Strategic Storytelling

Strategic Storytelling combines the power of storytelling with practical strategies for copywriting, and marketing. It's designed primarily for entrepreneurs, content creators, marketers, and copywriters. Most episodes are solo with occasional interviews by invited guests who bring unique insights to the topic. Host Cathy Goodwin is an online strategist, copywriter, and published author. The podcast focuses on the impact of business storytelling on the bottom line. When you start with a story, you simplify and strengthen your branding, content creation, and positioning. You also become a better business owner when you use stories to clarify your own objectives and gain self-understanding. Cathy started the podcast after she realized her clients were bewildered by what they were hearing about storytelling for business. Some of them simply couldn't understand how stories could help their businesses. Others got backlash when they dutifully followed advice to open up about themselves. As a copywriter, Cathy understood that stories for business need to be different from fairytales, campire tales and bedtime stories. That's the core focus of this podcast. Richard Branson said every entrepreneur must also be a storyteller. Cathy Goodwin adds, "But it has to be the right story."

127 How to Demonstrate Your Expertise By Telling Stories 11/30/2023

126 How To Use Storytelling To Make Business Plans That Won't Turn Into Pipe Dreams 11/23/2023

125 The best business storytellers do these 3 things 11/16/2023

125 The best business storytellers do these 3 things Almost every business coach on the planet will advise you to start telling stories. They’ll encourage you to use storytelling for your blog posts, email messages, and just about any content you create. Deciding to tell a story is the easy part. Choosing a story that will help grow your business is much more difficult. That’s mostly because you get conflicting advice from different mentors. “Go ahead and share,” they’ll say. “Feeling uncomfortable? Get over it.” Even more, your inbox is filled with emails from all kinds of marketers, each beginning with a story. It’s so easy to decide, “I’m going to create a story like theirs.” Even worse, you can decide, “I have to stay away from storytelling. I could never tell a story like theirs.” The truth is, business storytellers need a unique approach. You aren’t trying to sell tickets to a movie. You want to sell your products and services. The first thing a successful business storyteller does? They don’t think of themselves as storytellers. They’re business owners. They’re marketing strategists. In this podcast, I’ll share 3 essential tips to use storytelling to build your brand and your business. We’ll talk about… …why you need to frame your stories as a business owner first …examples of stories that “stick” in a good and bad way (and why that’s critical to your success) …why some business owners wish they could take back their stories (and you can avoid having this happen to you) This is the one podcast I’m recommending for any entrepreneur who’s decided to add storytelling to the marketing mix. It’s delivered in my usual direct style and guaranteed to rub at least several business owners the wrong way. RESOURCES & MENTIONS: FREE download: - Find the best way to use storytelling, given your archetype and your business. : Replace Story-telling with Story-selling - Affordable course (no coupon needed) Book: Grow your business one story at a time. . Book: Intuition for business and career decisions. My website: Contact: /episode/index/show/strategicstorytelling/id/28660028

