Tell Me a Story...

Chances are...

If you’re reading this now…

It's because you wanted to hear the story I promised to tell.

That’s the power that stories have over us all.

From the days of huddling around fires in caves…

Through to today’s podcasts, blogs, and vlogs…

It’s all about telling stories.

In ancient societies…

The storyteller was shaman…

A position of power and respect among tribe members.

They were keepers of the secrets, the journeys, the joys and the sufferings of those who came before them.

They were the ones connecting with and sharing the stories of the spirit world with those of the physical plane…

Communicating with the gods, and through them, revealing the secrets of the universe.

The stories of the shaman brought perspective and insight to the lives of the tribe, revealing the place they held in the world… the universe… and beyond.

The world’s Big Three religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – are all built on storytelling… each using the stories of the Old Testament as a foundation.

The epic poems and myths of ancient Greece were magnificent journeys of men, gods and demi-gods – told to honor the gods, but also to reflect all the uncertainties, desires and failings of a society back to the people, through the lens of story.?

Every politician since the days of Caesar and Cicero has risen to power, for good or ill, because of storytelling.

Yet, with this magnificent legacy of the power and nobility of the story…

I wonder how many copywriters out there consider themselves storytellers. ?

Well, I’m here to tell you – as copywriters, we are the torchbearers of this universal tradition.

Deep down – all we’re really doing is telling a good story.

The ability to tell a riveting story made J. Peterman into a mail order empire (long before it was lampooned on Seinfeld).

Here’s just one example of the Peterman Storytelling Principle at work:

O'Cualann's Pub in Rossaveal, a small fishing village in the Connemara area of County Galway. The barman has just poured for me a dram of Middleton's and a local band is setting up in the far corner. That's when, as it seems to so often, it happened. A gentleman approaches the bar and takes the seat next to mine.

Now that’s a story – and that’s just to sell a sweater!

In copywriting, there is the classic “story lead” – where you drop the reader, or viewer, directly into the action, without any warning, or lead-in…

“I rushed back from the airport like a bat out of you-know-where…

Because I’ve just experienced something so incredible, so mind-blowingly powerful – and life-alteringly lucrative… I had to share it with you as quickly as possible.

What the automobile did to the horse and buggy…

The transistor did to the vacuum tube…

What the calculator did to the adding machine…. and the PC to the main frame computer…

Is about to happen again.

To a technology the world has taken for granted for the past 135 years”.

That story was the lead for a promotion I did many years ago.

A lot of things helped contribute to the success of that promo…

But I like to think it was story that brought the reader in quickly… and set up an urgency that couldn’t be ignored.

The story lead is one very specific use of story in copy.

But I believe that ALL copywriting is storytelling…

Everything we do – from lift notes to sales pages to order forms etc…

Is all part of the story.

In direct response copywriting, we tell multiple stories in every sales letter.

There’s the main story – what this story is about – the opportunity, the promise, or the idea that gets them into your promotion ?

There’s a sub-story – what actors call “subtext” – which is what you’re really writing about… what’s really going on under the surface of the story you’re telling (because it’s never just about the main story).?

There’s the problem story – there’s something wrong, and it’s affecting a lot people out there – but the truth’s being kept from them.

The solution story – how the work of a dedicated man has set out to make sure this wrong is being righted.

The guru’s story – how he came from nothing to riches and is now revealing his greatest discovery yet.

The discovery story – how this incredibly simple solution to this near universal problem came to be

The invitation story – the chance to be a part of this great discovery… why you’re giving it to the reader now

The service or product story – the great vehicle for delivering the solution, the promise, the chance at salvation, to the prospect

The offer story – the chance to get in on this incredible opportunity that most people will never see… and why

The discount story… the reason you worked so hard to offer this incredible deal… and why they’ll only pay this much.

The don’t miss out story… This is only available to the first 100 people who respond today – and no matter what, it’s coming down on Friday.

Tell each of those stories correctly – give them each the time and space and drama they deserve…

With each having a beginning, a middle, and an end…

You’ll have copy that can’t be ignored.

All the world’s a stage… and all the men and women merely players…

And all copy – no matter what you’re writing – is story telling.