Do you know that Google receives over 105,000 search queries per second? Many people need answers to their questions, and the number only keeps growing. It’s no surprise since Google’s likely your go-to search engine too.
But what’s more surprising is you’re not the only one trying to take advantage of these statistics. Several businesses and writers are also publishing different content to meet this demand.
But how can you make your content outstanding and catch your reader’s attention? The key lies in providing concise and relevant content in a story.
Why’s Storytelling so Intriguing?
Everyone loves a great story. Stories are stimulating; they make you feel more intelligent, better, safer, or even loved; they provide a reason to relate, communicate, and believe in something.
Business storytelling is no different. It involves aligning your business to suit your prospects and customers.
Telling a brand’s story is more of how you consistently communicate the brand’s value and mission to your audience. It’s about appealing to your audience’s emotions.
People remember emotions. Telling a story in the proper context and contrast and being conversational will help elicit emotion from your audience.
However, it’s not enough to tell a good story; you need more than that to curate the best content.
Ordering your Story with the Golden Circle
An average reader’s attention span is about eight seconds. That means you have to keep the audience engaged from the first sentence. The key to being a proficient writer is being a good storyteller, and the golden circle principle can help achieve that.
The golden circle is Simon Sinek’s proprietary model that explores the power of WHY. According to Sinek, “people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”
Interestingly, most writers start with the ‘what’ they have to offer, then the ‘how’ it will help their audience, and finally ‘why’ they are writing.
But successful brands like Google or Apple follow an ‘inside-out’ thinking pattern. They start with the ‘why’ and then move on to the ‘how’ and ‘what.’
But why does the order matter? It has to do with brain chemistry. Writing about what you do addresses the analytical part of your audience’s brain while the ‘why’ and ‘how’ communicates with your reader’s feelings. Don’t forget storytelling involves making that connection.
Let’s see how this works:
Sinek illustrated his model using Apple. Imagine Apple used the conventional ‘what, why, and how model and said:
“We make great computers. They’re user-friendly, beautifully designed, and easy to use. Want to buy one?”
Apple wouldn’t be among the big leagues if they said that. You most likely won’t buy the product either. Instead, they said this:
“With everything we do, we aim to challenge the status quo. We aim to think differently. Our products are user-friendly, beautifully designed, and easy to use. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”
Can you spot the difference? That’s the power of why.
You can set a tone for all your content with the golden circle.
How to Use the Golden Circle
Using Sinek’s model is straightforward. Answer these questions, and you’re good to go:
- Why – Why are you writing?
- How – How will your content help your readers?
- What – What do you have to offer?
Essential Elements of Storytelling
1. Character
No story is complete without characters. Your characters are the people involved in your story – your readers. Understanding this helps create a connection between you and your audience.
However, you can’t write a good story if you don’t understand and value your audience. Your content should always respond to your audience’s wants or needs.
When your audience sees themselves as characters in your story and gets answers to their queries, they’ll likely use your products and services.
2. Conflict
Conflict is essential for building emotional and developmental dynamics. The conflict should drive the story and affect your characters’ reactions. Conflicts are the challenges your buyer persona faces in the awareness stage.
If there’s no conflict in your story, you’re not answering your reader’s questions and not telling a story. Instead, you’re telling a pitch or a plain statement that does not resonate with your readers.
3. Resolution
Your story’s not complete without a resolution. After a conflict, your audience will want to know what’s next. Every story has a closing.
The resolution concludes the reason for the story. Now’s your chance to tell your audience what you have to offer to resolve their conflicts.
More importantly, your resolution must include a call to action and drive your audience to take the initiative.
What other things do I need to write like a pro?
1. Identify your target audience.
It is crucial to know your target audience before you start writing. It influences your language use, tone, and the required level of detail.
2. Read and write Regularly.
Good writers are good readers. Reading is one of the best ways to enhance your writing. You should read frequently and across various authors and genres if you take writing seriously.
But essentially, read books on the subjects you want to write about, the genres you want to write in, and so forth. Imitate a style used by another author that you find compelling.
Analyze poorly done writing, figure out why it isn’t practical, and use that information to improve your writing.
Reading is good, but writing is the best way to improve your writing.
3. Write with passion and emotion.
Write because you enjoy it or are passionate about the subject (ideally, both). Your readers are unlikely to be excited about what you have written if you don’t show them that you are interested in the subject you are writing about.
By sincerely expressing your appreciation for the subject, you can make your writing fascinating even if you aren’t writing about the most exciting topic.
Additionally, you can improve your writing skills by adding flavor to your writing using examples, stories, wordplay, and your own experiences and making the information relevant to the readers’ everyday lives.
