Howdy, Matt!
I wanna start this one by thanking you for being here.
I’ll tell you why I’m in such a grateful mood in a minute. But first, I’d like to share a confession I recently made to my friend, Justin.
This guy is a marketer, too. And even though he focuses on brand voice development, we tend to bump into each other a lot through our overlapping professional networks.
I’m not sure how it came up, but I told him I was THIS close to jumping off LinkedIn.
What began as a networking platform has become a suffocating avalanche of opinions, frameworks, templates, cheat sheets, strategies to “steal,” and promises that you can 10X just about anything with the right mindset and the stomach for mushroom coffee.
Maybe you feel a similar way. If that’s the case, you’ll like what Justin had to say …
“Dude, I stopped following all the marketers years ago. It’s not that they’re not valuable, it’s that they’re boring! Same shit on rotation for years. No insights, just pitches. The more someone tells me I have to follow someone, the less I feel like doing it.”
Dude, I can’t tell you how much better that made me feel.
Because it’s easy to get caught in the savage undertow of thinking you always need to be bigger, stronger, and faster.
The truth is that we really do have the freedom to follow a few folks and ignore the rest—without feeling we might miss that one bit of advice that could 10X our careers.
That’s why I’m so appreciative that you’ve chosen to welcome my weekly words of wisdom.
But since we’ve already established there’s a glut of marketing must-dos out there, why do you think I was able to make the cut?
While I can’t be certain, it may be for the same reason that helps me distinguish the insufferable gurus from the people I truly enjoy hearing and learning from …
Everyone loves a good story.
Looking across all my industry mentors, the common thread that runs among them is they’re all storytellers.
They never get right down to business.
For the same reason small children don’t ask for a list of top 10 SEO best practices before bedtime, these folks know stories make our brains feel good. So, why not open with one?
That’s why I do it.
And if you’ve never given it a shot, stories have the power to make your brand more likeable, more memorable, and more attractive than your competitors.
If you don’t believe me, see if you can recall Subway’s bone-dry “7 Under 6” campaign that promoted seven subs under six grams of fat. That’s a toughie, isn’t it?
But when I mention a guy named Jared holding up a pair of 60-inch-waist pants, you instantly know he was the guy who lost hundreds of pounds eating Subway every day.
Never mind what Jared got up to after that.
My point is that stories connect with your audience on an emotional level that benefits alone can’t achieve.
That’s why the most successful teachers, coaches, lecturers, and marketers use stories to inspire and motivate people to take action.
If you took my advice way back in Nugget 21, you may be one of them.
That’s when I wrote about your origin story being the most ownable part of your brand you may be overlooking.
But maybe you missed it. Or it got you wondering if there are nine other types of stories you could take a crack at.
For those, let’s hear from Dan Kennedy—a storyteller whose emails I never miss.
1. Your Affinity Story – The personal connection you have with your customers.
2. Your “Why” Story – The deeper reason you do what you do (beyond making a buck).
3. Your Repeatable Legend – The short, memorable story customers can retell about you.
4. Your Miracle Story – Your “walk-on-water” proof that turns skeptics into believers.
5. Your Hero Story – How you conquer problems on behalf of your customers.
6. Your Villain Story – The enemy you’re fighting against (industry scams, bad service, overpriced competitors).
7. Your Claim to Fame Story – The story that sets you apart from everyone else.
8. Your Before & After Stories – Customer transformations that make your product/service undeniable.
9. Your Slice of Life Stories – Everyday moments that prove you live and breathe what you sell.
Those should keep you busy for a while. When you get some quiet time, try a few on and see how they fit.
I can’t promise it’ll double, triple—or even quadruple—your revenue.
But I hope that’s why you’ll be back next week.
Here’s a song to play you out >>>
If you want a fresh marketing nugget emailed to you every week (give or take), join here.
