Can you relate? This is a common problem. You have great information on your blog but it’s just… kind of boring. If this sounds familiar, it’s more critical now than ever to solve it.
So, I read two articles on this particular blog by one of my students.
Immediately I saw the problem:
It felt like I was reading a Wikipedia entry – it was dry and boring. Like a gluten-free, unsalted rice cake. NOT fun to read. NOT quite share- or comment-worthy, either. Even though I know much more about tax-loss harvesting…
…all I got was “information.”
So what was missing?
Simple.
The key to more engaging content is:
STORY.
Everybody knows this, too.
Stories connect.
So, the real question is…
HOW DO YOU DO IT?
How do you TELL a story that pulls people into your content? Especially if you’re not a professional “storyteller.”
I mean… Chances are, you have no plans to write a screenplay anytime soon. You just want to create more engaging content for your business, right?
Right.
Well, I’m going to show you how to infuse some story-magic into your content.
You don’t need to write a novel. Or turn every blog post into a short story…
As you’ll see, all it takes is a few short sentences. You can add them at the beginning of your blog posts, social media updates, sales page, etc.
That way, you’ll pull more people in… and keep them reading. Or watching. Or listening.
But first…
We need to break down the structure of any good story:
Hollywood screenwriters have used a proven, 3-act structure to tell engaging stories for decades.
It goes like this:
Act 1: Setup
The setup is like the opening scene (or scenes) in a movie.
Basically, the setup answers the “Who?”, “What?”, “Where?”-type questions of your story.
Act 2: Confrontation
Or as I like to call it, the CONFLICT.
In my made-up example, the conflict is pretty clear:
“How will this guy unlock his car and get to the hospital in time? Or will he?”
The rest of the story will answer that question.
…where the conflict gets resolved.
How are you going to use this in your content?
You don’t have to turn every blog post into a full-on story. But what you CAN do is add the ELEMENT of story to your content.
Especially at the BEGINNING of your blog posts, videos, social media updates etc.
