Creator Story Toolkit: Part 1 – The Stories That Build Your Brand + Make You Memorable
Episode 946: Show Notes
I believe storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you have as a marketer. In a recent podcast, I talked about pulling out the kinds of stories that you can use again and again. I want to teach you to write narratives that you can come back to and use in a bunch of different situations.
These are the stories that are going to help build your brand and make you memorable. We’re talking about creating trust and building an emotional connection with you and your business. This is how you build relationships without having a one-on-one conversation. It’s all about building a foundation: introducing yourself to a colder audience and reminding your warmer audience how you tick.
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What to Include in Your Origin Story
This is your ‘how it all started’ moment. It’s not your whole life story, it’s the moment you took a leap! Start with the catalyst and end with what shifted. You’re going to use a story to describe how your business was born on your website’s about page, on an introduction post on your Instagram, on podcast interviews, or even as part of your email welcome sequence.
How to Tell Your Founder Story
This is where you’ll tell people where you come from, who you are, and what you bring to the table. It creates context for who you are beyond your business and creates depth, relatability and trust. To do this, you’re going to go back to a few key past experiences, skills, or identities that directly influence how you show up today. You’re going to use this in places like Instagram carousels.
Where to Tell Your Why Story
The emotional heartbeat of your brand and your core motivation, your ‘why’ story is where you share a belief or a value that fuels your business. It’s where people feel the purpose behind your offers. You’re going to use this story on sales pages, email nurture sequences, brand manifestos, live talks, keynote intros, and more.
Why Customer Transformation Stories are So Powerful
Start with the ‘before’, walk through the problem that they had, and finish with the transformation. If you only tell people about the results, you’ll end up with a lot of clients who are not actually ready to do the work. They need to hear how your clients came in ready and confident. This story is going to help you find not only more potential buyers, but more qualified leads.
Learning to Tell Your Story of Failure
Vulnerability builds trust! A story of failure shows your audience that you’ve been through something hard and you came out on the other side. You want to keep it honest but solution-oriented, and share that breakdown moment. What did you learn, and how did it change you? This is where you get to show that you are human.
Telling Your Credibility Story
It’s the moment you realize ‘I’ve got this.’ You get to communicate your authority, not through bragging, but through sharing the story of your very first result. What you may not know about media, is that it’s paid for! It’s the newest form of advertising. But when you earn media, that validation is immense! That’s why my story of Strategy Hour being featured on Forbes is key to my story. Yours may look a bit different, but it may be just as valuable.
Personality-Driven Extras
Contrast what people assume your life looks like with what it actually is. Some of my favorite ways to do this are just letting people in on my interests and quirks. Looking at them, you’d figure out that I love design, my beagles, and spending time in the garden with my husband. You don’t have to share things in the moment, but sometimes you can, and other times you can reflect and share after the fact.
What Happens When You Share an Idea That Didn’t Work
Take the opportunity to share experimentation with others. It’s not your big fail, but a safe space to give your audience permission to try things and fail forward. Share how it became a lesson or even a win in disguise. You can use a story like this in a lot of different scenarios. You can use it when you’re talking about mindset or vulnerable content in general. This will help people to realize that you’re not just all about wins, that you’re willing to try things and find out what works. I want to encourage you to pick one of these stories and tell it this week!
Quote This
Give your audience permission to try things even if they don’t work, and to fail forward.
Highlights
What to Include in Your Origin Story [0:02:34]
How to Tell Your Founder Story [0:05:14]
Where to Tell Your Why Story [0:09:10]
Why Customer Transformation Stories are So Powerful [0:12:27]
Learning to Tell Your Story of Failure [0:17:07]
Telling Your Credibility Story [0:23:36]
Personality-Driven Extras [0:27:32]
What Happens When You Share an Idea That Didn’t Work [0:32:55]
Key Topics:
Storytelling, Building Trust, Failure, Audience
