How to Talk About Thermostats and Fence Posts to Help Your Audience Love You Even More

4 storytelling skills to make your copy go from average to amazing

Turn your copy from easily-forgotten to unforgettable by telling stories. Debates with your spouse? Temperature war with your sister? Everyday moments are your ticket to better resonating, engaging, and converting.

1. Start with conflict

Not sure where to find “conflict” in your daily life? It looks like:

People wanting opposite things – like when I turned the thermostat up to 70 but my sister insisted it be turned down to 65.
An argument – like the time my husband insisted some fence posts were dark green and I insisted they were charcoal. (To this day I stand by my observation that we just see some colors differently. He still thinks I’m just wrong.)
Mistakes. Your mistake, someone else’s mistake, your dog’s mistake.
Everyday issues – like a fender-bender or spilling sauce on your shirt.
Something blocking what you or someone else wants – like the single lady who snatched the wedding bouquet out of the hand of the other single lady.

2. Include details

Details are the difference between boring and interesting. Details help people fully engage with what you’re saying. People love details. Details can be:

Your dog’s snores that weirdly sound like he’s humming a tune
The wire sticking out of your neighbor’s chair that she always invites you to sit on
The burn from slicing up jalapenos without gloves

3. Tie it back to your message

It’s easier than you think and it becomes even easier the more you do it. All you need to do to segue from your story to your message is something like:

“I’m telling you this because…”

“I’m telling you this because just like my husband and I have two different opinions about one color, understanding your customers’ perspectives can transform your marketing strategy.”

Make a point, then relate it back to your message or CTA.

For example, if I told the story about my sister and I wanting different temps, a segue could be:

Minor adjustments can lead to significant improvements.

Small tweaks to your approach can significantly increase customer satisfaction. Contact me to find out how to adjust your strategy for better results.

4. Include a bit of context

Did your story happen last week? In the park down the road from your house? Were you driving? Just a bit of context spikes interest.

Put some story in your copy

Don’t overthink it. Just start making a note of things of different types of “conflict” and some details to go with it. And don’t feel like writing about conflict is going to make you feel down and negative. Something as simple as wandering around the grocery store looking for that one spice can make a great story. Happy story-finding!