They were still very much alike. Both were happily wedded. Both had three children. And both, it turned out, had become entrepreneurs.
But there was a difference. One of them was fighting because no one wanted to buy his product. The other was the owner of a successful million-dollar company with a product used by many.
This story was accommodated from what is considered the” The Greatest Marketings Letter Of All Time .” This particular marketings letter ran from 1975-2003 and sold$ 2 billion (!) worth of Wall Street Journal subscriptions.
The key to success?
The story.
Why Stories Matter
In Chip and Dan Heath’s bestselling book Made To Stick, they discuss 6 principles on how to make your messages sticky.
Messages that are sticky makes us feel something, and changes something in us. It could be an entirely new way of looking at something, or an emotion we did not expect to feel.
This change inspires us to take action and then tell others about it.
One of these principles is the principle of telling stories.
Storytelling can create motions that prospects and customers can get behind. Storytelling can make a brand more personal, more human, more memorable.
All of these elements blend to create a brand that spreads by its own and produce word-of-mouth.
However, despite its immense power, storytelling seems to be an elusive ability possessed by a rare few — the Christopher Nolans and Quentin Tarantinos, the Neil Gaimans and Stephen Kings.
This brings to mind the question š TAGEND
How can a brand generate obliging stories that eventually spread — and produce word-of-mouth?
Simple š TAGEND
There exists a number of storytelling formulae that you can implement immediately to improve your brand storytelling.
These formulas have been used repeatedly, over and over again, by Hollywood executives, fiction writers and screenwriters to churn out entertaining tales that mesmerize for years.
And the best part?
You can use them too.
10 Storytelling Formulas You Can Use Right Away
1. Before-After-Bridge
This is one of the most popular and easiest to implement copywriting and storytelling formulas around.
In fact, once you’ve learnt this formula, you’ll begin to notice that most pitchings, tales and landing pages are written in this manner.
Formula
Before — Demonstrate your readers the world with Problem
Paint a picture of their world with the Problem, before your answer. Make sure what you’re identifying is in tune with what the reader is genuinely experiencing.
After — Indicate your readers what the world would be like with Problem Solved
Describe the future world once their problem is solved. How does it look like? Would they be interested in that world? What benefits do they get?
Bridge — Here’s how to get there
Now that they know what it looks like to be on the other side, show them how to get there … with your solution.
2. Problem-Agitate-Solve
This is another popular copywriting formula. It is simple to understand and can be applied anywhere from Facebook Ads to blog posts.
Formula
Problem — Present a problem
First, you introduce a problem the reader is experiencing. Make sure that it is a real problem identifiable by your target audience.
Agitate — Agitate the problem
Intensify and add salt to their meanders by using emotional language that describes what they’re going through.
Solve — Solve the problem
Offer a solution for their problem. This is the moment where you introduce your product or service.
3. Features-Advantages-Benefits
This particular formula was designed for product-oriented narratives. This helps product designers and managers describe and present their products in terms of benefits , not features.
Formula
Features
The facts and characteristics of what you’re about to describe
Advantages
What the features do.
Benefits
Why someone should care about the advantages provided.
4. Three-Act Structure
The Three-Act Structure is an old storytelling formula that has been used in many popular plays , fictions, movies, comic book, video games and verse. Most Hollywood movies follow this template, as it has been proven to be a successful technique of storytelling.
Formula
* Setup*
In the first act, the setup, you introduce the main characters and the situate where the tale is taking place.
* Confrontation*
In act II, usually the longest part of the entire tale, the main character will encounter obstacles and problems in the form of people, objects or setting that will deter him from solving the problem. These obstacles will appear in rising frequency, at times apparently close to solving the problem, yet will be prevented from doing so.
* Resolution*
After a period of struggle with his problems and obstacles, the main character will finally prevail and the tale wraps up. It is also this period of time where the main character is shown to have grown beyond what he was at the start — and is now a different person.
5. Hero’s Journey
The monomyth, or what is known as the Hero’s Journey is the common formula used in heroic tales where a hero embarks on a journey, suffers a crisis, wins the crisis and returns transformed.
This Hero’s Journey can be found in many myths and legends, including those of great religious leaders like Jesus Christ, Buddha and Moses.
The monomyth was popularized by the great mythologist Joseph Campbell in his 1949 seminal work: The Hero With A Thousand Faces( a must-read !)
Formula
First described in 17 stages by Joseph Campbell, the Hero’s Journey has since been abbreviated into 12 distinct stages by Hollywood executive Christopher Vogler.
The Ordinary World
The hero’s life prior to leaving for his quest
The Call To Adventure
The event that informs the hero a significant change is coming
Refusal Of The Call
The hero will first attempt to ignore or avoid the call.