124 Traveling for the holidays? Take your story with you. 11/09/2023

123 How to begin building your online brand when your website isn’t ready 11/02/2023

122 Two ways for business owners to share their journey stories 10/26/2023

121 How this business story mistake leads to client confusion 10/19/2023

120 How To Use Storytelling To Communicate Your Value (And Avoid A Story That Adds To The Confusion) 10/12/2023

119 How to use personality to market yourself and build your brand 10/05/2023

118 How To Use Stories To Get More Results From Your Email Marketing 09/28/2023

117 Interview with Cindy Bidar: Finding Success With A Role Model Archetype 09/21/2023

117 Interview with Cindy Bidar: Finding Success With A Role Model Archetype There's a lot of confusion about branding for small businesses and solopreneurs. Your brand influences the stories you tell, the promises you make, and even the advice you give your clients. Cindy Bidar has achieved considerable success in a relatively short time frame. Her brand builds on her - the Role Model. Cindy didn't set out to brand with this archetype. Very few people even know this framework exists! But, like many successful businesses, her marketing consistently reflects this archetype. She shares personal stories to support her promise, "If I can do it, you can do it." Her decision to start her business was based on this principle. You'll enjoy Cindy's warm, down-to-earth style as we dig into her storytelling decisions and reveal how she uses stories to build her marketing success. Some highlights from the episode: 9:23 - how Cindy decides what to share and what to hold back on 11:48. “That’s my sweet spot!" 13:20 - Ask this question when you’re having trouble coming up with ideas for emailing your list (I've never heard this one before) 14:40 - "Best way to write interesting content? Do interesting things.” 15:30 - Using Julia Cameron’s “artist date” to refill the well 17:15 Deciding what to discuss and not discuss (the key is business alignment) 18:30 - Common story mistakes in email marketing (based on bad advice) 20:20 - What Cindy teaches that's completely in sync with the role model archetype 21:30 - The heart of Cindy’s message about success…”If I could share just one thing…” 24:30 - When Cindy just got started: what was her guiding principle 30:00 - You don't want to hear, "That's not what I signed up for." 32:00 - The Big Takeaway Website: Cindy's (I'm a member) Learn about story archetypes here Julia Cameron - Dorie Clark - Dorie Clark - Consultation with Cathy Goodwin: with Cathy Goodwin When you purchase through my links, I may receive a commission. /episode/index/show/strategicstorytelling/id/28096823

116 How These 2 Stories Convince Prospective Clients You Can Do The Job (And You're The Real Deal) 09/14/2023

115 Business Storytelling: Your Mess Is NOT Your Message 09/07/2023

114 Which story attracts clients for entrepreneurs: natural talent vs. hard work and struggle 08/31/2023

113 How To Find Compelling Article Ideas From Other People's Stories 08/24/2023

112 How A Story Can Traumatize Your Audience (With Life Coach Nicole Lewis-Keeber) 08/17/2023

112 How A Story Can Traumatize Your Audience (With Life Coach Nicole Lewis-Keeber) Stories, by definition, evoke emotions. Strong stories encourage your audience to see themselves in your story. But what does your audience experience when you share a story about your own struggles? Maybe you want them to get the message, “I’ve been there.” Maybe you offer a service to clients who seek help for difficult, sensitive problems. Maybe you’ve struggled in your own business and you want to demonstrate, “I’m human.” How will your story land with your audience? Will you inspire them or inadvertently create an uncomfortable response? To answer this question, we can turn to The Business Therapist. Nicole is passionate about the impact of small “t” trauma on businesses and she's trained and certified with Brené Brown’s Dare To Lead™ methodology. She's one of the few professionals who combine therapeutic processes with business coaching, helping entrepreneurs gain emotional and well as financial sustainability. In this podcast episode, Nicole explains how a story can inadvertently trigger strong negative emotions. She provides a framework and guidelines for sharing a difficult story when it’s appropriate to your offer and your audience. Tune in to discover… …key points to consider as you incorporate storytelling in your business …essential questions to ask when sharing a difficult story seems appropriate - even essential - to your marketing …what can trigger an audience’s negative emotions as they listen to your story …why the wrong story can come across as manipulative (and change your relationship with your audience forever) …when and how you might consider “trigger warnings” before sharing a hard story …why you can replace a struggle story with a joyful story It’s a subject we rarely discuss but it’s important in today’s dynamic marketing environment. Nicole is one of the few professionals who combine an understanding of psychological trauma with the realities of entrepreneurship. Listen to Episode 112 here and you’ll come away with the understanding to choose the right story for your business and manage your shares when the topic becomes sensitive. RESOURCES: Business Therapist Consultations for storytelling - FREE guide to understanding your prospective client's backstory - /episode/index/show/strategicstorytelling/id/27735042

