Playing Santa 🎅 - Spreading Joy With Storytelling

Whether it’s scoring brownie points with Uncle Frank at your turkey dinner or drawing in a new customer to learn about your product, stories are the way to win.

Happy December PBB Fam! You’re joining 18,500+ readers curious about building an online voice. If you want these stories sent to your inbox, subscribe here:

18 days till Christmas means your attention span for my newsletters is likely getting shorter and shorter. 😅 

So, let’s jump right to the menu.

Today’s Plan 📃

🔍 Uncovering the power of stories and how it can accelerate audience growth 

👀 3 Frameworks to spread joy through storytelling 

🎁 A storytelling formula you can steal

Christmas lights are up, TimBiebs are being ordered, and the holiday break is in sight. 

Growing up in a family of 7, the holiday season was always my favourite. December in my household included secret Santa, non-stop sibling pranks, and eggnog in the fridge. I’m sure you have your own stories. 🎄

You see, stories bring us together. There’s a reason we cozy up to Hallmark movies at this time instead of COVID graphs. Stories are warm. They’re inviting. And they draw us in.

To build a meaningful connection - whether with your weird Uncle Frank visiting from Holland or your audience, you have to foster relatability. 

Stories are THE single most powerful way to do that.

How to Start Sharing Stories: 

Wondering how to get started? Here are 3 frameworks for spreading cheer and building close-knit communities through stories:  

1: Break Rules

Storytelling doesn’t abide by any guidelines. The golden nugget here is: Do something out-of-the-box and surprise your audience. 

Think about the things you do to make your family and friends smile. Do you send them a boring note? Or do you personalize your message with memes, inside jokes, and emojis? 

My money’s on the second. 💰 

Tip: add flavor into your content to evoke emotions and bridge the distance between you and your audience. Ask yourself: would I open this and smile? 

Fill your content with feelings and experiences. Show the real YOU. 

Facts are for validation, stories are for connection. 

2: Give People Avenues to Share Their Own Stories

As much as I advise people to share their own stories, I always remind them to lend a listening ear to the stories of their audience. 

Urge people to share their experiences. Do it via a podcast, a newsletter, a LinkedIn Live, a Twitter Space, or simply through a regular social media post. 

When building a brand: Reciprocity is key. 🔑

3. Sprinkle Some Positivity and Garnish Your Stories With Hope

Write stories that spark emotion. A little happy memory here and a little kindness there and et voila! you have a story that will move people. 

Figure out how you can tweak your story to make it a carrier of hope. 

Bonus 🎁 

What makes a compelling story? When it evokes emotion and validates the insights presented. Steal this storytelling formula to delight people and also boost your brand visibility.

📲 ACTION BYTES 

Onto you now: 

• If you haven’t yet, start sharing stories with your audience. 

Personal or professional anecdotes, lessons learned while traveling or trying something new, your most favourite moments and others. 

Remember: The most authentic way to create an impact is to share stories. 

💡RIFF OF THE DAY

A good reminder for Festive Szn :) 

Thanks for reading! I try hard to make it a newsletter you look forward to each week, so if you have any suggestions about content you’d like to see or ideas that sparked, let me know.

If you enjoy reading the newsletter, forward today’s copy to a friend. ✉

Stay outta’ trouble and catch you next week.

✌🏻 Joel

Wanna learn more about building your voice online? Check out my 2022 Spring Cohort Class.

You can also learn more about my work on my Website, Twitter, or LinkedIn.