Whenever I’m ghostwriting a nonfiction book for a client, I always push for them to add more stories.
Some of my authors are natural storytellers, and they have tons of examples in mind. Some would rather just talk about the meat of the content, and require a bit more prodding to come up with good illustrations for their points.
And, yes, not every point needs a story to drive it home—but it definitely helps. So I keep pushing.
The project I’m working on right now is chock full of great stories. My author client is a former refugee turned businessperson and he has a number of harrowing tales from his past, many of which we’ve mined for the book.
But he’s also trying to make a point, to sell you on his philosophy and mindset. (It is a self-help book, after all.)
As I’ve been going through my final editing pass, I’ve been thinking a lot about the different types of stories we decided to include in the draft.
Some are intrinsically compelling: his family’s refugee escape, his encounter with a killer, his early days in the U.S. They’ve got suspense, danger, intrigue, and—in some cases—literally life-and-death stakes.
Other stories aren’t compelling in the classic sense—you wouldn’t make a blockbuster action film about how my client was so burned out that he pulled into a rest stop late one night to take a nap before finishing his drive home.
But they’re powerful selling stories. Which is why the rest stop nap story earned a feature place in the book.
We’ll talk about what makes a story a good selling story in a minute. For now, though…
What makes a good story in general?
I’ve already misled you by bringing up blockbuster action films.
In a blockbuster, common wisdom is the more action you can stuff into 90 minutes, the better the story is. But anyone who’s sat through a Mission Impossible sequel (and I have sat through them all) knows that it doesn’t matter how epic the helicopter chase and fight scenes are.
If your blockbuster is missing heart, you don’t have a story.
A good story makes your reader feel something. But how?
It’s all in how you present it. Every story’s plot has these basic ingredients:
- A character
- Who desires something
- And so attempts to get it
- Resulting in failure or success
Notice the subtle difference between “plot” and “story.”
Because, yeah, that ingredient list will get you a plot—as in, a sequence of events. But you need a few more ingredients to make a good story.
Because Special Forces Hero Guy might desire to save the world and get the girl, skillfully attempt to do so while flying a helicopter, and succeed just as the bomb is about to go off—but do we continue to care?
Not unless Hero Guy’s story also includes a few more ingredients:
- The need (different than—and often at odds with—desire)
- The misbelief that’s holding the character back
- The transformation they need to go through in order to succeed
These ingredients are critical.
For a story to feel like more than a sequence of thrilling events, there needs to be change. The character—and therefore the audience—needs to learn something along the way.
The need, misbelief, and transformation don’t have to be huge in order for a story to be compelling. But they have to be there.
And, in a selling story, they have to be there in a way that compels your audience to take action.
What makes a good selling story?
Let’s go back to my client for a second. We could have picked any one of his epic stories of survival to start the book off with a bang—I mean, the guy has been attacked by literal pirates.
The story that opens his book, though, is about a tree.
It’s a fruit tree that my client and his wife took with them when they moved across the country. The tree had been shocked by the move and was on the verge of death—in fact, my client was advised to let it die and plant another. But instead he pruned it, watered it, fertilized it, and the tree survived. As a scarred, ugly stump, at first. But it survived.
That’s hardly cinematic. But it is a fantastic selling story!
Because the point of his book is that survival isn’t always pretty—especially not in the moment. But, ugly or not, you have to learn the skills of survival in order to really thrive.
The story of my client’s decision not to let that tree die is a perfect invitation to the reader: Come join me in my world a moment. Let me show you something that will change your mind.
Plot —> Story
—> If a plot is a sequence of events, a story is a sequence of events that creates change in the characters. Watching a character go through struggle and transformation is what makes the audience feel something, which is what makes a good story so compelling.
In cinema, it’s enough to feel relieved that our hero realized her own worth and learned to trust her new found family in time to foil the evil corporation’s plot.
But if you’re running a business, you’re not just here to tell feel-good stories. You’re here to tell stories that sell.
Story —> Selling Story
—> If a good story makes your audience feel something, a good selling story compels your audience to take action on that feeling.
Now, I want to be really clear—this doesn’t mean every story you tell should end in a sales pitch. But it should feel like an invitation for your audience to join you in your world.
If you’re using story in your marketing, it needs to do more than be entertaining. It should be moving your reader toward something meaningful. Something valuable. Something that nudges them closer to a decision, a belief, or a transformation.
In a good selling story, witnessing a character’s struggle and transformation should stir something deeply internal within your audience. It should pull them forward toward your brand, your offer, your transformation—without you needing to do a hard sell.
A good story is about a character’s transformation. A good selling story should make your audience see themselves in that transformation—and want to learn more.
It’s not about describing your product or listing all your features. It’s about showing someone the path—through a relatable, emotional journey—and giving them a tiny “aha” that shifts something.
So, how do you do this?
- Start with your customer’s inner world: their fear, frustration, or desire.
- Introduce a relatable character (you or a client) with a similar challenge.
- Walk us through the moment of transformation—what changed?
- End with the promised land: what does this mean for the reader?
We’ll dissect this more in future emails.
My point today is that compelling selling stories don’t have to be big, and they don’t have to include pirates. They just need to be hyper focused on your customer’s need, struggle, transformation, and the promised land ahead of them.
Talk soon,
Jessie
P.S. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants as I teach this material, and one of the greats is Lisa Cron. Her book Story Genius transformed the way I think about crafting stories, and nearly everyone I recommend it to says the same thing.
Story Genius is firmly aimed at narrative fiction writers, but Cron recently released a book called Story or Die, which takes her concepts and applies them to the business world. I highly recommend you check it out.