“Behind every successful business is a good story.”

But that’s just the beginning. Many people do not realize that Walt Disney was a teller of tales, not a creator of stories.

These days as a marketer you’re trying to reach an audience that’s already feeling overwhelmed. More and more, they’ve also heard a lot of stories.

Starting with a good story — a story that supports your business strategy — is just the beginning. You have to communicate your story.

I’ve seen some compelling, suspenseful stories presented like paragraphs from a badly written college textbook. And I’ve seen good-enough stories presented so enthusiastically, the audience hung on every word — and remembered the speaker, too.

How does one become a good storyteller? What are small nuances that turn a story from so-so to suspenseful? What are must-have standards? What extremely positive examples must be taken as inspiration?

These 7 techniques will help you get started as you seek to tell stories that will get your audience to say, “Tell me more!”

(1) Make Your Story Come Alive.

Many writing courses emphasize the “Show, don’t tell” rule, especially in any kind of narrative writing. Your challenge is to help the reader feel they’re living an experience, not listening passively.

So instead of, “He was clumsy,” you say, “He banged into the table and knocked over a chair.” You go heavy on action words, description, and details and light on the adjectives and adverbs.

(2) Don’t be too easy on your hero.

Unlike the classical “beginning, middle, and end” stories, marketing stories begin with a problem.

But to keep your audience engaged, marketing stories need to incorporate an element that’s common to most good stories: conflict.

Here’s a story from Gloria, a home schooling mom:

I’ve stayed home with my own kids since my first son was born ten weeks early. It took a LOT of time for me to prepare preschool activities for my boys.

“When I started home-schooling, I would spend at least 4 hours prepping each day. I was totally exhausted and frazzled by noon…and was getting by on just a few hours’ sleep. My husband and my other kids were feeling neglected.

“People told me to forget about homeschooling and send my son to a regular school…”

That’s the first conflict. Gloria had a second conflict:

“Even when I found an activity they loved, I still wondered if it was the right activity to support their educational development. Or was it just a fun way to spend some time together?”

When I first heard the story, I found myself wondering: “Will Gloria find an answer? Did she give up?” And I don’t even have kids.

(3) Think like a mystery writer.

Fans of murder mysteries will recognize this pattern. Around page 240 the hero seems to solve the mystery. As a reader, you start to relax and wait for the fun part of wrapping everything up.

But you’ve got another 75 pages to go. That’s way too long to celebrate the victory.

Sure enough, just as you and the hero get ready to say “The End,” the author introduces a twist.

You thought the butler did it, but he’s got an airtight alibi. And the heroine’s boyfriend is acting mighty suspicious.

From our earlier example: Gloria found a solution to her son’s learning needs…

but now she faces a new plot twist: How do you adapt this popular Montessori program — designed for groups of children nursery schools — to the chaotic home environment of a busy mom?

After you solve the first problem, you’ve got an even tougher problem…and that’s the story that sells.

(4) Replace “Get Personal” with “Relate To Your Audience.”

Recently a business owner told a rather long story about the insights she’d achieved at a yoga retreat in one of those five-figure cruises to a South Seas destination.

Her whole life was transformed. Events that would have turned her into a nail-biting mess now leave her calm and confident.

But will this story resonate with her readers?

This type of retreat isn’t just expensive. It requires a level of intensity, commitment, and fitness that will be beyond the level of many readers.

I’m currently trying to do yoga myself, via online classes. I go for the easy poses and plan to stay at the beginner level for the rest of my life. So the story held some relevance.

A year ago? I wouldn’t have gotten past the first sentence.

(5) Get your audience involved.

During a traditional theatre presentation, the actors rarely try to break the fourth wall. You can bring your audience into your business story with lines like, “Imagine you were looking over my shoulder.”

Or, “Picture yourself on an airplane and I’m sitting in the seat next to yours.”

(6) Create empathetic characters.

There’s no stock formula for characters, beyond having a protagonist. An adversary

adds interest. You can engage your audience by providing details about the characters and giving them distinct personalities.

When you’re the hero of your own story, you have to present yourself as likeable — not a know-it-all, not someone preaching to your audience from a superior position.

