How to tell persuasive stories

Yo! Welcome to the next episode of The Content Strategy Reederwhere you learn how to grow your career and income with the right content strategy in less than 5 minutes.

I’m revealing my big marketing bets for 2024.

Forget 2024 “predictions”. They are... how do I say this politely… dumb and pointless. Candidly, I prefer playbooks over half-baked predictions all day.

That’s why I’m sharing what I’m 100% doing next year to grow brand and demand, both at Clari and The Reeder, this Thursday in a live session hosted by Maven. I’ll be alongside some heavy hitters revealing the big “what and why” behind our strategy and decision-making for next year. Plus:

 → The two marketing channels I’m doubling down on, even with a limited budget — one of which I used to help Clari’s CEO gain over 4M LinkedIn impressions in 10 months.

→ The framework I’ve relied on for years to balance performance and brand marketing investments to grow an audience and inbound demo requests every single month.

→ Why (and how) I spent over $250k on influencer marketing this year at Clari — plus how I tied it to brand and pipeline growth to get CMO approval.

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Today you’re going to learn a powerful type of storytelling. 

If used correctly, your content will immediately graduate from good to exceptional.

And it’s OK if you don’t consider yourself a natural storyteller.

With the following framework, you’ll go from novice to expert in minutes.

Even better, you can use this tactic across ALL of your sales and marketing efforts — making them infinitely more relatable and persuasive. 

So… what is this near-magical style of storytelling? 

Well, I’ve already used it twice in this post.

And you’ve seen it a million times before. 

Learn to create before and after stories. 

Before and after stories are incredibly effective for conveying the value of your offer — book a sales meeting, buy your product, sign up for your event, etc.

That’s because the compelling offers detail the benefits for the reader.

That starts with creating your Desired Future State.

Most people misstep by describing the thing (product, webinar, event, etc).

For example: This book is easy to read, it’s only 214 pages, and there are interesting data points inside. 

Those are features.

Instead, describe the tangible outcomes your offer provides.

For example: this book will fast track your career by giving you decades of career advice you can use immediately to negotiate a raise. 

Which sounds most interesting to you?

Next, you describe the Unwanted Present State.

Before and after stories are effective because they rapidly take your reader from Unwanted Present State to Desired Future State. 

It’s incredibly effective motivating action from your reader. 

Your success depends on your ability to show contrast.

Here’s how…

Your goal is to convey transformation. 

Every great story has a journey. 

Before and after stories are powerful because they focus on where the journey begins and ends. 

Clearly show where your reader is, then detail where your offer (ie, content) will get them. 

Remember, people are interested in their Future Desired State more than your content. Your content is a means to an end. So focus on the end — specifically, what’s changed. 

Steal this framework

In its simplest form, here’s how to structure your story:

From Point A to Point B. 

It’s that simple. 

You’ve seen it before:

Diet plans: From 300 pounds to 200 pounds in 12 months. 

Invisalign: From crooked teeth to a perfect smile in 8 weeks.

Proactiv: From oily skin to clear skin in weeks. 

Notice the pattern of (1) describing the Unwanted Current then (2) describing the Future Desired State. 

It’s not describing the product. 

Otherwise it would read:

-From 300 pounds to weekly cardio and weight lifting. 
-From crooked teeth to 24/7 retainers. 
-From oily skin to daily ointment regiment. 

That sounds like work. And people want results. Focus on the latter and you’ll have a powerful and persuasive story. 

Now that you have the formula down, let’s go into an advanced example.

How to use before and after stories in your writing.

You can build on the “Point A to Point B” framework by adding detail and specificity. 

I intentionally use before and after stories in my welcome email when folks sign up for this newsletter. 

My goal was to build anticipation and clearly articulate the value you can expect. 

Here’s a blurb. See if you can spot the “befores” and “afters”:

How many did you find?

I labeled them here:

The more detail and specificity you add, the more persuasive your story becomes. 

The more you understand your reader, the easier it is to create your Unwanted Current State and Desired Future State. 

TL,DR (Too Long, Devin Reed):

Before and after stories are the most powerful form of storytelling because they convey transformation, build anticipation, and compel your reader to act on your offer.

Use them correctly, and you’ll go from good to outstanding results overnight. 

(See, there it is again.)

Holler at you next Saturday,
Devin

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