Storytelling: Your autoresponder secret weapon
What makes you read a blog post or article or email?
Interesting stats? A clever turn of phrase? An attention-grabbing headline?
All of those things can pique your interest, but they won’t keep your eyes on the page. For that, what you need is a story.
As a blogger, service provider, or coach, your job is to craft a narrative that draws your reader in and keeps them interested. Do it well, and they’ll identify with your message and share your content with friends and colleagues, greatly expanding your reach. Do it poorly, and they might read your post or your email, they might even buy from you or take your advice. But they won’t remember you because you won’t have made a true connection.
Share Your Personal Stories
One of the best ways to build a relationship and grow your audience is to share your personal stories. Tell your readers how you got started, what lessons you learned along the way, and how your life and business were improved because of them.
Personal anecdotes don’t even have to be business related to have an impact. Did you notice a fantastic marketing strategy while standing in line at the supermarket reading the magazine headlines? Share the story. Did you learn how to treat customers better by dealing with your mobile phone company? Tell your story.
By making the connection between a memorable event and your business, your readers will remember you long after they click away from your site or close your email.
Write Case Studies
Another powerful story telling technique is case studies. Tell your readers exactly what your reader did to double her income last year, or how another reader took your advice and grew her mailing list by 150% in six months or totally organised her house with no stress.
These beefed up testimonials (because that’s all a case study is) will keep your readers interested in learning more from you.
Connect Unrelated Stories in New, Interesting Ways
Want to really make an impression? Make unusual connections in your story. Share the struggles Frodo faced as he made his way to Mordor to destroy the ring, and how that relates to business today. Or talk about the squirrel in your garden that bravely defends his territory every time you take the dog out, and how it reminds you of your early days in business when you were convinced that competition was bad.
By making a connection between completely unrelated topics, you can quickly craft a blog post or email that will get readers thinking, and that they’ll remember for a long time to come.
Avoid the Awkward Segue
One word of caution though. Don’t toss in a story just because you think you need a “hook.” You’ll know you’re doing this if you can’t easily transition from the story to the purpose of your post or email. If you find yourself saying something like “Ok, that’s enough personal stuff, now let’s get back to business,” you’re trying too hard.
Your stories should naturally flow into a blog post or email if you want to make a big impression. And trust me, when you get this right, you’ll suddenly find your posts gaining so much more traffic.
Remember when writing your weekly emails to your subscriber list you need to provide them with value AND get them to connect with you. Storytelling is such a wonderful way to ensure that they do connect with you and become a loyal reader of your emails and of your blog.
If you want to dive deeper into learning how to craft your story then check out the story-telling mini-workbook I made for you. You’ll find it inside the Blogger’s Resource Vault.
If you want to join my mailing list and get access to my epic Blogger’s Resource vault of cheatsheets and downloads as a welcome gift, you can do that here.