Here’s a tip: Create heroes who resemble your ideal client.

If you want to work with financial planners on designing websites, make the hero a financial planner who needs a website.

(7) Commit to your characters with dialogue.

If you want to work with moms of young children, make the hero a mom and give her some kids with carefully chosen ages and temperaments. Do you teach moms how to handle kids who resist parenting…help them get their angelic brilliant children into Ivy League schools?

Dialogue makes your character come alive. When you change your tone and vocal style to match the characters, you show commitment to your characters. Ideally, your audience will recognize “Uncle Jim” and “Harry the business owner” just by their speaking style.

Dialogue grabs attention, whether written or spoken. You don’t need to be funny. You can be dramatic, serious or playful.

Bonus tip: Use stories that reinforce your brand.

Business owners can feel pressured by the advice to, “Tell a story…any story!” So they create a story that’s entertaining but doesn’t support their brand..

Tell stories in a style that will match your brand.

Your brand evolves as your business grows. You’ll need to find new stories to match your new brand.

I hope you can apply at least one of these tips in the near future. When you do, please drop me a line and let me know what you did. What was your audience’s reaction? How did you benefit?

Most of these tips come from my Amazon Kindle book, Grow Your Business One Story At A Time. You can download it here.

Check out my course – How to give a memorable 5-minute talk.

If you’re a solopreneur or small business owner, you’ve probably been asked this question more times than you can count:

“How did you get into this line of work?”

It’s a simple question. But most of us answer it the wrong way—off-the-cuff, rambling, or full of irrelevant details. We tell the truth, but not the useful truth. We don’t realize that this moment—when someone’s genuinely curious about your journey—is an incredible opportunity to demonstrate value and connect.

Your origin story isn’t just about you. It’s a strategic tool. Done well, it shows how you’re qualified, how you understand the problem your audience is facing, and why you’re the right person to solve it.

But here’s the catch:
An origin story should never be just a list of milestones. It should answer a deeper question for your audience.

“Why should I trust you with this problem?”

The story becomes powerful when you frame your turning points not just as personal wins, but as moments that built your insight, credibility, and commitment. When someone hears your story, they should think, “That’s exactly who I want to work with.”

So if you’re still telling your story like a resume—or skipping it entirely—it’s time to rethink.

In this week’s podcast, I walk you through how to craft an origin story that attracts clients, builds trust, and makes your marketing feel more natural.

Listen here on your favorite platform.

In today’s digital world, where AI can write a blog post in seconds and content is everywhere, the one thing that still sets you apart is your ability to tell a great story.

And not just any story—a strategic one.

That’s why I’m excited to introduce Cathy Goodwin, a true expert in the field of strategic storytelling.

Cathy has built her brand around helping entrepreneurs and small business owners tell stories that connect, convert, and grow their business.

In this episode, we’ll dig into why storytelling is more than just a buzzword, how it can shape your brand, and why it’s so important that your customer—not you—is the hero of the story. If you’re ready to stop telling stories that fall flat and start sharing ones that truly move your audience, this episode is for you.

Go here to listen.

If you’ve been on the planet in the last few years, you probably why you need to use stories in business. Humans are hard-wired to create narratives. Stories engage your readers and keep them listening. You can’t be a business owner without telling stories.

You’ve probably also heard that the most powerful form of storytelling is the hero’s journey. In this journey, you show how you faced a problem you desperately needed to solve.

Maybe you …

… had been on a dozen diets that failed till you discovered this one.

… had lost jobs and dating opportunities until you learned how to dress for success.

… had hit bottom in your business till you discovered one strategy that brought you wealth (as well as more time to enjoy it).

These stories can be incredibly compelling, but they rarely make you sales.

For one thing, you may not have one of these stories to share.

… you just don’t have a great story or maybe a story at all. What if you’re a great cardiologist who never had a heart attack?

… you’re a coach, not a player. You coach teams to championships but you were a bench player with limited minutes.

… you can’t afford the risk of telling your story. The details might embarrass your family. Your lawyer and accountant advise you to keep quiet.

