Why you need to tell more stories in your content creation
Telling your story as an entrepreneur is one of the most valuable things you can do that makes your platforms uniquely you! Whether you are just starting out as a business owner, are looking to involve more of your personal life in your business, or are just searching for that fresh and unique angle - storytelling is what you need.
This week on the podcast we have the amazing Emily Edgeley, who is an absolute whiz when it comes to anything story sharing and public speaking, to talk about why you should implement more openness and share more of yourself through your business.
Storytelling is an amazing tool that anyone can use which really allows you to connect to your target audience. Your experiences in life, the adventures you’ve been on, and the lessons you’ve learned all make up your unique business and personal timeline - so why not share that unique take on life with the world?!
Why stories are so important for your business and content creation
As entrepreneurs and business owners, it can be a lot easier than you think to get stuck in the factual and logistical side of the business. Yes, you need to be on top of numbers, statistics, engagement, and content, and yes it’s very important to be consistent with the information and staying on top of trends, but the thing that actually takes all of this factual ‘stuff’ to the next level is storytelling.
Storytelling allows you to relate all of your information and messages to your target audience and can really help you to connect with them. Depending on your business and who you target, you have to remember that not every single person within your audience is going to understand every concept you are sharing, so in this sense, storytelling can take that foreign concept and wrap real-world experiences around it to make it easier to grasp.
Your story is an important one to tell, you’d be surprised how one relatable experience can bring people together. For example, my health journey has been an intense part of my life which I decided to share; at first, it was quite a scary thing to be so vulnerable to my audience, however, the feedback was so overwhelming and actually quite helpful. Not only did I get a huge amount of DM’s from people saying that they have felt similar emotions or gone through similar things, but it actually also helped me to realise that I wasn't alone in my journey and that my content was really impactful to those who were consuming it.
At the end of the day. What you choose to share is totally up to you (it is your business after all) however, being open and sharing personal experiences, from the first-hand experience, can really bring engagement to that next level and can make your content memorable. So, why not give it a go and see if you can notice the difference?
How do we start telling stories if maybe we aren’t sure what to tell?
If you want to start sharing more stories in your content, the first thing you need to realise is that people are ALWAYS curious. You can’t go into storytelling with the mindset of “no one wants to hear from me”, this is such a limiting belief that is simply not true.
Getting into the rhythm of documenting not only big experiences but also what you get up to daily can really help you in the future to build habits of noting down stories to share later on.
But what kind of stories should you tell?
Well, there are 4 categories of storytelling you can utilise to get those messages across:
Your story: Your audience wants to get to know you, so aid their curiosity by telling them why you're doing what you're doing.
A story you have been told: Knowledge, tips, and of course stories are best when they're shared - so if you can apply a story you've been told to a content bucket or theme within your business... DO IT.
A story in the public domain: Sometimes the best way to relay a message that people can connect with is through a story that everyone knows, use a well-known story to connect back to you personally.
Hypothetical story: Need to get a message across and don't have a specific story to relate to? Use a hypothetical one
Remember that life is content, everything you do and experience can be taken and turned into a story that someone will relate to. Make sure to use these lessons in your content, not just to relate to you or your target audience but to your content as well - don’t just give a tip or bit of advice but get into the habit of explaining how you came to know this knowledge and the story behind it.
Storytelling doesn't just have to stop on your socials, it can be shared on any platform you want it to be. You can tie a story to a tip or piece of advice on your podcast or blog and how it has changed your path or business journey, you can share stories through your testimonials on your website by asking them to show a transformation from before, during, and after working with you and you can even use your story to SELL. Share a story on your sales page, use words and visuals to paint a picture for your target audience as to why they need what you’re selling, and give them some real-world results and experiences for them to connect with.
What can the power of storytelling do for our business?
Storytelling is a powerful thing, it is your unique take on life that can help your audience to connect better with not only you but your business and content as well. The benefits of being vulnerable and sharing your experiences are endless, here are just some of the favourites that Emily and I discussed in this week's podcast!
Stories help you maintain your authenticity
They push your content to resonate with your personal story and, therefore, your audience
It helps to SELL
It helps to connect deeper
Need some extra tips? Here are a couple of Emily’s favourite sneaky tidbits to remember!
Simple stories are the ones that people remember, make the personal experiences you share easy to digest and to-the-point. The simpler and clearer the story is, the easier it is for your target audience to absorb!
It may seem intimidating at first but try out TikTok! Storytelling on this social platform works so well because of the nature of the videos, they’re short and easy to remember, so take a leap and try it out! Plus, it’s a lot of fun (more on TikTok in the next few weeks)!
How can you get organised with managing your stories to share?
Once you start looking for stories to tell, you'll soon realise there are almost too many to choose from!
So, to stay on top of it all and stay organised, make sure the stories you’re telling can be boiled down to a fact or key takeaway. There is no use spending 30 minutes trying to squish a long-winded story into a caption or post, so take a key fact you’ve learnt or a small piece of advice that relates to your content and turn that into a story (trust me, it saves a lot of time and energy).
And, just like you can bank up or save a file of images, you can do the same with stories! Have a story file saved on your laptop, computer, or Google Drive where you can place a list of all the experiences you can use and share. You can even add these to your content strategy template for super easy access and to keep them at the forefront of your mind!
Final thoughts
Jumping into the world of storytelling through your content can be an intimidating step to take, because you’re being quite vulnerable, but can be so much fun!
Don’t be afraid to analyse your current and future content and start adding more and more stories, you’d be amazed at the feedback you receive and the connections you make.
Take notice of your day-to-day life and what you experience, remember what you do, and note it down! If you don’t know where to start saving your stories, get your hands on Content Queen’s content strategy template here to help you apply them to your content straight away!
And, if you’re looking for some more support on perfecting your storytelling - check out Emily’s freebies here, they’ll have you absolutely KILLING the story-sharing game in no time!
