How storytelling changed the Content Queen business
Storytelling has completely changed Content Queen, in many way. So le't’s share with you how we got to this stage and how you can also use storytelling for success in your business! Of course, how you can do the same!
Before I found the power of storytelling, I only really told one story - the origin of my business and the biography of me, that's it!
It wasn't until 2021 when I experienced my own health difficulties that I realised how interested people were in stories and hearing our stories.
I was sharing lessons about my hospital stay, my setbacks, my milestones, my surgeries and everything else I could share, and this was welcomed with a very warm reception!
Sometimes you don't have to tell stories about business for it to positively impact your business! You can build on this and even create content from it!
The power of my story
A Whipples operation was my reality on December 30, 2020. This was the day I saw my surgeon for the first time and couldn't believe this was actually happening.
Immediately after I got the news, I went to the ocean to do some grounding, as this was the only thing I could think of to do. As I sat on the beach and stared out at the ocean, I turned to my friend and said, “if I am going to lose a few organs, I have to share this story”.
This point is when I began to note down, film, record, and save everything that came out of this experience. As a 26-year-old entrepreneur who is trying to run their own content marketing agency and deal with a major life change, this is the only way I could find a balance between the two realities.
However, this was just the beginning. Little did I know, this experience would set me on a purpose-driven journey to help all of you share your story too.
What it did for my business
After the decision was made for me to share this story, then came a trickle effect. I continued to get comfortable in telling my story and then eventually in 2021 when I actually had my surgery, not only was my audience and clients up to date on what was going on in my life, I was able to keep telling my story and creating content whilst in hospital.
This got me thinking, do we need any certain experiences or life changes to start telling our stories? What do we actually need to make our experiences worth sharing?
I promise you don't need life-threatening surgery to tell your story. All you need is to live your life and experience the world around you (and who wouldn't want to do that).
Recently I interviewed an amazing soul on my podcast and she said “your lived experience is your expertise” which sums this up perfectly.
But sometimes we want some strategy around our storytelling, rather than just throwing caution to the wind and seeing what sticks. If you feel like this, much like I do, and prefer strategy and storytelling together, well, of course, there is more than just having a story - and you might not even know it yet!
What happened next?
This new venture in storytelling opened up so many opportunities for me and my business. It led to writing for a magazine (Best Holistic Life) and becoming a published writer, doing paid speaking events, helping others share their story and growing my aligned audience on TikTok!
Without telling my story, none of this would've been possible, this is why I think everyone should give storytelling a go, you never know the opportunities that will arise for you too.
The timeline
How storytelling changed my business...
2019: Shared my Europe backpacking journey + side hustle experience but had NO strategy around it…
2020: Went down the strategy path but saw impact when I shared personal experiences. Saw the power storytelling had with my clients.
2021: Started sharing my health journey + connected it to business. Saw how it connected with others.
2022: Started using storytelling in my strategy + converted more through content.
Now: Sharing stories all content I do. Seeing increased engagement + growing my educational business.
What does it mean for your business?
In no way does this mean you need to experience a horrific or traumatic moment in your life - I want to reiterate that. You are living and that is enough, you already have an abundance of experiences and stories to share.
Even if you have experienced something quite significant, this is not your only story - my health journey is not my only story. Everything around us that can help our target audiences can be created into a story.
This then comes down to one thing: Formulating your story and choosing it to relate to your current focus. Use this story to connect with people, it could be about your business, your purpose, your passion projects, and more, ultimately it helps to build up your personal brand.
Stand out and be unique, tell your story - no one else can. But below is some guidance to help you!
The foundation of a story
Just like every superhero has an origin story, so do you! And that is the best place to start.
Who are you?
What is your business all about?
Why do you do what you do?
How did you get to where you are now?
Share your journey! All of these things you may think are insignificant, make up different stories that your target audience can relate to. Just have them noted down and ready to use so you can get comfortable (and really skilled) at telling those few stories.
And if you forget parts each time you tell it or don’t remember it word for word, that’s okay! Just start collecting, relaying, and using them to connect to those around you (while creating awesome content). If you want to get started on your origin story, here is a free guide to help you!
If you have the origin story down pat and need some inspiration with NEW stories, check out this video below on how to create your own story bank!
How you can create stories and use them
Stories are here for many reasons. You can use them in so many different ways for your business - they can create an impact on others, inspire people to achieve their goals, attach lessons for your audience to learn, and allow more transparency and brand awareness for your business.
You can use stories in all sorts of situations as well, for example, maybe you've been asked to speak at an event. All you would need to do is go to your bank of stories and pull what you need that relates, at the end of the day these stories play a role in how you teach others or simply, how you communicate.
See how I keep track of my stories below!
How do you create a good story?
Maybe you have a story and now don’t know how to make it impactful? All you need to do is formulate a process of creating and telling your story.
There are three main elements you can use to formulate how you share your story, we like to call them the 3 C's (or beginning, middle, and end):
Characters: people who are involved in this story. We need to connect to someone or something. It can be you, someone you make up, or someone in your space.
Conflict: a challenge, something in the story that creates a lesson. A part that we can all relate to.
Call to action/conclusion: what happened to those involved? What were the lessons and what do you want people to do next?
If you follow this for the beginning, middle, and end of your story in combination with lots of practice, you will set yourself up for success.
All you need to do is practice. Nothing is ever instant and with exponential growth (time and consistency) we always improve and get better. The framework above is here to help you.
Practice your story. Trial them with those around you and observe what people resonate with.
You might also want to great storytelling formulas, we have the best place to start in this article: 4 Storytelling Formulas for Content Creation!
The 4 P’s to help you start telling your story
Now it’s time to go back to basics - here are the 4 P’s to help you start telling your story:
Purpose - We always want to have a purpose around what we are doing. Your purpose for telling your story can be different from others. Maybe it is to have influence, to help market your own personal brand or business. But it needs to go a bit deeper than that.
Personal Story - Doesn’t matter if you are a brand, business, or personal brand. Each story needs to be personal. Every company has a Founder. When you are looking for a story, start with YOUR story, the origin story. Download our FREE Guide to Storytelling including an origin story workbook to help with this (you can click the link in our bio to access this)!
Platform - Where are you going to be telling your story? Will it be online? Social media? A podcast? Don’t worry if you want to do more than one, but think about this MAIN channel you will be sharing your story!
For me, it started with Instagram (my business page) which then moved into a personal branding page, then I worked on TikTok and YouTube. This will evolve and change over time! Pick one for now.
Plan - Then you want to plan how you tell your story (or stories). Have a beginning, middle and end - always. Structure your story in a way that flows naturally. Remember you might also want to have lessons attached to that story.
A plan is a strategy. You don’t need to have it all figured out to begin with but you want to have some structure, some sense to the story. This is something I also cover in my FREE Guide to Storytelling Masterclass.
Start by noting all these down. Answers to each of the 4 P’s. You might now start posting your story to the world. But as mentioned in my previous article, it all comes with practice.
Remember to:
Set the scene and have a beginning
Explain in the middle
Recap at the end with lessons
Final Thoughts
Understanding how to tell your story doesn't happen overnight, but there are some things you can do to make it easier for you...
Follow along, get ready to make storytelling a beautiful part of your business journey.
Because strategy is SO important to execute your storytelling, here is an exercise for you to take with you:
Exercise - Begin with an easier one. Your origin story. Become familiar with the power of storytelling and how it can help market you, your business and create an impact with your audience.
Download my FREE Guide to Storytelling to help you along the way!
Storytelling helped me connect with my audience, it helped me build my business and now I am here to show you how it can help you too!