I’m in this category myself. I’m a coach rather than a player. I don’t always share the details of my life. And people rarely relate to my own life stories. Luckily, I’ve discovered they’re often the least useful type of story for your marketing strategy.

So what kinds of stories will bring you clients and sales?

Some people actually make up stories.

“Dorothy” claims she was going bankrupt three years ago–until she found the secret that turned her business around.

Alas, I remember Dorothy. I looked back in my emails and confirmed my memories: she was doing very well. She’d just sold a business for a sizeable sum. One of her big-ticket products was selling from a sales page, week after week. Dorothy loses credibility every time she shares her pseudo-journey.

There’s a better way. These 3 types of stories will build your brand, your business, and your base of clients.

Tell stories of success.

How did you help that client? How did you turn around that business? These stories focus on your client – not you. They actually help brand you by demonstrating how you work and what you deliver.

I encourage all my clients to come up with at least 3 success stories that will become the foundation of their marketing and their brand.

Show how your passion makes you uniquely qualified to help others.

You might have become extremely frustrated when you saw clients who were harmed by their experiences with more common cookie-cutter solutions.  You tossed the cookie cutter and carved out a new program.

For instance, I became frustrated with stories of solopreneurs who paid large sums for “branding programs” that took three months and gave them colors and fonts.

Or you realized many people were suffering needlessly because they didn’t realize solutions were available.  They lost money, time, or energy for no good reason.

For instance, a financial planner realized newly-divorced women were often clueless about money. They often signed up with sharks who were all too eager to devour every dime.

So this planner created a business specializing in meeting the needs of divorced women–a combination of sensitivity, deep knowledge of financial instruments, and ability to work with each individual’s risk tolerance and lifestyle.

Or you might have built a successful business.  You focused on helping people manage their lives, not their money or business.

Soon people began asking you, “How did you build a client base in a competitive industry?” You were so passionate about helping, you began delivering help for free. Now you’re a business coach who helps others build successful practices.

Tell stories to explain what you offer.

It’s not always easy to explain what you do, especially since many services we offer simply didn’t exist ten or twenty years ago.

A web developer might tell a story of a home decorator who found new ways to show off the owner’s personality, find places to hold all the important stuff after they downsized, and knew where to go to find one-of-a-kind furnishings at a reasonable price. “That’s what I do for your home on the web,” he might say.

Or suppose you’re helping clients build marketing funnels. You tell a story of a handyman who showed up asking for work. He first hung a few pictures for a very small sum. Then he painted a room. In just a few weeks, he was building a deck. That’s how a funnel might work, you say.

Choosing a story to support your strategy isn’t always easy.

If your inbox is anything like mine, I’m betting you find many stories truly cringe-worthy.

On the other hand,   every so often I hear a story that’s so spot-on, I 2\want to learn more. I want access to whatever that business owner’s clients are enjoying.

Most importantly, I remember that business owner. Their story has become their brand, in a way that colors and fonts can never accomplish.

Join me in a one-to-one consultation to discover the best story to simplify your marketing and get more results with less effort. Click here to learn more and sign up.

“Yet I’m getting invited to hold workshops in large companies and executives are coming to me for coaching.”  That’s how a client I’ll call “Rita” began a consultation a while back.

“I haven’t walked in their shoes,” Rita continued. “My coach told me to market to people like myself. But in this case, I’m not marketing to me! Why would someone believe I can help them?”

Rita had fallen for the widely reported myth of, “You must tell your story. You’re qualified because you are just like the people you help. You know what they’re going through. You can help them.”

Rita was fully qualified. She just needed a new story. 

Rita had a story that resonated with her audience of solopreneur creatives. She could share her experience of moving from a struggling solopreneur to a confident, profitable business owner. But she couldn’t tell an origin story about moving from frustrated corporate executive to confident, fulfilled professional.

Rita’s dilemma will be familiar to business owners who experience a shift, or pivot, as they grow. They start to attract clients in new markets, so they need new marketing strategies, new copy, and of course, new stories.

These shifts are inevitable. You change. Your market changes. You discover new solutions. You get invited to take on new challenges.

When business owners call me, they often believe they need to start with the common definition of a rebrand, i.e., a new website, color scheme, images, and slogan.

