My Top 5 Secrets for Sensational Stories

If you are using blogging, eBooks, press releases or other content vehicles, one of the best ways to engage your reader is to tell them a story. Your story needs facts, action and an emotional connection that your reader can relate to. Check out the following five guiding principles I use, as well as my bonus tip for writing sensational stories:

Understand your subject material

Good writing starts with great research. Know your topic and dive deep, looking at who else shares the same thoughts and interest. There is so much free content on the internet – you can beef up your own content using expert knowledge from others. Check out the source, though, and ensure it is credible. It pays to drill down and fact-check. I like to find at least two credible sources with similar findings. Refer to thought leaders but make sure you cite them correctly. Never plagiarize!!!!!

Don’t be boring

Life is too short for dull prose. Share your excitement. B2B scenarios are full of intrigue and interest because technology companies are changing the world with innovative solutions. Wondering about those corporate buzzworthy phrases that seem to be all the rage? Skip them – as certain words become familiar, the brain ignores them. Be inventive and unleash your creativity. Which story would you rather read: “Using Teleconferencing Tools” or “How Skype and Yammer Saved My Marriage”?

Discover the real story

Cover the basics of who, what, when, where, how and why, and think client, background, crisis, action and outcome. Try to understand where the REAL story is. It is not always obvious. For example, I was recently hired to write a blog posting about an Office365 implementation, but it turned out that the REAL story was how a team of professionals volunteered their time to help illiterate adults learn how to read. In that case, the technology was only a vehicle that provided the outcome. The story was heart-warming and motivating. Technology outcomes are often incredibly inspirational.

Educate and Inspire

Use emotion to trigger memory and encourage learning. Great stories engage the power of the entire brain and help us to remember what’s important. Your readers want to be motivated while they learn. There is a saying, “They come for the education and stay for the inspiration.” How can you inspire your readers to take action after they read your content? What do you want them to feel, remember or do? I often tell my clients that my goal is always to write a piece that will make someone cry, smile or laugh out loud.

Embrace the re-write

Even Shakespeare had an editor. Don’t worry about perfection out of the gate; software development goes through a debugging process and so does writing. The important thing is to capture the idea or concept and get it onto the page. I recommend writing your initial draft and then leaving it for a day or two before beginning revisions. Your fresh mind may see your story in a whole new way. It may also be helpful to have a qualified editor or colleague read it over. Is the material clear? Educational? Motivational? It should be all three of those things.

Bonus Tip? In Media Res – that is Latin for “in the middle of things”. Great stories begin in action. Once you’ve written your story (blog posting, case study, eBook or other digital asset), find where the action is and move that part to the beginning. Think about it in the same way that you would think about buying a book at the airport to read on a plane. You often have only a few minutes to make a choice, and it is those first few sentences that will either grab your attention or cause you to return the book to the shelf.

Think of the reasons why people enjoy talking to you. You are a smart, engaging and interesting person with expert knowledge in a specific area. Use these “sensational stories” tips to allow that part of you to shine in your content.