111 Promoting a Service That Seems Frivolous and Unnecessary 08/10/2023

110 Consultants and coaches: Tired of unmotivated clients who won't do the work? 08/03/2023

109 Small business marketing:Clients confused about what you offer? Do this. 07/28/2023

109 Small business marketing:Clients confused about what you offer? Do this. Here's something I see often. You're trying to explain a service to your clients. They don't get it. So...you tell them more about you. Your "why." Your origin story. And you tell them more about your process. What are the steps. What's the intake process. And they're still not convinced. Often this happens because you're dealing with a service that's new to the world. A lot of small businesses offer those services today. If you're a coach or consultant, you may be offering expertise on challenges that didn't exist even 5 years go. Your solutions may not have existed last year...or you may have created a solution that nobody else offers. Sometimes I've seen clients make it even harder for clients to figure out what they do. If you create a title like, "Business Activity Specialist," or promise to "make chaos disappear," your audience has no clue. Recently I got an email about something that seemed interesting - something like "Course Maximization Service." (I won't use the real name.) After spending a good 15 minutes on their website, I still have no idea what they're offering, let alone whether I'm likely to benefit from their services and if so, how. The way to explain your services is to use 2 kinds of stories. Both stories start with the client. Flip your story. Tell a story from the client's perspective. You can use this approach whether you are explaining your services to prospective clients or to your support services. As a copywriter, I'm often asked to write copy for a service with a lot of great benefits...yet it's not clear how those benefits will transform a client's experience. Alternatively, I get asked to take a business owner's story and turn it into marketing copy. Either way, it's a challenge. I go into detail - with examples - in of the Strategic Storytelling Podcast. It's short and direct, with lots of examples...and I'd love to know what you think. RESOURCES The Strategic Intensive Program - a consultation with prework and followup. to learn more. FREE report to find the client's backstory. to download. Self-paced video course on . Discover what's going on in the client's mind when they show up to work with you. RESOURCES The Strategic Intensive Program - a consultation with prework and followup. to learn more. FREE report to find the client's backstory. to download. /episode/index/show/strategicstorytelling/id/27590829

108 How To Get Credibility When You Can't Get Testimonials 07/20/2023

107 How To Grow Your List With Targeted, Enthusiastic Prospects 07/15/2023

106 What makes a story memorable (and maybe viral) instead of forgettable (and maybe embarrassing)? 07/06/2023

106 What makes a story memorable (and maybe viral) instead of forgettable (and maybe embarrassing)? What makes a story grab your audience’s attention? With all the stories going around, it’s hard to make a story stand out. Just opening my email today, I got a handful of stories about people who took a cruise, went gardening, took the kids to the beach, went to the dentist, went for a medical checkup (with a little TMI) and …well you get the idea. Each story was designed to hook my interest. Most marketers - let’s face it - get the same advice. Just tell a story. People will listen. You’ll engage with them. That’s all you have to do. But some stories capture our attention and go viral. We can use an analogy from the news media. The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos has gone extremely viral. If you get hooked, you'll find all kinds of stories, videos, podcasts, and more. Yet other stories about medical actions don't capture our attention. Several years ago, NPR investigated the Merck company's role in popularizing bone density tests. Few people read the story. When they do, they don't get hooked. In this podcast episode, you'll learn about specific factors that make a story go viral, in business or in the news media. You'll also learn to recognize stories that can only be called cringeworthy...stories that are destined to disappear, and frankly the storyteller hopes they'll be buried forever. Finally, you'll get examples of memorable business stories, by real people that combine persuasiveness with staying power. You'll see the contrast between those strong stories and the stories that would be better left untold. When I work with clients, we focus on finding a story that will not just be memorable, but will support their brand and build credibility. Click here to learn more about my flagship program, the . - 3 common storytelling mistakes (and the 1 simple way to fix them) The Merck Company story is by NPR. /episode/index/show/strategicstorytelling/id/27344853