Actually, your first step calls for telling a new story — 3 stories, in fact:

Story #1 – answers the question “Why did you make this shift?”

Story #2 – answers the question “Why are you qualified to perform the new role?”

Story # 3 – the new sales story you tell so people think “I want what she’s having”

Do me a favor: Stay tuned for more information. And reply to this message if you’d like to learn more. I’m working on a guide (free or very low cost) and would like to know what questions you have.

And if you’d like to get the lowdown on the different stories you can use during a pivot, check out my book on Amazon – Grow Your Business One Story At A Time. It’s currently in kindle form but you don’t need a kindle to read it — just a computer or smartphone.

Data analyst Amy Webb was looking for a mate. A Jewish husband, to be precise. She was searching JDate and Match.com, but as she writes “What followed was a series of bad dates worthy of a romantic comedy.”

Enough was enough! Amy decided to apply her data analysis skills. In other words, she began thinking like a professional marketer. She analyzed the most popular profiles which are easy to identify because they come up earlier in the search. Here are some of her conclusions:

Popular women don’t wait to be asked. They reach out with informal short messages: “Hey, there …”

Lead with your hobbies – but skip the black belt in aikido and others that are hard to explain.

 Being funny can backfire. You can come off sounding sarcastic and obnoxious.

Most revealing were the tips on writing profiles. Shorter is better – about 500 words. The most popular profiles are “easygoing, youthful and spontaneous.”

While some advice doesn’t translate readily (curly-haired women are at a disadvantage), and some would be ill-advised to follow (lie about your height), I found some surprising similarities with writing copy, especially “About” pages.

A surprisingly wide range of people like an informal, breezy style of communication. Amy calls the style “youthful,” which will make some of us want to hurl the newspaper across the room. I would prefer to say “energetic,” “lively,” and “fresh rather than jaded.”

What can we take away from Amy’s story?

Professionals like me have a hard time getting used to being informal. As Amy noticed, she had become “too stuffy and professional.” Today the word “professional” doesn’t mean stuffy, aloof or impersonal.

Reaching out to your market via social media can be very effective when you’re looking for clients and jv partners.

Instead of using “resume-speak,” paint word pictures. Amy describes herself as “an outgoing and social world traveler, who’s eqully comfortable in blue jeans and little black dresses.”

What impressed me most was Amy’s ability to recognize the importance of writing to sell. Many people recoil at the word “marketing,” yet we engage in these activities in so many areas of our lives. It’s refreshing to get a perspective on writing promotional copy from an entirely new and (for some of us) unexpected source.

Marketing works! Amy’s photo shows her with her husband, Brian. Success!

By the way, if you’re ready to get serious about promoting yourself to your ideal target market, I’d suggest you consider a Strategic Intensive consultation. 

And try my FREE report: https://cathygoodwin.com/7copytips

You’re running a small business and you’re stuck. Not enough clients. Not enough business.

So you’re tempted to seek advice from someone who’s more successful. Maybe you’ll even pay them to help.

If you’re like most of my clients (and me, too) you’ll be disappointed. 

(1) The world has changed since they opened their doors for business.

One example I like to use: At one time you could hold live classes in places like the Learning Annex. Your class would get listed in a bulletin and, if you had a captivating title and topic, you’d attract an audience. You could also speak in bookstores and coffee shops. You might hold events in your living room.

I know many people who got started with these strategies. They’ve done well. But those opportunities aren’t available today. If they were starting now they’d be doing something else.

(2) They have a secret resource that’s not available to you.

A life coach (call her “Marina”)  bragged that she started her business without a website or a lead magnet. She was telling the truth.

What she didn’t tell you was, Marina’s husband had built up a huge email list, targeting her ideal prospects with a completely different service. He sent around a few emails, endorsing Marina’s skills and claiming she’d helped so many of their friends. 

Marina filled her practice in 3 weeks and never looked back.

(3) People are faking it.

You don’t know how successful people really are – and their definition of success may be different from yours. When they adopt the celebrity archetype, they flaunt their possessions and lifestyle…but you don’t know if there’s a trust fund or spouse quietly funding their accomplishments. 

