If it's about general copywriting this is a good place for it 

Story in Copywriting - How To Flesh Out Your Story

If it's about copywriting, and it doesn't fit anywhere else, this is probably a good place for it
Post Reply
User avatar
SARubin
Copywriter
Posts: 557
Joined: January 12th, 2019, 8:00 am
Location: USA
Tagline: Spinning Words Into Gold
Has thanked: 120 times
Been thanked: 108 times
Contact:

Story in Copywriting - How To Flesh Out Your Story

Post by SARubin »

I think we all understand how important a good story is in copywriting.

In fact most good copywriting has some kind of a story behind it.
Even a short ad, where we might just have an image and a slogan, still represents the story of our business.

One reason stories are so effective in sales is because people just love stories. It's practically built into our DNA, because as a society it's how we've communicated ideas since the beginning of language.

So when we write our copy, one thing to consider is "what's the story behind our offer?" And how can we communicate it to our reader.


One great way to tell a story is to build it around a character.
It could be a fictional character, or a real person. It can even be a story about you or one of your customers who had a problem, and how your product solved it.

Of course we don't want our entire copy to be all story, because we still need to include the sales part if we want to actually sell something.

But a good story that pulls people into our copy, and gets them to see how it relates to them, is one of the more powerful ways I've discovered to lead customers towards a sale.


So how do we tell a good story in our copywriting...?

Well, there's a few classic story telling structures we can use, and it really depends on what fits the narrative of what we're selling. But here's one basic outline you can use (I learned this one from watching PIXAR movies)...

The basic 6 point structure is...
  1. Once upon a time...
  2. Every day was the same...
  3. Then one day...
  4. Because of that...
  5. And because of that...
  6. Until finally...

Pretty basic stuff, right? - But very powerful just the same.


Here's another good story outline you can use for your copywriting...

1. An Opener
Start with who your story is about and establish the problem, challenge, or quest she faces — Your goal here is to get your reader invested in the main character and what she must accomplish.

2. An Incident that Changes Everything
It’s one thing to render a character frustrated or angry at some annoying opponent. But get to the catalyst that forces him to act.

3. A Series of Crises that Build Tension
These should grow progressively worse and challenge your protagonist to gain new skills that will serve him in the end.

4. A Tense Climax
This is where your character appears to have fatally failed and everything appears hopeless.

5. An End
The resolution concludes your story. Your main character must succeed or fail, based on what he’s learned from the crises. This is also where you tie up loose ends and satisfy your reader, while at the same time leaving him wanting more.

Credit where credit is due... I pulled the above structure from a brief article I found here...
7 Story Structures Any Writer Can Use Which also briefly describes a few other classic story structures like "the heroes journey" and the "3 act structure".


To wrap this post up let me just say, people tell themselves stories everyday (stories about themselves, stories about the world they live in, stories about the other people in their life...)

And every ad we write tells a story about our offer. So when we tell a good story that people can relate to, and we get people involved in our story, it just becomes easier and more natural for them to buy what we're selling.


Thought for the day...
A good marketer knows how to think like a marketer - A great marketer learns how to think like the customer...
SARubin - Direct Response Copywriter / Conversion Flow Expert
User avatar
Franklin
Copywriter
Posts: 221
Joined: January 27th, 2019, 12:00 am
Location: Right in front of you
Has thanked: 45 times
Been thanked: 76 times

Re: Story in Copywriting - How To Flesh Out Your Story

Post by Franklin »

SARubin wrote: March 30th, 2021, 11:06 am
The basic 6 point structure is...
  1. Once upon a time...
  2. Every day was the same...
  3. Then one day...
  4. Because of that...
  5. And because of that...
  6. Until finally...
Once upon a time I had a boring job working in a factory. :|
Everyday was the same, and every week the paycheck was too small. :cry:
Then one day the company downsized and I got laid-off and had to find a new job. :evil:
Because of that I went searching for a new way to make money, and I discovered that I liked writing. :geek:
And because of that I practiced writing everyday, and started looking for businesses that needed someone to write for them. :)
Until finally I started making money doing something I liked :D
“There are 3 kinds of people in this world. Those who can count, and those who can't”
User avatar
SARubin
Copywriter
Posts: 557
Joined: January 12th, 2019, 8:00 am
Location: USA
Tagline: Spinning Words Into Gold
Has thanked: 120 times
Been thanked: 108 times
Contact:

Re: Story in Copywriting - How To Flesh Out Your Story

Post by SARubin »

Truly captivating story Franklin.

I was on the edge of my seat from the first word to the last smiley :D
Franklin wrote: April 3rd, 2021, 11:21 am
Once upon a time I had a boring job working in a factory. :|
Everyday was the same, and every week the paycheck was too small. :cry:
Then one day the company downsized and I got laid-off and had to find a new job. :evil:
Because of that I went searching for a new way to make money, and I discovered that I liked writing. :geek:
And because of that I practiced writing everyday, and started looking for businesses that needed someone to write for them. :)
Until finally I started making money doing something I liked :D
A good marketer knows how to think like a marketer - A great marketer learns how to think like the customer...
SARubin - Direct Response Copywriter / Conversion Flow Expert
User avatar
Wordsmith
Member
Posts: 27
Joined: March 24th, 2021, 1:59 pm
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Tagline: It's In The Research!
Been thanked: 5 times
Contact:

Re: Story in Copywriting - How To Flesh Out Your Story

Post by Wordsmith »

SARubin wrote: March 30th, 2021, 11:06 amThe basic 6 point structure is...
  1. Once upon a time...
  2. Every day was the same...
  3. Then one day...
  4. Because of that...
  5. And because of that...
  6. Until finally...
Finally, Steven was going to reconnect with the dad he never knew.
To do that, he pulled up stakes and moved his family of seven 3000 miles across the country.
But halfway through the trip, it nearly ended that mid-July summer morning when a New Mexico super sandstorm struck.
When the winds died down and the last tiny crystal came to rest, the vehicle's windshield damage was extensive.
As he searched through his moving van for something to wipe the beads from the glass, all he could find were dryer sheets.
As Steven began wiping the glass, the pitted surface started to disappear, and that's the day Family of 7 Windshield Wipes were born.
User avatar
SARubin
Copywriter
Posts: 557
Joined: January 12th, 2019, 8:00 am
Location: USA
Tagline: Spinning Words Into Gold
Has thanked: 120 times
Been thanked: 108 times
Contact:

Re: Story in Copywriting - How To Flesh Out Your Story

Post by SARubin »

Wordsmith wrote: April 5th, 2021, 6:01 pm Finally, Steven was going to reconnect with the dad he never knew.
To do that, he pulled up stakes and moved his family of seven 3000 miles across the country.
But halfway through the trip, it nearly ended that mid-July summer morning when a New Mexico super sandstorm struck.
When the winds died down and the last tiny crystal came to rest, the vehicle's windshield damage was extensive.
As he searched through his moving van for something to wipe the beads from the glass, all he could find were dryer sheets.
As Steven began wiping the glass, the pitted surface started to disappear, and that's the day Family of 7 Windshield Wipes were born.
You got me there Wordsmith,
Your story just made me search for "Family of 7 Windshield Wipes" on google.
Near as I can tell they don't really exist, but you made me look.
Bravo, sir... Bravo!
A good marketer knows how to think like a marketer - A great marketer learns how to think like the customer...
SARubin - Direct Response Copywriter / Conversion Flow Expert
User avatar
Wordsmith
Member
Posts: 27
Joined: March 24th, 2021, 1:59 pm
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Tagline: It's In The Research!
Been thanked: 5 times
Contact:

Re: Story in Copywriting - How To Flesh Out Your Story

Post by Wordsmith »

The areas in red are the only parts of the storyline that is false; the rest is a true story.
SARubin wrote: April 5th, 2021, 8:15 pm
Wordsmith wrote: April 5th, 2021, 6:01 pm Finally, Steven was going to reconnect with the dad he never knew.
To do that, he pulled up stakes and moved his family of seven 3000 miles across the country.
But halfway through the trip, it nearly ended that mid-July summer morning when a New Mexico super sandstorm struck.
When the winds died down and the last tiny crystal came to rest, the vehicle's windshield damage was extensive.
As he searched through his moving van for something to wipe the beads from the glass, all he could find were dryer sheets.
As Steven began wiping the glass, the pitted surface started to disappear, and that's the day Family of 7 Windshield Wipes were born.
You got me there, Wordsmith,
Your story just made me search for "Family of 7 Windshield Wipes" on google.
Near as I can tell, they don't really exist, but you made me look.
Bravo, sir... Bravo!
Share This With Friends
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics of Interest
    Replies
    Views
    Last post