This is not a political message


If you’ve watched any of the Democratic National Convention here in the US this week, I hope you noticed something:

It was alive with stories.


Logic says we should vote for our leaders based on their policies.

But the only thing that moves people to act is emotion.

The speakers did not share a lot of specific policy proposals about reproductive healthcare, LGBTQIA+ rights, wages or the economy.

Instead we heard stories:

  • Tim and Gwen Walz waiting for the phone call that would tell them if their dream of starting a family had worked, this time.
  • Pete Buttigieg chuckling ruefully about the dinnertime chaos that erupts when a couple of parents try to match wills with their 3-year olds.
  • Governor Gretchen Whitmer talking, not about a living wage, but instead evoking that moment at the grocery store checkout when you have to decide what to put back, so you can afford to pay the bill.
  • Mayor John Giles, a Republican, telling us that his town’s economy is growing by painting a picture of ‘going to ribbon-cuttings, every week’.

Your programs and services have a method underpinning them. That’s why they work.

Politicians of all parties have methods – policies – they believe will work to achieve their stated aims.

But talking about the method isn’t how you move people to allow themselves to take a chance on you and your belief in a bigger, better future for them.

If you want your audience to take action you have to rile up their emotions.

And there is no better way to do that than (say it with me): stories!

  • What do you want your audience to be thinking about or taking action on, this week?
  • What experience have you had, or observed others having, that you could tell a 5-Sentence Story about, this week?

Don’t overthink this. Just share a story with your audience, this week.

Heck, if politicians can do it…

Warmly,

Julie

P. S. If you need a reminder about the 5-Sentence Story, you can find my Storytelling guide somewhere on your hard drive (or just click here).

P. P. S. If you want some help and practice putting the 5-Sentence Story to work in your business, watch your inbox for a chance to work directly with me.


Julie Duffy

Writer Julie Duffy trains email marketers and entrepreneurs in storytelling secrets from the world of fiction and film, so you can create marketing emails and scripts that connect with your audience, week after week, even if you've struggled with writing in the past. Get the Email Marketing Storytelling Guide now.

Read more from Julie Duffy

Here’s what just happened at the Olympic Games in Paris: 19 days of competition 329 events 10,500+ athletes 37 new world records But what do you actually remember? Simone Biles overcoming the ‘twisties’, coming back stronger than ever, then dropping to one knee to salute the teammate who beat her to the gold. Steve “Clark Kent” Nedoroscik soling the Rubik’s cube then taking off his glasses and executing a near-perfect pommel horse routine. Tom Daly crocheting medal holders for his fellow...

I was scrolling through my email, looking for things to delete, when I saw an email from a business friend. Out of loyalty, I opened it. The email was full of great, life-changing information. Sadly, what she wrote in the FIRST LINE guaranteed that almost no one would read it. What did she do wrong? And how can you avoid it? I’m glad you asked. I made you a video to explain, so that your emails won’t end up unread and in the trash. (it will also explain why there’s a cow in the title of this...

“How many emails can you write in a day?” The question shouldn’t have surprised me. I’m a creative writer and I help people with email marketing, after all. But I hadn’t really examined my own email-writing practice. So I’m doing the experiment now. How many emails can I write today, on a day I have set aside for batch-writing? I’ll let you know... I know this, though: writing goes much faster when you know what you want to say. If I’m writing a scene for a novel and I don’t know what I want...