How To Use Stories To Sell - 10 Tips ...

An effective and compelling story is one of the most powerful
devices in sales letter writing. There is seldom a successful
direct marketing piece without one. I've seen this for my most
successful sales copy and that of many other high-converting
direct marketing pieces.

I'll like to share with you 10 tips on using stories in your
advertising copy. Use them and see your bottom line balloon.

1. A story can be used to identify with your target audience and
make them feel understood and sympathetic to you and hence your
product or service. For example if you have been struggling with
an obesity problem and found a solution, you can tell a story
about your early struggles and your great discovery.

As your prospects read the story describing a familiar challenge
they can say, "Yes, I understand what you are talking about. I
know just how you FEEL." Note that feeling or emotion is a very
important element here.

2. A story is much easier to read than just plain cold facts.
One main characteristic of a good sales letter is its readability.
No big or confusing words just simple words so that even a child
could understand it.

Except your target audience is high on the intellectual scale
then you should keep it simple. Even if you think your readers
are very sophisticated readers you should still aim for
simplicity. Just allow the simplicity of your vocabulary to be
prominently eminent.

3. The story should be chosen so the reader will be called to
identify with the hero of the story. An individual who overcame
great odds or made the decision you want your prospects to make
and realized the results your product or service is promising. In
fact, customer testimonials are really small stories in this
respect.

4. A story will be remembered much longer than any
other form of teaching. Long after you may forget those facts you
learned in school you can still recall the stories you learned in
kindergarten. So you can make your sales message memorable by
using stories.

5. A story should NEVER be boring. If there are no surprises,
conflicts, obstacles, suspense, a plot and all the crucial
elements which comprise a great story then it's best to leave it
out.The last thing you want to do is bore your readers. The
ongoing debate about how long a sales letter should be can always
be summarized I think by saying that length is never a problem
but being boring is.

6. Never include a story just for a story's sake.
This could detract from your sales message rather
than enhance it. If the story doesn't help to make your message
clearer or simply tells a different message, then it's best to
leave it out as this will simply confuse your readers. 7. A
great way to structure your sales letter is by starting with a
story and then ending with some element of that same story. This
takes your letter full circle and creates resolution in the
reader's mind. If you read TIME magazine you'll find that
almost all of their main article writers use this technique.

8. Make the setting of the story as universally accessible as
possible. In other words, write about common life situations.
This includes school, family living, play, human aspirations to
improve, music, love etc. You don't want to demand a lot of
imagination from your readers as in a science fiction. You want
to keep it as real as possible.

9. All your stories don't have to be original to you or unknown
to the reader. You can indeed use a familiar story to make a point
you know the reader will agree with. This includes popular stories
found in the culture of your target audience. Even fairy tales will
do well here.

For example, to show the importance of persistence over speed you
may recall the story of the hare and the tortoise. In this way
you'll resonate with the 'yes' that's already in the
readers' mind.

10. Use references from popular items in the headline news.
This is one very effective technique because it not only gets
attention but you are joining the conversation that is already
in the readers mind.

Drawing metaphors from popular news items is one creative way to
engage your readers. Any letter must be able to break into the
present mindset of the readers to take them on the journey of
your choosing. Using a popular news item makes this so much
easier to accomplish. Just study all the great teachers and
philosophers in history and you'll see that they were also great
story tellers. Many of those stories have survived for thousands
of years and haven't lost their original effect on the reader or
listener.

So can your sales message.

-Ray Edwards