Pivot! Taking your email from story to action

We all love a good story-filled email. The embarrassing turn of events, the “I can’t believe that happened to you” moments, the heart-stopping details, the way your badass self resolved the issue.

Whew, those edge-of-the-seat stories are to die for!

And if you’re reading this, chances are, you’ve been using stories in your emails for a while.

Or… maybe you haven’t been. 😬

But you know how powerful they are, and you want to begin! You’re just unsure of where to start or you’re lacking the confidence to do it “right.”

(Which if that’s the case… Shameless plug: Have you downloaded my free guide yet? It’s literally for you. It’ll help you get started with all the scary storytelling stuff! Get your free download!)

Anywhoooo. 

Getting that story down is half the battle. 

The other half? 

Actually connecting it to the point. You know, the reason you’re writing the email in the first place. 

It’s also the part of the battle where you sit there and scratch your head thinking, “okay, now what?!” 

After reading through this, I know you’ll enjoy spending your time doing a little more writing and a little less head scratching… I think I see a bald spot forming 🤭

Where it all begins - the idea

When you sit down to draft out your email, you’ll typically have an idea in mind.

Sometimes that might be an awesome story you’re just dying to tell.

It could also be the main point you want to share or the CTA (call to action - the single thing that you want your reader to do after reading the email).

One approach isn’t better than the other, but each has their own unique qualities to keep in mind as you begin writing.

And whether you’re working backwards or forwards, you’ll still need to figure out that part in the email where the two pieces come together and seamlessly connect to create the whole picture.

That, my friend, is the pivot.

…Otherwise known as that, “okay, now what the hell do I do?” moment I mentioned above. 

Let’s dig into each of these approaches so the next time you sit down to write an email, you’re not staring at your screen ready to cry. (And yes… I understand the feeling.) 

Starting with the story

As you begin your journey into writing story-driven emails, you’ll start to pay more attention to what’s going on around you during the day.

But Jess, my day is boring. Nothing exciting ever happens.

Here are a few examples from MY life that would make for perfect stories:

—> The conversation I overheard in the women’s bathroom.
—> The two birds fighting on the lawn outside my window (were they mating?!).
—> The time I cut my finger instead of the onion… again.

Elaborate, over-the-top stories? Nope.

But that’s not needed!  Remember, we’re going for relatable. Connection.

REAL LIFE. 

So as you think about your stories, you’ll start to dig a little deeper into what’s actually going on (this is why I suggest always having some sort of note-taking device handy: paper, phone, rock carving).

Start to think about feelings, emotions, deeper lessons learned, and transformations that took place in that story.

For example, when sharing about my finger and the onion, am I really talking about cutting veggies? Or is it about how, even though I struggle with something that may seem simple, I never give up and keep pushing forward because I know someday, I’ll finally succeed?

Start with the story and ask yourself, “what’s the point?”

Then, when relating it to your service or offer, think about how it connects to the emotions or the feelings you uncovered.

Your offer likely has nothing to do with onions. But does it help someone gain the confidence they need to keep pushing through, even when they keep “cutting their finger?”

See what I mean?

Starting with the point

Sometimes you have a point in mind- you want to promote an offer, lead to your podcast, sell a service, share some tips, touch on why what you do is important, etc.

It can be easy to fall into the trap of talking all about how amazing this thing is and why you’re so excited to tell everyone about it?

Can I tell you something?

…No one actually cares. 😵

Well, let me clarify. They could care less about the offer.

So what DO they care about? 

How it benefits THEM. (Humans are selfish beings, you know.)

So as you start writing about how incredible your offer is, take a step back and ask yourself:

What will my readers get out of this?

How does this benefit them?

How will this make their life better?

What value do they get from doing what I want them to do?

You don’t want to sell your service or your offer. You want to connect with your readers and “sell” the transformation.

So now that you’ve thought through all those points up there 👆🏻 you’re ready to pull in a story.

And like the suggestions in the last section, this part is pretty similar. 

Think about those emotions and feelings, those deeper benefits… and think of a story that relates to that. Maybe a story that uncovers how life would have been easier if you had access to the thing you’re now offering.

Because once you tie some sort of transformation in there, it suddenly becomes a whole lot more appealing! 

Keeping an idea bank

Depending on what you’re doing for your business, you might find yourself with more of those moments where you have that point of the email nailed down (new offers, limited-time openings, special events, promos, etc.) instead of starting with a fun story to share.

That’s why I absolutely always write down stories when I think of them (and I touch on the importance of doing this in my free guide!)

I just jot a few notes in my notes app so when it comes time to write, I’m not spinning around on my desk chair hoping something will magically appear in my mind.

So if you haven’t started doing that yet… please, for the sake of your own sanity and productivity. DO IT! 

Now, when you sit down to write an email, which approach do you often take? Do you start with the story? Or the point?