These 3 Techniques Helped Me To Master Storytelling

_{Day 23??/100 I’m losing count.}

Happy Sunday Content People,

I used to think storytelling was just for novels and campfires. Not something that belonged in "serious" business content.

I was wrong.

My conversion rates were flat, my bounce rates were high, and my boss was starting to ask questions I didn't have answers for.

If you're struggling to make your content connect with your audience, you're not alone. The business graveyard is littered with well-researched, factually perfect content that nobody actually finishes reading.

The stakes? Lost sales, wasted marketing dollars, and the slow death of your brand's voice in an overcrowded market.

But here's my offer to you: The three storytelling techniques that changed how I tell stories. Simple, little shifts in focus to keep a reader engaged.

I've tested these approaches across both B2B white papers and B2C email campaigns, and the results speak for themselves. Let me show you how to turn your next piece from "meh" to memorable.

1. Jump right into the action. AKA, start in the middle

Instead of boring intros like:

Try this:

This works because it yanks the reader straight into the tension. No setup, just immediate stakes. Perfect for LinkedIn posts where you need to grab attention in 0.3 seconds before someone keeps scrolling.

2. Paint with specific details

Instead of generic fluff:

Try concrete specifics:

Specific details make things memorable. They create mini-movies in people's minds. And most importantly, they signal authenticity. Generic stories feel like fiction. Specific ones feel like truth.

Numbers make things tangible. It feels real.

3. Create natural bridges to your offer

Forced transitions are painful:

Instead, let your story naturally reveal the solution:

The difference? The second version shows how the problem CREATED the solution. The bridge feels earned, not forced.

The best part about these techniques? They work for any kind of story:

• Customer testimonials

• Origin stories

• Case studies

• Sales emails

• Social media posts

Try picking just ONE technique to focus on this week.

I am by no means a pro at this. Being a great story teller is a lifelong endeavor, and one I’m enjoying the journey of.

✌️ Tim "In Medias Res" Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

P.S. Got any embarrassing work stories? They make the best content. One of my best posts ever was about sending a client a doc with "insert impressive jargon here" still in the comments. Sometimes our mistakes make the most relatable stories.

We are only human after all.