When I was a struggling screenwriter living in Los Angeles there was a book I used that was a kind of Bible for screenwriters. If you ever saw Spike Jone’s movie Adaptation the entire movie revolves around the book and the ideas presented in it.
The book is called Story by screenwriting guru Robert McKee.
McKee masterfully lays out the principles of archetype storytelling and breaks down why they work and why we love them. After I left the screenwriting world and entered the marketing arena I knew that using those principles would make my writing more impactful, but I didn’t have a roadmap for easily integrating them.
Then came along Donald Miller and his book Building a StoryBrand. Miller started as a fiction writer and integrated the principles of storytelling into marketing.
Pretty damn smart.
This post is about using Story in your marketing pieces and what that framework looks like.
The 7 Components of Story
Most businesses make the mistake of positioning themselves as the hero for their customers. Donald Miller argues that this is a mistake. He says the customer is the hero and the business is the guide.
What does this mean?
If we look at the breakdown of the story framework it will make more sense.
- There’s a character – Also known as the protagonist or hero. In business terms, it’s the customer.
- That has a problem – Conflict. In story, if there is no conflict, there is no story. Characters have 3 levels of conflict. External, internal, and philosophical. The same goes for your customers.
- And Meets a guide – In all archetype stories the protagonist meets a guide that helps them along their journey or helps them solve their problem. In the business world, the company providing the service or product is the guide.
- Who Gives them a Plan – The character doesn’t know what to do, otherwise they would just do it and there would be no story. The guide helps them see what they need to do to solve their conflict. In the business world, it’s showing the customer how your product or service can solve your customer’s conflict or problem. You’re showing them what they seek.
- And Calls them to Action – The character needs someone to challenge them to take action otherwise they’d just do it, solve their problem, and the story would be boring – or more accurately not a story. Humans are complex, contradictory, and have self-doubt. We need someone to encourage us and light a fire. In the business world, the call to action would be directly asking your customer to buy or make an appointment or whatever it is you need them to do to move to the next step.
- That Helps them Avoid Failure – In story there needs to be something at stake for the story to work. Avoiding failure is what drives the character and the story forward. In business, it would be showing your customers what life will look like if they don’t do business with you.
- That Ends in Success – In story the characters overcome the conflict and are transformed. They are not the same as when the story began. In business this would be you showing your customer/prospect what life will look like after they use your product or service – life will be better and their problems will be solved.
Copywriting + Story Telling = The Perfect Marriage
If you’re looking for a copywriter who understands how to integrate story into marketing for a more effective message I can help. Call or email me and let’s get started on crafting the best story for your business.
When copywriting principles and the elements of Story got married marketing got a whole lot easier.
Thanks Donald!
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