There is a land not very far from our own where fairies dart around, helping travelers on their journeys and where trolls lurk laughing their vile troll-lol-lol-ol laughs. It is an exciting land with many avenues to explore. A traveler can find anything their heart desires, but they must beware! There are many snags and pitfalls in this glorious land, waiting to gobble them up, but that doesn't scare them away. Rather, this land is known to all as Internet-land and many a traveller frequents it.
Brave copywriters have the chance to prove themselves mighty as they joust with each other at copy tournaments. This land is a wonderful one, filled with opportunities. Storytelling in copywriting is the perfect way to engage readers and will grab the reader's attention far quicker than a witty opener.We all love stories and, for the most part, stories will work perfectly for copywriting. This post will explore storytelling and tips on how to incorporate it into your writing.
Storytelling is A Major Part of Humanity
Stories are integral to human society. It is something that is absolutely uniquely human. Many times, we avoid giving people facts unless we can give it in story form. Stories are just part of life, no question. It started in cave dwellings with drawings, formed into wonderful mythos of the gods, all the way to books and films about people striving to survive in dystopian societies or kids attending a school of witchcraft and wizardry. These stories shape and evolve us into who we are now and will change society forever.
Copywriting and Storytelling? No Such Thing!
You don't think copywriting and storytelling go hand in hand? You are wrong! What do you think you are doing when you write up that long product description or your latest press release? Sure, you are giving the facts but according to Copyblogger, you are also telling a story. It isn't something from the Brothers Grimm - which is for the best really, you don't want your blog to be about placing an evil stepmother in a barrel poked full of nails and rolling her down the hillside. It can simply be words woven together to create a delightful image of a product or service. If you don't think information and facts can create a great an image in the minds of readers, you need to rethink what it means to be a writer.
Here are a three ways to go about telling a story to make your copy one of a kind:
1. Keep it Relevant and Interesting. When writing up copy in story format, you need to make sure the storytelling is relevant. Fairy tales will always be part of our society, therefore, being relevant at all times. By talking about your product in a fairy tale format, you might find more people interested in reading about it than if you did a generic, "Blah blah. Product does this. Blah blah." You can gauge if it is relevant simply by your targeted audience and customers. If you realize that your clients don't like fairy stories, find another form of storytelling. All you have to do is go to Barnes and Noble to realize just how many forms of storytelling there are.
2. Do Not Take a Lesson from GRRM. George R. R. Martin is known for his lengthy descriptions of banquets and the gigantic nature of his A Song of Ice and Fire novels, he is also known for taking eons to publish his books. The lessons to take from Mr. Martin are not to describe things so in-depth that you lose readers, don't write extremely long stories and don't take forever publishing your content. Long descriptions and long books are great for novels, obviously, and the in-depth descriptions of food in GRRM's books only work because the food just sounds so amazing. If you start going to the lengths of Mr. Martin's food descriptions with your products, you will see people hopping away from your content; this also goes for content that is pages upon pages of writing. Don't make your stories too long, instead make them something that is absolutely captivating with a small amount of words. It is possible!
3. Read, Read, Read. As Stephen King says, "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." Reading is paramount for crafting great stories. You will not be able to come up with something witty and intriguing if all you do is look at Facebook every day. Note that when we say read, we mean things outside of copywriting. Those are great, but you need to read things that will inspire your writing. Try checking out Orson Scott Card's Ender series or Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. If science fiction and fantasy aren't your jam, try Agatha Christie, Mark Twain, and Lemony Snicket. These authors are great at creating inspiration and if you do find yourself strapped for time, try an HP Lovecraft short story. Fiction literature is one of the greatest ways to find writing inspiration for novelists and copywriters alike.
Brand Storytelling
You've read the tips for interweaving stories with your web content, but now it is time to talk briefly about brand storytelling. Using this will generate a lot of buzz and interest about your product and service. Starbucks is a great example of how to do this; they released a little story about their siren logo. According to ABC Copywriting, telling a story about your brand and how it came to be is a great way to garner more interest in your company, as well as establish a personal connection with customers.
Live Happily Ever After
Creating a story format for your content will be an amazing experience for your business and will bring in more clientele than you could have imagined. Stories are unique ways to tell people about your product or service, and engage with them about what your company offers. You will stand out from your competitors simply by doing the one thing everyone loves - telling stories.
Image credit: Galleristny.com
The post In A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Blending Storytelling In Web Content appeared first on Express Writers.