What to do instead? 

Spend time and energy getting to know your market. Once you understand your market, work with resources who can help you create a strong message, use words and storytelling to convey the message, and start taking action. 

Some principles that *do* make sense for almost everyone:

“Business is a series of experiments. Don’t overthink things. Keep trying till you get it right.”

“Fail fast and often.”

“Follow your intuition. If something just doesn’t feel right…it’s probably a great idea for someone else, but not for you.”

And if you’re getting advice from Celebrity archetypes, it’s probably good for them but not for you.

If you’ve been in business any amount of time, you’ve probably been encouraged to think of creating your own course. Have you been thinking about creating an online course? or perhaps adding a new one?

As a former university professor and creator of over 50 online courses, I’ve discovered that copywriting can help you develop a successful course you will enjoy teaching.

==> Check out the Strategic Storytelling podcast episode on creating your course by beginning with a story.
Cllck here to listen. 

(1) Your course title functions like a headline:  motivating curiosity, demonstrating the value, and above all, describing the course with complete accuracy.

Choose a title that’s unambiguous and that fits into a category.  Universities group courses into departments, even when they have to stretch to make them fit. Some courses seem to be misplaced. In particular, a computer system course could get caught between Engineering and Information Systems.

When an “expert” claims that your course title isn’t important, find another expert.

(2) Your module title functions like a bullet point: promising a benefit and raising curiosity.

Successful courses often include steps (“step by step to…”) with one module per step. When you’re marketing your course, students will look at the names of the modules when deciding whether to buy.

When you name your modules before you fill them with content, your course will be market-ready and your sales copy will practically write itself.

(3) Your sales letter draft helps you diagnose your course’s profitability picture.  

Even if you’re using a platform (such as Udemy) that doesn’t call for a sales letter, you’ll get a sense of whether the course should be a “go.” You’ll recognize the gaps in your understanding of the topic and your market. You may need to add more content or change your existing course content

You can learn how to create your course here:  5 Steps To Creating Your Profitable Online Course
Use the coupon code COURSE30 for a 39% discount.

Are you a busy business owner – you’ve got a lot of knowledge and a following of clients and subscribers? You’re ready to create a course but you don’t want to go through a course or group. You want one-to-one support with someone who can help with the heavy lifting to package your knowledge into a course.

For you…I’ve created a new program. – one-to-one – and we can probably get the course done in 6 weeks, if you can contribute actively. I’ll work with you to develop your course It’s currently on a special introductory price.  Click here to learn more.

After I wrote the first draft of this post today, I checked my email. A marketing coach was advising readers who were uncomfortable sharing a story of personal trauma.

“People want to see you as a kind, caring person,” she said (well, not exactly – I want to add an element of disguise). “So go ahead and share. You don’t have to tell us everything but even a small part of your story will be helpful.”

Yep…that’s my daily dose of cringe.

Listen to the podcast on this topic. Episode #86 on Apple, Spotify, Google, or your favorite platform.

Every day my email inbox gets filled with personal stories that would be better left unshared. Raw details of a bitter divorce. Episodes involving misplaced underwear. Family members involved in illegal activity. Dark moments when nothing seemed worth waking up for.

OK, I rarely get all those stories every day…but there’s usually at least one.

People who are otherwise smart, savvy, streetwise business owners somehow share these episodes…because they’ve gotten really, really bad advice. They’ve gotten advice from coaches like the one I found today.

When I was new to the online world, before I understood business storytelling, I got the same advice. “Let your readers get to know you. Show how you were successful.”

So I did. My first website was about career change. I wrote about my own career trajectory. I talked about being willing to move for a more appealing opportunity. My mentors were delighted.

Then one day, a reader commented, “You’re awfully brave! You’re willing to leap without a net!”

Um…not exactly. I do have a high tolerance for risk but I actually had safety nets in place every time I moved. I knew what I’d do if things went wrong and I usually moved with a job waiting at the other end. 

If someone asked me about sharing a traumatic personal story, I would share 3 guidelines.

1 – Start by asking, “What is the purpose of telling a story?”

If you want to communicate your expertise, your story might not involve you at all.