4. Write with an Objective
When writing, keep your goals in mind and work toward achieving them. If you change your mind while writing, that’s okay, but always have a guideline in mind.
5. Put your ideas on paper.
Write down your thoughts as soon as you have a specific subject you want to write about in your mind. You can accomplish this with a general outline, a thought map, idea clouds, or other techniques.
Putting your thoughts down on paper is crucial. Write a more thorough outline that states your purpose or the basic framework of your story.
It will also serve as your writing manual once you have developed a concrete idea, some supporting arguments, or a rough plot summary.
Next, draft your essay without paying too much attention to grammar or spelling. Later, you’ll edit and proofread your work. Outlining is a technique that helps you organize your thoughts and, eventually, the body of your paper.
6. Write to your audience.
When writing, keep your intended audience in mind at all times. Focus on their needs and goals. Consider your target audience’s age, gender, ethnicity, background, occupation, and other factors.
What interests them the most? What matters to them? Determine what your writing can do to meet their needs or ease their worries by considering their desires, needs, values, and issues.
Avoid using jargon or other overly technical languages in your writing. Jargon is a technical or highly specialized terminology. Avoid jargon generally, even when writing for a specific audience, as it may alienate a less knowledgeable audience.
Such terminology is too inclusive to apply to a general audience. However, it may be appropriate to use it in rare cases when writing to people in a particular field.
7. Write what you know.
The internet provides easy access to various information and aids information dissemination. However, it also makes us vulnerable to misinformation.
Establishing credibility in your writing cannot be overemphasized, regardless of the medium. Provide relevant links to assert statistics or debatable statements in your draft.
Writing is a fantastic way to learn new things. If there is a subject that interests you, do enough research on it before writing. The more you understand the concept or topics, the better your writing on it.
8. Write with Style
You should express your personality in your business writing. You can add your flair to work for most writing genres, and your writing will be much more engaging if you do so.
Conversely, don’t be hesitant to experiment with different looks. This helps to keep your writing fresh and unique. Don’t worry about making mistakes; accept constructive criticism and keep improving. Above all, don’t stop writing.
9. Write concisely
Keep your writing brief and straightforward because your audience has a short attention span. Look through your draft and try to break down sentences into phrases and phrases into words.
Additionally, whenever a shorter word can accomplish the same task as a longer one, do so. If the paragraph, sentence, or phrase doesn’t change the meaning, remove it entirely.
Likewise, remove unnecessary words (fillers).
Eliminate weak modifiers like “really,” “very,” “truly,” and the like, and try to stick with verbs and strong nouns instead of adverbs and adjectives.
Consider William Strun Jr.’s advice that “a sentence should not contain any unnecessary words, and a paragraph should not contain any unnecessary sentences for the same reason that a drawing should not contain any unnecessary lines, and a machine should not contain any unnecessary parts.”
10. Revise
Revision is essential. Most skilled writers admit that writing a document’s initial draft takes less time than rewriting and revising it.
Writing has several benefits, one of which is the ability to edit your work as much as you like until it is how you want it. Take time to edit your writing before you send it.
Look for logical gaps as you read through your document. Optimize and reorganize your content to be aesthetically pleasing.
Add relevant data to sentence gaps and avoid redundant or superfluous information.
Ensure your text reinforces your purpose, thesis, or story rather than undercutting or contradicting it. (Read How to Revise Your Writing for more details on this subject.)
11. Read out loud
Reading your document aloud after you have finished the major revisions is advisable. Rewrite anything you come across while reading that sounds disjointed or awkward.
12. Proofread your writing
Check your document once more for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other errors after reading it through and making revisions.
Although AI grammar and spell checkers are helpful, please don’t rely solely on them. Instead, spend the time reading through your entire document because spell checkers and grammar checkers frequently miss essential details.
It’s also crucial to have someone else proofread your writing. You won’t honestly know if your document is clear, well-organized, cohesive, logical, engaging, etc., until someone else has read it. Check out this article on the importance of proofreading.
On a final note
Again, good writing requires practice and experience. No matter what writing tips you read, you’ll only get better by writing, reading, and getting feedback. Outside that loop, you won’t be able to achieve anything.
Aim for clarity and simplicity while writing to become a professional writer and improve your writing skills.
Lastly, don’t forget to include a call to action at the end of your story. If you don’t ask, your audience won’t know what to do next.
Are you a business owner looking for a professional writer to curate content for your brand? Look no further. UniverseWriters is your go-to talent marketplace for skilled and pre-vetted writers that’ll leave a long-lasting effect on your audience.
Are you ready to transform your brand/business with the power of storytelling? Request a free quote now!
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