your audience.

#3 – Tap into the “everything can be content” mentality

If you read my recent post about how to stop writing boring emails, you’d know this already, but that ‘everything can be content’ mentality is actually what made me fall in love with marketing again.

I’d been painfully tired of all the typical salesy, impersonal stuff, and decided to try something different—aka writing what I actually *wanted* to write about—and when my audience loved it (to my utter surprise, given how mundane it was) I knew I’d tapped into my ability to transform anything into a solid piece of content marketing.

Storytelling Marketing Tips and Tricks

Here’s how you can use what you learned from these examples of storytelling in your own business:

• ASK YOURSELF: Is there a part of your story / experience / feeling that your audience might relate to? Is it similar to something they’ve experienced, too? Take the specific and make it universal!
• CONSIDER HOW THIS STORY MIGHT RELATE to what you do / a problem your reader has / a benefit you provide in your business / a customer case study / a new service or offer.
• After telling your story, ALWAYS PIVOT BACK TO YOUR READER. Even if the story is about you, the outcome is about them. This is where you add value, provide application, expert help, or position yourself / your offer as a solution to what they need or desire.