Storytelling In Your Content

Storytelling is incredibly powerful and effective. So much so that you're seeing one of the creators who is most known for maybe not utilizing as much of traditional storytelling techniques, Mr. Beast, who has been more like adrenaline go. He is even implementing far more storytelling tactics into his content. Especially if you've watched Beast Games, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Stories aren't just entertaining and engaging. They also change people's perspectives. They allow the individual to see maybe a similar concept or a similar circumstance that they've been dealing with from a whole new perspective. But they also keep people hooked. I mean, attention is the greatest asset right now in today's age, right? It's what everyone is looking for. And storytelling does keep people hooked. It does retain attention.

Stories also create an emotional connection between you and your audience. They allow you to provide more depth and round out the concept or principle that you are sharing. People have a harder time remembering facts, but what they do remember is the stories that you tell them and the new perspective they were able to gain because of the story.

The Storytelling Framework

Here is a storytelling framework that you can use in your content. But please do not operate off of this framework like it's something rigid. It is not written in concrete. It's not in stone. This is a guide for you. You now have the rules. Feel free to break the rules. Like move things around. Like whatever you find is working most effectively for you. Please use this in a fluid way rather than a rigid way.

What we're going to go over is the hook, the problem, the journey, the lesson, and then the call to action.

The Hook

Getting attention fast - you're competing with everything. For short form content, you've got 2-3 seconds. For long form, you've got 15-20 seconds max. That's it. You need to get their attention within that timeframe or they're gone.

Use contrarian statements, pattern interrupts - something that makes people stop scrolling. Gary Vaynerchuk has this great clip where he talks about blueberries, and he starts by saying something completely unexpected about them. That's a pattern interrupt. It makes you go, "Wait, what?" and now you're hooked.

The Problem

This is where you set up the stakes. You need to create emotional investment. Make it specific and relatable. Don't just say "working too much." Say "working 14 hours a day, staring at the ceiling at 3 AM wondering if this is worth it."

Gary Vaynerchuk worked 14 hours a day building his dad's wine business. That's specific. That's relatable. That's a problem people can connect with emotionally.

The Journey

This is how we overcome it. And here's the key - progress, not perfection. Share the low points. Share the mistakes. Show the messy middle. People connect with struggle more than success.

I'm literally doing this with this course project. I'm sharing the doubting myself, the moments where I wondered if this would work. I'm investing time and money into something without knowing the outcome. That's the journey - the uncertainty, the fear, but also the commitment to keep going.

The Lesson

Make it useful for your audience. Give them takeaways. Give them action steps. This is where you tie it back to your expertise and your offers. Every story should teach something practical that people can apply to their own lives.

The Call to Action

This isn't just about selling stuff. It's about driving engagement. Get people to take action. Comment, share, try something new.

Like when I talk about delegating - I don't just tell the story and leave it there. I challenge people to identify one task they can delegate this week and train someone on their team to do it. That's a call to action that creates movement.

Best Types of Stories

Origin Stories

These are powerful because people love transformation stories. But here's what most people get wrong - they get bored with their own story because they know it too well. You have to treat your content like you're reaching a cold audience every single time.

Think about it - there's a barista somewhere who's going to become the next $500 million businesswoman. She doesn't know your story. She needs to hear how you went from where she is to where you are now.

It's like Peter Parker's origin story or Batman's origin story. We've heard them a million times, but they keep retelling them because new people are always discovering the character.

I've committed to sharing my origin story at least once a week because there's always someone new who needs to hear it. Sean Kel gave me Gary Vaynerchuk's book when I was 15 years old, and that changed everything. That's part of my origin story, and someone needs to hear it.

Failure Stories

Here's the truth - most humans fail at most things. Vulnerability builds trust way more than success stories do. But don't make it a sob story. Make it educational. Help others learn from your mistakes.

When I share failure stories, I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm showing people the traps I fell into so they can avoid them. That's valuable. That's what people remember.