How To Captivate People Through Storytelling

In partnership with

The Storytelling Formula

Storytelling is at the basis of my brand, and the reason I grew my YouTube channel to almost 700,000 subscribers.

It’s how we understand each other. Without stories, our lives would be a string of vapid activities.

Stories happen every day, at every moment, but few of us know how to piece together moments into a compelling narrative.

Here are some of my best tips.

Observe More

Stories are easier to connect to when they feel authentic.

Think of the last time you heard a story that brought a lot of emotion out of you. I’m willing to bet that emotion was brought out by something that felt viscerally real and relatable.

Start to pay attention to life more. Yes, that’s this tip. A lot of us wander throughout life without paying attention to the details that make an ordinary situation feel more like a story worth telling.

I love to people-watch. I think it’s a great way to understand subtle mannerisms, which can help amplify a story’s effect. (But it’s also nice because i’m introverted and don’t like opening my mouth much.)

Pay attention to people. Start writing down what you notice about human behavior that might go under the radar, that makes someone feel more real.

If your characters don’t feel genuine, it will be hard for the reader/listener to form a connection with them.

Give Them A Reason

Stories usually have a very similar structure: a beginning, a middle, and an end.

But the most important part—because without it, they will never be interested enough to finish it—is the beginning.

Ask yourself: Why should someone listen to what I have to say? How can I get them excited, and have them asking themselves, “I need to know what happens next.”

The way I do this is usually by purposefully leaving out a part of the story that they can’t have access to unless they keep listening.

Use Engaging Language

The words you use will dramatically change how the pieces of your story are interpreted.

Instead of feeling sad, say you were devastated.

Instead of boredom creeping in, say you became so disinterested that you started to count every bump on your textured ceiling.

Things that produce more imagery, and a clearer picture (but not too clear of a picture so the reader/listener has some room to use their own imagination) really help your story.

It’s also important to think about what parts of the story need exaggerating to enhance it’s impact.

Example: I have a story on YouTube where I talk about why I moved to Austin and the journey it took to get there. 

To this day, it has one of the highest retention rates of any of my videos.

During the story, I talk about how nervous I was due to the rent being so high, being 1500 miles away from home, and the fact that I knew nobody there.

Quote from the video: “I still didn’t know so much about this brand new city.”

Sure, it was scary. But I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I made it out to be using the language I did.

Perhaps no story will ever be more powerful than the story we tell ourselves about who we are.

If you’re still stuck figuring out how you want the story of your life to unfold, and you want to connect with ambitious people, my Self Mastery School could help you.

Self Mastery School is a place for those who want to actualize their greatest potential, strengthen their self awareness, and develop a fulfilling life philosophy.

It’s designed to help you stop overthinking your life, wondering what this all means and what you should be doing, then trying to search for the answers on the internet while making no real progress.

When you join the school, you’ll get access to:

• Full length courses/eBooks

• Weekly coaching calls and lectures (related to self-awareness, making money online, social skills, etc.)

• An exclusive community of ambitious, open-minded people

• In person meetups (coming soon)

It’s a place for those who feel like they can’t talk to anyone about self-improvement in real life, and are trying to find their tribe.

The friendships in there feel genuine.

And I have a feeling you’re going to find your tribe in there, too.

Here's some wins from our community:

I’ll see you in there.

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Quote of The Week

Thanks for reading, everyone. Hope you enjoy your weekend.

-Cole