10 Storytelling Tips That will Take Your Writing Career to the Next Level

Do you want to tell compelling stories that resonate with your audience, but are not sure how you can apply powerful storytelling tips to your writing?

Let me get it straight. People don’t buy from companies, they buy from people. That’s why the best marketers are great storytellers. 

I know, it can be hard to tell a compelling story that will connect with your audience and drive action. However, with the help of successful storytelling tips, it is possible.

You’ve heard the old saying “show don’t tell,” right?

It’s a great rule of thumb in writing, but what does it mean exactly? How do you show your prospects and customers instead of just telling them what you can do for them?

Well, storytelling techniques are one of the most effective ways to do so.

It allows you to connect with your audience on an emotional level. It makes them care about what you have to say so much more than if you were just using facts and figures alone.

When done correctly, storytelling techniques will help boost engagement and leads while also making sure your company has an authentic voice online.

Here are my 11 storytelling techniques for crafting better story-based content that can get you more customers and leads.

So, without further ado, let’s dive in…

Storytelling Tip # 1: Make it simple

One of the first storytelling tips is to keep it simple. Tell stories that everyone can understand, rather than getting lost in details or scientific terminology.

People don’t want to watch you explain something in intricate detail or hear you speak in jargon — they just want the bottom line! Be succinct to keep your audience engaged.

Storytelling Tip # 2: Bring details to life

Include specific information that lets your audience relate to what you’re saying, and tailor it to their experience. This is the secret to making nonfiction stories as engaging as fiction.

Storytelling Tip # 3: Make them see, hear, smell & feel with sensory words and descriptions

Use words that paint a vivid picture for your audience — make the reader actually “see” what’s happening in your story.

Paint a sensory word picture using all five senses; include things like taste or touch if it helps people understand your premise e.g., “The food tasted terrible”.

Storytelling Tip # 4: Tell relevant stories

Only tell stories that add value and context to your main idea.

Avoid yammering about irrelevant details just because they happened at some point in your life — include only the details that support your point.

Storytelling Tip # 5: Connect with emotion

Emotion is powerful and helps people bond over experiences they can relate to.

Humans are naturally drawn to other humans, so tapping into emotion brings them closer to you and makes them feel like you understand their situation or perspective. This also creates a deeper connection between you as the author and your reader.

Storytelling Tip # 6: Use narrative tension

People love stories about overcoming obstacles in pursuit of a goal — it’s what “The Little Engine That Could,” “Hoosiers” and “Rocky” all have in common!

Urban legend has it that Ernest Hemingway referred to this type of story structure as the ‘iceberg theory‘ since he said, “The tip of the iceberg is all that shows, but the underwater portion was much larger.”

In other words, most people only see the surface or ‘tip’ of a story — but there is usually more to it than that.

You should always leave your audience wanting more by holding back some of the details at first, then revealing them later as the plot progresses. You don’t want to give everything away in one big clump!

Storytelling Tip # 7: End with impact

The ending of your story will either make or break it, so spend extra time crafting a powerful conclusion that leaves your readers satisfied and eager for more information.

Just like Hemingway’s icebergs, don’t show all your cards on one hand — save something for another day and another story!

Storytelling Tip # 8: Keep things bite-sized

This doesn’t mean you should shove micro-stories down your audience’s throats; instead, think of them as little nuggets of valuable information that make a larger point or sets the stage for something bigger.

Storytelling Tip # 9: Follow a storytelling format

Make it easy for your audience to follow what you’re saying by organizing information into an easy-to-follow format.

This could include telling things chronologically, listing items one at a time, or grouping like things together. However, you arrange your material, be consistent so your readers don’t get lost along the way.

Storytelling Tip # 10: Include a call to action

At the end of your story or blog, be sure to leave people with some type of lesson or challenge, and suggest something they can do to get started on solving the problem you’ve identified.

That way, when they close the book or exit their browser window, you have left them with something actionable — and hopefully inspiring!

Storytelling is an art that has been practiced for centuries and its nuances have evolved over time. The storytelling tips in this post can help you make your content more engaging to your audience, but it’s also important not to forget the basics of storytelling – like a good story needs both conflict and resolution.

Whether you’re writing about how someone overcame their fear of heights or why customer service matters, it’s essential that readers are left feeling satisfied with what they’ve read by the end.

There are many ways to create this sense of satisfaction depending on who your intended reader is; one way might be through humor while another could be through empathy and understanding.

In any case, don’t hesitate to experiment until you find the right combination! It will likely take some trial and error, but by the time you do, storytelling will become second nature to you.

Do you have other storytelling tips that you apply in your work? I would love to know in the comments below.

Until then, Happy Storytelling!