If your stories get views but not sales, you're probably making one of three mistakes: making the story 100% about you, being too vague about the transformation, or ending with a CTA that feels forced. All three are easy to fix by answering three questions before you write.
Prefer to watch? Here's the video version: https://youtu.be/egAu8LLRz00
Mistake 1: Are you making it 100% about you?
Right now, words like "I" and "me" are helping content perform better, especially for engagement. I love that, because it lets me share what's happening in my life and use it to attract my community and make sales.
The caveat many entrepreneurs miss is that even when you're telling a story from your perspective, you still need your ideal customer in mind, and the next step for them. That's how you get views without conversions.
Think of your content as a mirror for your audience, not an autobiography. Your stories need to be relevant to what your ideal customer is going through: what they want, what mistakes they might be making, and what's keeping them up at night. If 60% of the story is about what happened to you, flip the script and put them front and center so they want to take action on your CTA.
Mistake 2: Is your transformation too vague?
Transformation stories are some of my favorites. But most entrepreneurs don't put enough detail into what the outcome looked like, felt like, and gave them. This is a chance to paint a picture, and it also helps with mistake one, because a described transformation is no longer an autobiography.
Instead of "I built a business," I might say, "I built a business that allows me the time and the flexibility to work from the kitchen table while my son does his homework right next to me." You can imagine where I am, what I'm doing, and who's next to me, and the reader starts to place the story in their own life.
People buy what they can see and visualize, so paint a specific outcome.
Mistake 3: Does your CTA feel forced?
Most entrepreneurs who tell me their views and engagement are up but their sales aren't improving are making this mistake. Your story should lead naturally to your offer or CTA. That CTA doesn't always have to be a paid offer. It could be a freebie, a YouTube video, or a DM.
When a CTA feels forced or out of left field, it's because the story wasn't built with that next step in mind. The invitation should feel like the obvious next step for your reader.
What three questions fix all three mistakes?
Answer these before you write a single word:
Why is this valuable to my ideal customer? This fixes mistake one and helps you identify their next step.
How does this story connect to something I offer? Decide this before you write, and you can reverse engineer the story so the pitch flows naturally.
What outcome or desire is my ideal customer working toward? Re-ground yourself in it, and you'll paint a more vivid picture.
Use these as a checklist for every piece of storytelling content, whether it's an email, a carousel, or a talking-head video. You'll see more views and more sales, and that's the goal. We want to serve our audience at the highest level and also bring in the revenue that lets us support our families and grow.
What happens after the CTA?
Now pay attention to the actual sales process. What happens after the CTA? What happens if someone sends you a DM or books a discovery call? Do you have an authentic, storytelling-focused method for turning cold and semi-warm leads into paying clients? For most entrepreneurs, the answer is no, which is why I created the 4-Part Storytelling Sales System. Get the details here.
Want 2,900+ prompts, templates, and hooks for your stories? Unlock the Storytelling Content Super Bundle.
To go even deeper into storytelling that sells, watch this next: Storytelling That Sells: The 3-Part Story Structure You Need.
P.S. Ready to build a revenue-generating brand? One that not only stands out online but also makes it easier than ever to create high-value content? Tune in to my free brand class and learn my Build a Better Brand Method. Watch now at brandmerry.com/class.
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Hey there, I’m Michelle Knight!
I’m an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I travel the world (sometimes in an RV) while running my business.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation, productivity, and more.
Branding is hard, there I said it! It took me months to find my personal brand after being stuck in a cycle of comparison and lost in connecting to my true story and personality. However, personal branding is important to the success of your business online and can’t be ignored. Once I figured it out I knew I wanted to share with others what I’d learned.
Click the image to learn 4 Branding Tips for Female Entrepreneurs.