105 What are your clients ready to hear? Look in their backstories. 07/01/2023

105 What are your clients ready to hear? Look in their backstories. You're writing copy to target your ideal clients. But they may not be ready to hear you. They may not know they have a problem; they may not be ready to look for solutions. You may have heard of the 5 levels of awareness identified by iconic copywriter Eugene Schwartz. You write copy differently - and share different stories - depending on the client's level of awareness. In this episode, we do two things. First, you'll discover the 5 levels of customer awareness and recognize them in the client's backstory. A prospective client who's not aware she has a problem will bring one type of backstory. Her story changes when she's identified the problem and chooses from two or three possible solutions. As you listen to clients' backstories you discover their level of awareness. You can fine-tune your targeting. Additionally, our clients have different levels of marketing awareness - something that's not covered in the original 5 levels. Some clients are hearing pitches from half a dozen different competitors. Some are completely new to your industry and to marketing pitches from you and your competitors. Their experience with marketing changes the way they respond to your message...and may lead to downright skepticism. I've experienced this myself when I hear a tired old pitch from someone I've thought about hiring. Resources The notion of "levels" originally appeared in Eugene Schwartz's book, . It's now out of print, hard to find, and expensive. I've discussed client backstories on various podcasts, most recently in an interview with Shawn Fink (Episode 100). You can learn more from my Go in-depth with the self-paced video course, . Use coupon code CLIENT30 to take an additional 30% off the published price. Take a deep dive into your marketing, find your story, and start revising your copy with the A fast and friendly way to transform marketing for small service-based businesses. And if you like what you hear, go ahead and leave a rating and a review on Apple (preferably) or wherever you listen to podcasts. /episode/index/show/strategicstorytelling/id/27342609

104 Ready to pivot your business? Don't make these 3 mistakes. 06/28/2023

103 How to decide if the story you love will boost your business 06/17/2023

102 How To Make Profitable Connections on LinkedIn With A Story That Connects 06/04/2023

101 How Questioning That Story Will Lead To Better Business Decisions: The Case of Retirement 05/28/2023

100 How to find your client's backstory - with Shawn Fink 05/07/2023

100 How to find your client's backstory - with Shawn Fink “There’s a gap between what I know they need and what they think they need.” As a service-based business, you probably recognize this problem. For instance, you know your clients mostly need to build their confidence. They need to jump in and take action. But when they come to you, they say, “I don’t have the right technology.” Or “I need to learn copywriting.” That's the topic of this episode, where I interview Shawn Fink. Shawn has a unique positioning strategy. She focuses on coaching her clients to find the courage and clarity to make significant life changes. Shawn's business explains exactly why we need to respond to the client's backstory. Clients rarely know just what they need or even what they want. The coaching process begins with the backstory but then morphs in surprising directions. Clients rarely arrive with the statement, “I know what I want and how to get there. I need the courage to move forward.” Shawn’s marketing has to integrate her unique offer with the client’s backstory. We first learn a little about Shawn's coaching goals and the beliefs that underlie her work with clients. Next, we take a closer look at the client's backstory. We talk about why you need to separate the client's perspective from the offer when you plan your marketing. Some highlights: 6:04 – Clients face a choice when the next step seems scary: uplevel or pivot. 11:34 – Begin a discussion of the client's backstory. 18:50 – From backstory to marketing story 21:40 – Dealing with the different backstories: each is unique but you can find a common thread that drives your marketing. 27:16 - Generic tips on "being brave" to leave with our listeners 29:12 – Shawn rejects the common advice to feel the fear and do it anyway. It's BS, she says...and here's what to do instead. 34:94 - Don't miss the thoughts Shawn wants to leave with out listeners. Resources: - Learn more about backstories and the 3 steps we covered. /episode/index/show/strategicstorytelling/id/26768907

099 Ending Your Selling Story: How To Show The Transformation 05/06/2023

098 Why Your Story Must Change As Your Business Grows 04/12/2023

Strategic Storytelling

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