Why Your Customers Ignore Most Of Your Messages... Even If You Are Giving Them The Solution To Their Problems!

The most powerful and important way to pull your reader into your message is with a story.

Why?

Because we do not really buy products and services. We buy a set of values. And there is no better way to reveal the values of a person or company than through the stories you tell.

We also buy a result. But... we can dismiss a big result as too good to be true. When you tell a story you reveal how you achieved that result. Your story makes the result real and possible. Your story demonstrates your expertise without boasting or bragging.

That's why the most important skill to get past the Survivalbrain, is to tell an inspirational story.

As the focus of this blog is getting past the Survivalbrain. I'm going to talk about storytelling in headlines and first paragraphs.

Storytelling In Headlines

Telling an inspirational personal story in 3,000 words is a challenge. To hook and hold the reader's attention for that length of time is not easy.

Telling an inspirational personal story in 300 words is a different challenge. The question is what to cut and what to keep. How do you remove 90% of your words without losing the essence of the story?

So...

Do you think you can tell a story in 160 characters?

That's the challenge with storytelling in headlines.

This is actually a lot easier than you think. When you do this one thing...

Remove time.

When you remove time from your story you make it unbelievable. This is how you distill your story to the raw essence. This is where your story is most potent.

When you remove time. Ordinary stories become unbelievable. That's what makes this technique so powerful... and perfect for headlines.

Here's an example.

After practicing for 12 hours a day... playing in chess tournaments across the USA... for 18 years... Bobby Fischer became Chess World Champion.

That's the truth of Bobby Fischer's amazing rise to fame. Summarised in a short paragraph.

Here's the headline version.

Self-Taught Brooklyn Kid Beats Russian State Sponsored Chess Master.

The headline version is only 69 characters!

What has the headline version done? It's removed time. It's removed the truth that Bobby Fischer practiced for 12 hours a day. It's removed the truth that he played in chess tournaments across the USA. It's removed the truth that he worked on his craft for 18 years.

The headline starts where the story starts. Self-Taught Brooklyn Kid.

That's the truth about Bobby Fischer. He came from a poor family. He read every chess book he could find and he started playing chess in the park on the weekend. This is where he became a local hero. A 12 year old kid beating adults with ease. That's where Bobby Fischer's story starts.

It ends when he beat Boris Spassky in Iceland in 1972. That's when he became World Champion.

Boris Spassky was a state sponsored chess champion. This was the height of the Cold War and athletes had every possible advantage to succeed.

The headline that I've written tries to capture the David vs Goliath mood at the time.

There's one important thing I want you to realise about this headline. It does NOT exaggerate the facts!

You don't need to exaggerate the facts to make a story amazing or unbelievable. All you have to do is remove time.

Here's another example.

Bankrupt Cambridge Photographer Accidentally Discovers The Secret To Make £672,989 In Only 9 Days!

That's only 99 characters!

What does the headline do? It shows where the story starts and where it ends. And the word Accidentally creates an intrigue ping. After all, it doesn't make sense that you can accidentally make that much money.

Also... if you're interested in growing your business. You want to know the Secret to make that much money.

If you know my story then you'll know that level of success shocked me as much as everyone else. I found a system that combines value and stories and an irresistible offer to make sales. A system more powerful than anything I'd used before.

But...

I never imagined success on that level.

If you know my story, then you'll know that it took me 7 years to find a proven system to makes sales without a sales team. So the headline removes time. It removes 7-years of false starts and setbacks. That's what makes it so unbelievable.

Before we look at storytelling in the first paragraph. Let me answer one more question...

Is It Ethical To Remove Time In Headline Storytelling

Alfred Hitchcock described a story as "Life with the boring parts removed"

With Headline Storytelling you are removing as much of the 'boring parts' as possible. You are trying to tell a story within the confines of expectations. You are also trying to help as many people as possible.

You see if you have a product or service that can help people. Then it is your ethical responsibility to do whatever you can to put it in your prospect's hands.

That ethical responsibility starts with grabbing their attention. And making them want to read your message.

I see many experts exaggerate their story to grab the attention of their ideal customer. I believe that is unethical. I also believe it is unnecessary.

When you know how to tell an inspirational personal story. When you know how to show the reader your emotional rollercoaster... and every moment when you wanted to quit. Then you don't need to exaggerate your story. You only need the courage to tell your story honestly. That's when you will attract your ideal customer. Someone that wants to work with you because they share your values.

The first step in helping your ideal customer is to grab their attention. You do that with any size storytelling.

Now let's look at...

First Paragraph Storytelling

The most important place for first paragraph storytelling is Facebook Ads.

Your ad picture or video stops the scroll. What you say in the first paragraph makes the reader click the 'see more' button or continue scrolling through their newsfeed.

