Earlier today, I talked to you about story selling and in this week’s newsletter I’m giving you resources to help you use this invaluable skill in all areas of your marketing.
Let me start with something I learned the hard way…
People don’t buy information.
They buy emotion.
They buy stories they see themselves in.
And if you’re doing any kind of online marketing – affiliate promos, TikToks, Reels, emails, webinars, sales pages – you need to get good at selling with story
Not fluffy, fairy-tale stuff.
I’m talking real-life scenes, emotional triggers and those ‘oof, that’s so me’ moments that resonate with your audience.
Let me show you how story sneaks its way into all corners of online marketing and give you some great resources to help you get better at it…
Social Media Marketing:
Your followers are scrolling zombies. If your post doesn’t feel like a scene from their life, they’re gone. So…
Use mini-stories in captions, not just tips.
Turn your how-tos into ‘this happened to me…’.
Don’t just post results – show the messy before, the struggle and the moment it clicked for you.
Here’s how to do it right:
https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/social-media-storytelling
Here are 8 storytelling frameworks you can use:
https://www.willow.co/blog/8-storytelling-frameworks-for-a-stronger-social-media-presence
And here’s an Instagram post and story creator you can use for nada:
https://www.tailwindapp.com/create/create-instagram-posts-and-storie
Affiliate Marketing:
Want to sell more affiliate products?
Stop copying swipe emails and start telling real stories. Stories like…
How did you discover the product?
What were you struggling with before?
What happened after you tried it?
Your audience doesn’t want a review. They want relatable transformation.
Take a look at the art of storytelling in affiliate marketing:
And these 7 storytelling techniques for affiliate marketers:
https://propellerads.com/blog/adv-storytelling
Need some examples? Here are 25:
https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/storytelling-examples
Video Marketing (YouTube, Reels, Shorts):
People don’t binge YouTube for ads.
They binge it for stories. Here’s how it works:
Your hook = the setup of a scene (“So I tried doing XYZ for 30 days…”)
Your main video = the struggle and the shift
Your CTA = the emotional payoff (“You can skip all this with…”)
Even 15-second videos can pack a story arc.
Here’s Neil Patel on how to craft stories that sell:
Here’s an excellent guide to the art of video storytelling:
https://vimeo.com/blog/post/video-storytelling
And here are 12 great examples of video storytelling in marketing:
Sales Copy & Emails:
Good copy lists features.
Great copy makes the reader feel like the main character.
To make yours great…
Use the “before – turning point – after” framework
Include details your reader has lived (“You’re staring at a blinking cursor, again.”)
Make your CTA feel like the next scene, not a transaction.
Watch this to learn the storytelling formulas that will make your sales copy irresistible:
Discover these four particular storytelling formulas that create content that sells:
https://copyposse.com/blog/4-storytelling-formulas-to-create-content-that-sells
And here’s how to source amazing stories to use in your email marketing:
You don’t need to become Hemingway.
You just need to stop sounding like a spreadsheet.
So next time you write a post, a sales page, or even a subject line…
Ask: Where’s the story?
Because the moment someone feels something, they’re halfway to the sale.
Your TED talk this week is on – you guessed it – the art of persuasive storytelling:
