Let Me Tell You A Story...

by Glenn Fisher

"Imagine yourself wearing a top hat and tails, on the balcony of a private rail car, the wind whistling past you as you sip the finest French champagne...

"It’s 1850; the railroad is growing like a vine towards the west. And, although you don’t know it yet, the same rail that you are riding on today will soon more than triple your wealth, making you and your family one of the great American dynasties..."

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Good, isn’t it?

That’s that opening two paragraphs of one of the most successful sales promotions ever.

The promotion, known by its headline of ‘There’s a New Railroad Across America’, was written by Porter Stansberry, a master at using stories to engage potential customers.

In yesterday’s issue (Using A Story To Engage Your Audience) I explained how important it is - in any business - to be able to engage your customers.

And I told you how working your message - be it an educational or sales-based one - into a story can be a very effective way of doing just that.

This Saturday morning, I wanted to just give you a few of the most effective examples of a story being used to engage a potential customer.

So, we’ve seen there Porter’s historical railroad story. Now let’s take a look at this one...

"You look out your window, past your gardener, who is busily pruning the lemon, cherry, and fig trees... amidst the splendour of gardenias, hibiscus, and hollyhocks.

"The sky is blue. The sea is a deeper blue, sparkling with sunlight.

"A gentle breeze comes drifting in from the ocean, clean and refreshing, as your maid brings you breakfast in bed.

"For a moment, you think you have died and gone to heaven.

"But this paradise is real. And affordable. In fact, it costs only half as much to live this dream lifestyle... as it would to stay in your own home!"

This legendary headline was actually used to launch International Living magazine.

Though it was written many years ago by copywriting master, Bill Bonner, it’s still one of the most successful ever sales promotions for the magazine.

It’s an amazing image.

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It puts you right there in the story itself. It’s your story, your window, your beautiful view.

Straight of the bat you’re engaged and arrested by the image and you want to read on.

It’s a great example.

Of course, though, both of the examples so far - to varying degrees - place you in the story.

But it’s not always necessary.

It is possible to engage your reader with an entirely third person narrative, as was done in the famous Wall Street Journal promotion...

"On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike, these two young men. Both had been better than average students, both were personable and both - as young college graduates are - were filled with ambitious dreams for the future.

"Recently, these men returned to their college for their 25th reunion."

You’re not involved in this story, but it’s still engaging.

Reading about the two young men who were so alike and are now meeting again 25 years later, you want to find out what’s happened.

These are just three examples - there are many more.

But three particular factors really unite them, which put into practice will help you enormously in developing your own writing.

First, as evidenced in Bill Bonner’s great example, the story must be specific to detail...

"...busily pruning the lemon, cherry, and fig trees..."

It’s the little details that people recognise and relate to and real details like that bring the story to life.

Secondly, the story must naturally flow and relate to your message.

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You can be inventive of course, but the underlying link must be valid.

Porter’s railroad story was all about new developments, era-defining developments that some people used to become rich. His message continued along those lines, revealing the era-defining developments he believed were afoot.

And finally, and for me most importantly...

Throw the reader straight into it. Where possible start in the middle of the story.

Sometimes, a little background might be necessary but keep it to a minimum. Remember, a little mystery can often be what’s so engaging about a story anyway - you read on to find out what happens.

OK. I’ll leave it there for today. I hope you enjoyed looking at some of these classic examples and I hope you’ll have a go at a story approach yourself.