The ONLY 5 Stories You Need To Grow Your Business

Storytelling is an incredibly effective way to grow your business because stories connect real people together. And that’s the point of a business, whether it’s online or not, people helping people.

 

The problem is so many people don’t know how to tell a good story so they just spit facts and stats that don’t connect them to their audience. 

 

People want to know that you can help them AND that you are someone they can relate to. That’s the Know, Like, and Trust factor.

 

There’s a reason the saying goes, “A fact will always tell, and a story will always sell”.

 

If you’re creating content online, you need to be able to connect with your audience and separate yourself from all of the other creators out there - stories do that.

 

Here’s what we’re going to cover today…

• A simple framework for creating great stories
• 5 proven story archetypes that will get your juices flowing and spark some ideas for ways to connect with your audience
• Practical ways to use these stories to grow your business

 

Let’s dive in!

 

But First… A Quick Shoutout.

 

I just need to say this…

 

I didn’t make these story archetypes up. 

 

These come from one of my business mentors, Ramit Sethi. Check him out at Iwillteachyoutoberich.com 

 

He’s been a huge inspiration for me and taught me so much about online business, copywriting, sales, and more.

 

Ramit has some of the best courses on the market for helping you improve your personal finance, find your dream job, or start a business. 

 

I highly recommend checking his products out. They’re an investment, but well worth it.

 

I took his copywriting course, Call To Action, and it helped me become a way better copywriter which grew my business. These 5 story archetypes are one of the big reasons why.

 

Storytelling is one of the most powerful and versatile tools you can use in your business. You can use these 5 stories when speaking on stages, writing copy, and creating content. 

 

But first, you need to understand what makes a great story.

 

What Makes a Great Story

 

Stories can get very complex with plot twists, character development, and drama. For us, we’re just using stories to connect with new people so we can grow our audience. 

 

These stories don’t need to be super complex unless you want to do that. My philosophy is to keep it simple.

 

Here’s the framework I use when creating stories…

 

• Simple Plot - Before you start telling your story, how can you sum up the gist of your story in one sentence? (i.e. Frodo has to destroy the One Ring in Mount Doom against all odds)
• Simple Structure - Have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Stories can obviously get more complex but we’re typically just telling a simple story of you or a client of yours (i.e. I was there… This happened… Now I’m here..)
• Details Matter - Great stories slow things down and are detailed to where we can keep people engaged and “take them on a ride”. It’s best to use sensory words to really give your story life. 

 

Remember that storytelling is an art form. Few people are naturally good at telling stories, especially off the top of their heads. 

 

Read and listen to great stories, then practice telling them yourself. Over time you’ll get better.

 

Now that you know what makes a great story, let’s dive into the 5 Story Archetypes!

 

Story #1: Paint the Dream

 

This story type is all about helping your readers imagine what life would be like if they had everything they wanted. 

 

The key is to use evocative words and imagery so that your readers can practically feel the dream becoming a reality.

 

Painting the Dream is one of the most versatile and powerful stories you can tell because it taps into what your audience really wants. 

 

The better you can paint that dream, the more people will feel that you understand them. That’s why we need to always be studying our customers and listening to their deepest desires.

 

Story #2: Twist the Knife

 

The Twist the Knife archetype is exactly the opposite: rather than painting a pretty picture of your customer’s dream life, it digs deep into their pain instead.

 

This also comes down to how well you know your audience.

 

The big question to ask is what’s the burning pain or fear in your market?

 

How can you dig into that and create a story that your readers could relate to?

 

It could be a personal story of what you used to experience in the past, a client you’ve worked with, or the most common problem you see related to your niche.

 

Story #3: The Great Discovery

 

This story type is about telling the story of how you came up with the idea for your product or how you started your business. 

 

Whether that discovery was through trial and error or purely accidental, everyone loves a good origin story.

 

For me, I could tell the story of how I discovered creating passive income instead of being glued to the phone doing sales calls in my business and how that set me up for a completely different life.

 

Think about the history of your business or product and see if you can come up with a compelling story to tell.

 

Story #4: The Unspoken Truth

 

If you’re running a business, chances are you have some pretty strong, maybe even unconventional opinions when it comes to your niche.

 

For me, it’s that nobody cares about your business. They care about how your business can help them get what they want.

 

Others in my niche typically don’t tell people that but it’s the truth and it takes your eyes off of yourself and puts them on your customer - which is what good business is all about.

 

What is an Unspoken Truth in your niche? Something you think your audience needs to hear that no one else (or very few) seems to be saying.

 

Story #5: The Incredible Story

 

This one is all about finding that one story that will make your readers stop in their tracks and say “Wait, What?” or “How!?”.

 

For me, I could use the story of the time I made my first $10,000 on a phone call.

 

I spent days reaching out to people, inviting them to a workshop I was hosting.

 

If people stayed until the end, I would give them a course that went deeper into the workshop content (totally free) and I was going to offer my coaching as well.

 

I had about 50 people registered which, at the time, was the most I had ever had.

 

Nervous, yet excited, I started the Zoom meeting and no one showed up.

 

Not a soul. Just me.

 

Disheartened, I had two options: 

1. Call it a day and go get some lunch.
2. Deliver the workshop anyway.

 

At that moment, I heard the voice of my mentor who told me if that ever happens, do the workshop anyway - so I did.

 

About ⅓ of the way through, someone joined the meeting.

 

I stopped the workshop, told him it was just us and that I would be happy to start from the beginning and he said yes.

 

He stayed for the whole thing, loved it, and even wanted to book a call with me afterward.

 

The next day, we did our coaching session and he enrolled in a year-long program I had for $10,000 - paid in full.

 

What’s an incredible story you can share with your audience?

 

Conclusion

 

Remember that storytelling is a practice, not a performance. It takes work to get to the point where you are smooth and fluid with your words.

 

These 5 story archetypes are going to help you simplify storytelling so you can more effectively create stories people can relate to.

 

Here are Ramit’s 5 story archetypes again:

• Paint The Dream
• Twist The Knife
• The Great Discovery
• The Unspoken Truth
• The Incredible Story

 

Practice writing your own stories using what you have learned here and start using them in your marketing. I guarantee your business will grow.