The Story Selling Podcast

Anyone can tell stories. Stories are an everyday part of the human experience. But what allows a great story to stand the test of time? This episode takes a deep dive into the plot archetype structure. Rob reviews Christopher Booker's book The 7 Basic Plots , and examines whether we can apply the key lessons to business storytelling. Listen now to learn: Why the plot archetype structure is a tool,...

It's prediction time for 2022! Where should you focus your storytelling efforts? Listen now to learn: Why writing alone is a bad idea Different options for 'copywriting in community' The three best ways to tell your story in your marketing (for 2022 and beyond)

Podcasting allows you to create your own 'radio station' to nurture potential customers. In this episode I share my experience of three years of podcasting, including: How to determine the scope of your podcast Whether to record monologue or dialogue How to repurpose your podcast episodes into other media How to structure your podcast to deliver your message The technology I use

A book is an excellent way to promote your work and your business. Amazon has made book publishing easier than ever... in theory! The question is, what should you write about? Should you include part of your personal story? How long should the book be? What offer should you put in the book? How long should the whole process take? What kind of results should you expect? Get answers to all of the ab...

"Which email marketing system should I use?" is perhaps the most frequently asked marketing question. It's also the wrong question to ask! Listen now to learn how to identify the right email marketing tool for your needs.

How often do you lose time trying to find an email you sent in the past? How often do you spend time trying to diagnose why an email sequence isn't working? At some point things can and will go wrong in your email follow-up systems. When things go wrong it's the quality (and existence) of your documentation that will save your sanity. No more digging around in Gmail trying to find an email you cre...

Many email marketers are trying to automate every email a potential customer is sent across the entire customer journey. But is this 'hands free' really attainable... or desirable? I believe you need a balance in your marketing between automated emails, and live 'out of the pan' broadcasts. Listen now to learn: Why automated emails suffer from entropy Where to place automated email sequences How l...

When you're a 'Story Copywriter' you're the written voice of a business you love. Maybe even your own business. But can you - and should you - tell your personal stories in video? If so, how should you go about it? Do you need to become a professional videographer?  The answer is, no! In this episode, I interview videographer and storyteller Orson Lord. Listen now to learn: Who should tell th...

A good story told well helps to build trust with new potential customers. But can you - and should you - tell personal stories on social media? The answer, in my opinion, is yes! BUT it's also easy to get wrong. It's easy to appear self indulgent.  Listen now to learn: How to open your story on social media to draw people in How to structure the story to keep people reading How to end the sto...

Learning to write compelling stories is a valuable copywriting skill - but it also takes time and dedication. Should YOU take the time to become a Story Copywriter? Is this a good match for your skills, interests and ambitions? Find out in this episode!

Are you a business owner who also likes to write? If time allowed, would you write more of your own copy? If yes, you may be a good match for 'Copywriting in Collaboration'! Listen now to learn: Why the balance of copywriting responsibility sits on a continuum Why Copywriting in Collaboration allows everyone to play to their strengths The mindset required to deliver great results

When I'm helping a business owner tell their story we always start with the Story Map Interview. The Story Map is a process to explore your story and map out the key events. In this episode I share the key lessons I've learned from 5+ years of Story Map interviews. I discuss key insights for both the business owners and copywriters. Listen now to learn: Why telling your story is best done in dialo...

In this episode I share an interview I did with my friend and Google Ads expert Jonathan Wilson. We crammed a LOT of storytelling insights into this conversation! You'll find this conversation a good recap of recent episodes, and also a teaser of future episodes to come. Download or listen in now :-)

Which stories should you tell in your marketing? Should you tell key events from your past? Or should you relate more everyday goings on? This episode looks at the foundation of story selection. Discover the difference between a 'core story' and a 'current story', and the use case for each. Listen now to learn: How to identify your most emotionally compelling stories Where to place each type of st...

"How often should I email" is perhaps the most-asked email marketing question. Will you 'annoy' your list by sending more frequent emails? How do you determine the most appropriate publishing schedule? How do you DELIVER on that schedule? The answer lies in consistency... Listen now to learn: How consistency encourages a regular reading habit Why consistency adds tangible value to your email list...

Editing is a critical part of the copywriting process. But how much should you edit? Where should you put your focus for the biggest gains? Listen now to learn: Why perfectionism is the enemy - and how to beat it The two most important editing steps How long to leave between writing and editing (and why you need a gap) How to apply the 80/20 principle for efficient editing

Learn how to keep people reading - by using conflict! Spice up your next marketing email with the three forms of conflict. Listen now to learn: Why most of your conflict should NOT be physical peril How to leverage internal dilemmas for added suspense How conflict can help to upgrade your reader's level of understanding about your topic

Learn how to lace intrigue and suspense throughout your stories to keep people reading. This episode includes a worked example and recent insights from Rob's copywriting work. Listen now to learn: How to lace suspense throughout a story - without making it too obvious How to bring the reader into your story How to let the reader walk in your shoes, feel your fears and share your peril!

You've had an idea for an email. You've got a great story to tell. You've planned the story using a timeline... But now you've come to actually write the email, the blank Word document of doom is staring you in the face. How do you convert your timeline into a draft email, without pulling your hair out? That's the topic of today's episode. Listen now to learn: How to expand your timeline into an i...

Learn how to connect seamlessly from your story to your sales message using the 'one idea'. Listen now to learn: How to 'bridge' between a story and your sales message How to inverse the one idea to open up more connection possibilities How to 'seed' the one idea for a seamless transition

In this episode Rob recaps on the key insights from Episodes 1 to 11.

The timeline is a simple, low tech planning technique for creating effective stories. If you ever feel intimidated telling a story listen now to learn: How the timeline can act as a series of prompts How the timeline can maximise drama and maintain interest How the timeline can prevent your story from developing a dual focus

Most marketers think they have a writing problem. "If only I could craft more compelling stories!" people will say. Yes, the writing matters. But there's good news: research matters more. Once you master the art of ongoing research you'll never suffer from writer's block ever again. Listen now to learn: Why 'winging it' is a recipe for disaster Where to research ideas How to capture them How to or...

The stories you tell in your marketing don't always have to be about you. This is a great relief to the majority of business owners I work with! Today's episode looks at the final story type: the 'other' story. Listen now to learn: How to select interesting stories to tell How telling one story can branch into many more Where to place 'other' stories in your marketing

Personal stories are highly effective at building trust with new potential customers. In this episode we place personal stories under the spotlight. Listen now to learn: Why personal stories are effective Where to place them How long your personal stories should be How many stories you should place in an email sequence How to bridge from personal story to sales message