Meeting With the Mentor
The hero will gratify a special mentor that they are able to aid him in his quest.
Traversing The Threshold
Your hero finally moves on from his life and embarks on the quest.
Exams, Allies and Adversaries
The different people who the hero will gratify that will either help or prevent him from completing the quest.
Approach To the Innermost Cave
The hero will be on the verge of fighting his enemy.
The Ordeal
The fight between the hero and the enemy.
Reward
The hero receives a reward for defeating the enemy.
The Road Back
The hero travels home and opposes( perhaps) with lesser enemies.
The Resurrection
The hero demonstrates worthy of the reward he has received.
Return With The Elixir
The hero finally reaches home and receives his accolades.
6. Freytag’s Pyramid: Five-Act Structure
A 19 th Century German novelist, Freytag analyzed the stories of ancient Greek storytellers and Shakespeare — and discovered a common pattern in their own homes. Writing in Die Technik des Dramas, he developed a diagram eventually known as the Freytag’s Pyramid that helped novelists to coordinate their thoughts and ideas.
Formula
* Exposition*
This is the beginning of the story where the setting, the character’s back tales and so on are introduced to the audience.
* Rising Action*
This is the series of events that creates the decided for the climax, and is usually the most important part of the story.
Climax
The turning point that changes the fate of the main character. This is the most exciting part of the narrative, the moment of greatest tension.
* Falling Action*
The conflict. The protagonist may win or lose in this battle with the antagonist.
* Denouement*
Normality is resumed and conflict is resolved.
7. Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
In his New York Times bestselling volume Start With Why, Simon Sinek introduces the idea of the Golden Circle — a formula that great companies like Apple use to inspire people and create a movement.
Formula
Circle 1( Innermost ): Why — Why does the company exist ?
Why does the company exist? Why do the founders or the employees get out of bed for every morning? Why should anyone care about the company?
Circle 2: How — How do they do what they do
Also known as the Unique Selling Proposition, this is the differentiating factor given to explain how the company is better than its competitors.
Circle 3: What — What does the company do
What does the company sell? What industry is it in? What does the company do?
8. Dale Carnegie Magic Formula
Dale Carnegie, author of the classic( and still relevant) book How To Win Friends and Influence people, generated a simple 3-step formula to capture attention, build credibility, eliminate nervousness and call others to action.
Formula
* Incident*
Relive a vivid, personal experience relevant to the point. Telling a personal tale helps the audience be attributed to you as human and sharing similar experiences.
To start off, you can begin by answering this question š TAGEND
What specific incident inspired the purpose surrounding of your topic?
Action
In order to ensure that the reader or listen takes action, you must clearly lay out the action required. One cannot assume that the listener will immediately and intuitively understand what is required to be done after hearing your story.
Answer this š TAGEND
What specific action do you want your listener/ reader to take?
And give them one clear, specific action to take.
* Benefit*
As Robert Greene writes in the 48 Laws of Power š TAGEND
” Always appeal to self-interest .”
Sell the action to them.
Why should they do it? What do they stand to benefit?
Clearly laying it out to them will ensure that the listener takes the action you want them to.
9. Dave Lieber’s V Formula
Dave Lieber is the Dallas Morning News Watchdog columnist as well as a popular( and funny !) keynote speaker. In addition, Dave is also a storytelling expert hired by companies like Ernst& Young, American Heart Association and The US Coast Guard to educate, enlighten and entertain.
In his underrated TED talk, he shares the formula he has been using for his stories.
Formula
Introduce the character
Introduce the character, who he/ she is, the backstory and so on.
Bring the story to its lowest phase
People want to hear about failures and how the character turn the failures into a learning lesson or a success. Using feelings, describe how things went downhill for the character.
Turn the story around and finish with a happy ending
Then, after the narrative has reached its trough, describe how things improved and then end the narrative on a happy ending.
10. Star-Chain-Hook
Many years ago, Dr. Frank Dignan, a consultant from University of Chicago Press made this formula for writing advertising copy.
Formula
* Star*
Create an attention-getting opening that is positive and upbeat
Chain
Create a series of convincing facts, benefits, and reasons that transform the reader’s attention into interest and desire.
* Hook*
Create a powerful and easy-to-respond call-to-action
Here you go š TAGEND
A full listing of storytelling formulas you can use to tell a story about your product that motivates your prospects to buy…
Cements your brand…
And inspires a movement.
Apply these storytelling formulae( there’s 8 MORE storytelling formulas here) to every marketing communication you do. Blog posts, ads, about pages, YouTube videos etc.
Tell your brand tale now, make it stick and change the world.
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