If you want to create a lot of buzz for a book, your story might be truly cringeworthy.

2 – Periodically test the waters to learn how listeners are reacting to your story.

People listen to your message through filters and values. When I told my story, I used the term “free spirit.” Some people hear that as “certified flake.” Some people hear that as “independent.”

I have a course on understanding your clients’ motivation (use code CLIENT30 for a 30% discount).

3 – Maintain your boundaries. Use stories to support your brand and drop stories that don’t – no matter how juicy. You’ll get advised to bare your soul – and you can hold firm. Bare only what’s comfortable! The air can be chilly.

If you weren’t accidentally beamed up to another planet, you know the buzz generated by the Harold & Meghan story..or rather stories, mostly shocking, scandalous, and TMI.

There’s no shortage of explanations. Is Harry still processing his emotions? Is Meghan manipulating him for her own ends?

I’d say it’s due to bad advice. The ghostwriter wants dramatic stories. So do interview hosts.

Business people also can be encouraged to share stories by well-meaning marketing coaches…as well as podcast hosts seeking a good story: “Tell us more about how that relationship went south.”  

Remember: you don’t have to say yes. Get clear on your brand before you go live. Share only stories that support your brand. 

Even mid-interview you can turn away a question with a joke or even say directly, “That’s not very interesting. Here’s a story about how I helped a client…” 

It can be so tempting: “This is an opportunity to get in front of a big audience. I don’t want to upset the host.” 

Never mind. A big audience means a big opportunity to get the word out about your brand…and an equally big opportunity to get misunderstood. 

They say they’re giving you gifts…but they’re really gift-wrapping some pretty bad advice. Here are just 2 examples from my inbox.

(1) I just downloaded a free ebook on how to pitch for a guest blog or guest podcast gig.

At first I was impressed. The business owner suggested a catchy subject line and a detailed proposal with marketing material and copy.

But then I looked closer. This would be a great pitch to send *after* the initial. contact.

I get pitches like that all the time for both my podcast and my blog. They’re all saying, “I’m a great person!”

As a podcast host, my story is, “I need to find guests who will support the brand and message of my podcast.” So my response to that pitch will be, “Now I have to work! I have to figure out how to take their experience and turn it into a topic that fits my podcast description: ‘storytelling to meet your goals for your business, career, and life.'”

Your first contact needs to show you understand the host’s backstory. Come right out and say, “Here are 2 or 3 topics that seem to fit your program. My topics fit with the interviews you’ve done with Guests A, B and/or C.”

Their backstory: “I don’t want more work.”
Your pitch: “I’ve done the work.”

If I were pitching, I might write:

“I see you interviewed [name] on storytelling to gain attention and interviewed [other name] on strategies for business growth. I would like to be interviewed about storytelling to build your business. I have a book on this topic, as well as a blog and podcast. I’m an experienced podcast guest, speaker and occasional standup comedian, so my contribution would be informative as well as engaging.

“If this topic fits your program, I’d be happy to share additional information and promotional materials. Let me know if I can answer additional questions.”

And that’s exactly what I want to see myself when someone pitches to me.

You can learn more in my affordable Udemy course, Guest Blogging For More Traffic, Leads & Clients.
And you can download my free report on understanding your client’s backstory. Click here.

(2) An email from an “expert” read, “Don’t send a newsletter once a week or once a month. You must email every day.”

Really? I know lots of people who are doing very well with a weekly or even monthly email, thank you very much. I’m currently on a weekly schedule with one “re-send to unopens.”

Those who email daily will usually be Role Model archetypes, although others will email extra times when they’re launching or promoting something special. Educators almost always mail less frequently. Another email expert emails 3x/week. Others send a substantive, rather long email once a week. I don’t know if they re-send because I’m always eager to open the first time!

I wrote an article on this topic: How Frequently To Email: A Story-Based Answer.

The bottom line:

Look for advice that’s framed as, “It depends.” Rarely does a strategy or tactic apply universally across the board.

Look for advice that encourages you to think like a marketer and focus on the backstory of your target client or customer. When you’re pitching anything – a sale or a guest spot – you’re the marketer and they’re the customer.