Remember, at this stage you are interrupting your prospects day. So the Survivalbrain is looking for ways to ignore your message. The Survival brain is working...

#1. If it's not dangerous, ignore it.

#2. If it's not new and exciting, ignore it.

#3. If it is new. Summarise it as quickly as possible and forget about the details

So...

How can you tell a story that's new and exciting? How can you summarise your story in a way that makes the Survival brain pass your message on to the Thinking brain?

This is a challenge that I've wrestled with for months. A challenge that I've tested in the real world. I've spent thousands on Facebooks ads. To see which first paragraph grabs the most attention.

I've studied other Facebook ads. I've learned from other experts. I've searched in the depths of my own experience.

The magic formula is this...

Trigger - Response - Result

A story starts with a trigger. An in-sighting incident that forces you to do things in a different way. What is that incident? How can you describe it in a way that your reader can feel?

I've tried to do this in a number of ways...

For 10 years I lived with the stress of feast and famine business income.

If there's one thing I've learned from the bankruptcy of my first business...

When bankruptcy sole my first business.

Those are 3 ways that I've written the Trigger.

Next comes the Response to the Trigger. In other words, what decision did you make because of that event?

In my case, I made a commitment to myself to discover a repeatable system to turn strangers into customers on demand.

The last part is where you show the end of the story. This is the result. In other words, what's in it for the reader if they keep reading your story.

Here are the first paragraphs that I've used...

For 10 years I lived with the stress of feast and famine business income. Until I discovered a repeatable way to turn strangers into customers on demand… without making a single sales call! 

If there's one thing that I've learned from the bankruptcy of my first business... and starting a 7-year journey to find a repeatable system to turn strangers into customers. It's that Word of Mouth, Networking and Advertising have very little to do with it. 

When bankruptcy stole my first business. I made a commitment to myself to discover a repeatable system to turn strangers into customers on demand. A journey that ended when I made £30,105 in 9 days… without making a single sales call.

Where Can You Use This Formula?

Please don't think this formula only applies to Facebook ads.

If you want more people to read your emails you need a strong subject line. And once they have opened your email. You need to keep them reading. The first paragraph has to make them excited to read the rest of your message.

The subject line of an email is critically important. But you've only got 5 to 8 words. There's not a lot of storytelling room.

That's why the first paragraph of your email must make the reader excited to read more.

You use the first paragraph headline formula that I've shown you and then you can tell the whole story.

Make The Formula A Conversation

There's a truth about magic formulas that you must know. Magic formula's work. If... you make your message a conversation.

If your message sounds like marketing. Throw it out and start again.

If your message sounds like you wrote it in a straightjacket. Throw it out and start again.

The most important thing to remember about any message is that you are having a conversation with the reader. You are interrupting the readers day because you have something of value to share with them.

When I'm writing, I always imagine that I'm in a coffee shop. I hear the conversation between the people on the table next to me. That's how I know that they are my ideal customer. That's how I know they have a problem that I can solve for them.

But...

How do I interrupt their conversation in a way that makes them say "Wow! Tell me more..."

That's the situation that I imagine to write a headline and first paragraph. I want to help the person sitting next to me. I want to have a conversation with them. I want to interrupt their conversation in a welcoming way.

Your message must do the same. It must start a conversation.

If you make the reader excited to learn more. You have won. Remember we are trying to get past the Survival brain. That's all.

Once your message gets past the survival brain you have the chance to help your customers.

So, do that in a way that starts a conversation with your reader. That's where you win.

Now It's Your Turn

You now know why your ideal customer ignores most of your messages. And you know the tool that makes your reader excited to learn more. Curiosity and Intrigue.

The most powerful way to create curiosity is to tell an inspirational story in 160 characters or less.

You can do this by removing time from your story.

So, start by describing where your story starts and where it ends. Once you can see those points, you are well on your way to telling your story at any size.

If you have found this useful then please leave a comment below.

If this can help someone you know then please share it with them.

Until next time...

Carpe diem

Roland Eva

P.S. When bankruptcy stole my first business. I made a commitment to myself to discover a repeatable system to turn strangers into customers on demand. A journey that ended when I made £30,105 in 9 days… without making a single sales call.

It’s a system that I’ve used in many industries. To sell products and services ranging in price from £5 to £12,000.

A system that I’ve used repeatedly in campaigns that have dwarfed that initial success.

I’d like to show you how to use my simple 3 step system in your business so you can turn strangers into customers on demand. And build your dream business. A business that gives you the income and lifestyle you want.

Unfortunately, I can't show you how to use my simple 3-step system here. The post would run too long.

That's why I've written the book Consistent Profits Pyramid. The book shows you how to use my simple 3-step system in your business. So you can turn strangers into customers... on demand.

I’d like to give you a FREE copy.

To download your FREE copy now. Click the link below.

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