Storytelling Practice Prompt
When I was in 4th grade, I won a storytelling contest at my school.
I didn’t win the spelling bee.
Certainly skated by in math.
And science was a “but she’s so good in other areas…” conversation.
My history teacher told me that he knew I wasn’t paying attention in class — but that I could write my way out of anything with an essay.
It’s true - I’m a wordsmith of words, embellisher and dramatic, a real bullshitter.
I even got a perfect score on the writing portion of the SAT. No cap, full rizz right there.
(And yes, I’ve loved the em dash since before ChatGPT. I just didn’t know what it was called before.)
Writing and telling stories is a power that has helped me since a very young age.
Now I’m seeing this as a critical skill in social media.
In the past, you might have been able to get by with just gorgeous visuals, or looking cute in outfits.
But now, people are desperate for real connection and authenticity in their feeds.
It’s not enough to look cute.
It’s not enough to hop on the trends.
To build an audience, you need to share stories that turn strangers into friends.
So this week I am including an extra special prompt in the SLS, to help you practice your skills in storytelling.
For me, I know that my storytelling or writing is good when I speak it in my head, and it has a rhythm to it.
It’s almost musical. Upbeats and downbeats, pauses and crescendos.
As I’m writing this, I’ve read and re-read the words in my head so many times.
I want it to sound conversational, but also have lines packed with meaning.
It’s a process I’ve been exercising since I was 10 years old.
And chances are, you have been, too.
You’re a creator. A storyteller. A writer.
Remind yourself of how long you’ve been doing this.
Every family meal when you had the table captivated…
laughing so hard they choked on their drink…
Led you to this.
Tap back into that strength, friend.
I’m right here with you.
Storytelling Practice Prompt
You have stories all around you, but so often we forget to tell the stories that make us who we are.
I want you to practice getting really good at the art of storytelling.
Because the best content creators can tell a story with their eyes closed and mouth taped shut. They do it in talking-to-camera posts, on IG story slides, in carousels, or on TikTok lives.
Recently, I had my team do a storytelling 101 training to get their foundations in social storytelling refined.
Also, because we need to constantly reintroduce our clients to new eyeballs, and endear them to follow. That doesn’t happen often with a simple trend; you need to compel people. You need to be able to tell a client’s story, or your own, in 20 seconds or less.
Like anything, practice makes you better.
Since I want this practice to be meaningful, I want you to think about something you have been through in life that shaped who you are today.
Answer these basic questions about what you went through:
Who
What
Where
When
Why
Then plot the key points of the story:
(CONTEXT) What happened? (The hook that tells me why I want to stay tuned)
(CONFLICT) Then what? (Curiosity building
(CONFLICT) Then what?
(CLIMAX) And then? (The peak!)
(CLOSURE) What was the outcome?!
After that, add in 3-4 juicy weird details, like:
What you were wearing
The smell in the air
What you did immediately after
Now that you have done the pre-work, go back through your phone and look for video or photo content you have that helps tell the story. You’ve got the makings of a KILLER VO that actually helps people fall in love with you and follow you.
If you don’t have any photos or videos of that time, that’s fine - just tell the camera your story while you’re making a cup of coffee, or doing your hair. Try not to get obsessed with making it perfect, and just trust that you will get the Information out there now that you have done some thoughtful prework… You can tell it to a friend like a pro!
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