5 Ways to Persuade an Audience via Storytelling
One major element persuasive copywriters use when trying to capture their audience is storytelling. You tell a tale about your product or service, and you aim to make your reader believe all the things that you present so by the time you serve your call-to-action, your reader would not hesitate to click it and move towards making a purchase.
However, not all stories are captivating. In fact, according to persuasive copywriters, many stories out there are boring. Hence, when writing your sales copy, it is important that you incorporate a tale that not only gets your readers hooked, but makes them crave for more. This is because once you see them yearning for something from you, that’s the time that they become your followers. You can then easily bring them down to your sales funnel and convert them into customers.
So how do you persuade your readers through storytelling? You can start with the following points:
- Use a relatable plot.
What is your audience like? What situations are they usually in? What makes them happy, sad, afraid, or furious? What gets them excited or anxious? You need to know the scenarios that make them feel these emotions and start your story from there.
A plot that is relatable to your target audience is an essential starting point for your story, mainly because as humans, they find it more comforting to be in an environment that’s familiar to them. You can start with a situation that exudes anxiety, or of reaching an aspiration, as these compel your readers to feel like they are characters in your narrative.
- Utilise imagery and graphic descriptions.
Not all your readers are imaginative. Most of them even rely on visual aids to understand what you are talking about. This is why it is important that you are graphic with your narrative, as you need to provide a mental picture for your audience to see.
Using imagery in your story also brings about intrigue and mystery. While your readers rely on your word for guidance in forming mental pictures, these are only speculations that are still waiting to be proven. How will they know that the result or effect brought about by the story is real? They will only know the answer by testing out your product, and that takes place once they make a purchase.
- Include your audience in your story.
Another important aspect of storytelling when marketing a product or service is including your readers in the story. Give them a character. Make them feel like they have a crucial role in your narrative, especially when it comes to experiencing the effects of the item you are selling.
Making them part of your cast helps a lot in selling your product or service, mainly because your readers would feel like your brand values their presence as customers. They would feel like your brand heard their woes and that your latest product addresses their issues. This feeling of vindication thus serves as a big factor in their decision to buy from you.
- Make them see their aspirations.
When you are using a story to market your business, you need not only sell the pain and fear, but also the aspiration that your item offers. Besides, people of all ages love happy endings, and they want to experience how it is like to “live happily ever after.” Your story should give them a glimmer of hope, as it is what your product or service is about: giving them a better chance at life.
- End with a cliff-hanger.
You don’t end your story with “happily ever after” per se. Rather, you need to close with a cliff-hanger. This is because the real “happy ending” happens when your reader responds to your call-to-action, and to get that, they first have to pay.
End your story with a call-to-action that makes your audience realise that their desired outcomes are achievable, and it will only start to materialise once they hit the “click here” button.
