Letter #18: 3 storytelling mistakes you're making
Save yourself from committing these top storytelling sins.
Heyya folks and February!
Can you hear the energy in my voice? It comes from the gut feeling that this is gonna be a gooood month đ Well, hopefully â a positive attitude always helps, doesnât it?
Anyhoo, here to talk stories today, specifically, storytelling mistakes.
Truth be told, storytelling has become a buzzword. Everyone advises âtell stories.â They can practically count the benefits of doing so on their fingertips: Stories are memorable. Stories win customersâ trust. They inspire. They sell.
But what if your stories donât resonate with your audience? Ever thought of that? I have. A ton of times. And, itâs why I present to you the top 3 storytelling mistakes that I see made a lot.
So letâs commit 2 mins today to safeguarding ourselves from falling prey to these storytelling sins.
Here are 3 mistakes to avoid and what to do instead:Â
Telling a story from the beginning till the end
Not all good stories start with âonce upon a time.â Your favorite stories like Money Heist and The Bold Type put readers straight in the middle of the story. You should too!
Remember to do this instead:
â Drop the reader in the middle of the action â share context along the way.
Sharing factual truth
Because your audience hasnât been in your shoes or lived your experience, they wonât necessarily understand what youâre getting at.
Sure, theyâd try. But if it takes them time, theyâll hit exit in no time. So in the spirit of making the story easy to follow:
â
Focus on emotional truth. Tell how you feel about the situation. People will connect on the basis of shared emotion.
Making customers the hero of the story
This isnât a mistake per se. But itâs a mistake when you force the customer into the heroâs seat. Why? Because then the flow messes up. The story sounds made up. And, it doesnât resonate with its audience.
Besides, not all stories can make your customers the hero â some are your (personal brand) stories; some have you in the driverâs seat. So how to win your audienceâs attention with those kinds of stories?
Simple, try this:
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Make sure your customer sees him/herself in the story. For example, they recognize the struggle. Or, theyâve been through the same emotional ride.
In a nutshell:
Drop your audience in the middle of the story
Serve emotions, not facts and
Make it relatable Â
Thatâs all, folks!
See you next Tuesday,
Masooma