The 5P’s of Engaging storytelling content
I got an email from a listener to my podcast last week.
They’d been listening for a couple of months and they loved an episode where I talked about Wikipedia content. Here’s what they said...
Hi Dean, love listening to your podcasts on the drive home. I listened to one this week where you talked about not making your content Wikipedia content. I’m guilty of doing this, just sharing information.
My questions is, do you have a framework or structure to do that? I often overthink this and end up spending too much time on it.
This is a common problem and I’ll bet some of you reading also struggle with this too. You want to give value to your audience, but often struggle to structure it into an engaging format.
I got stuck here too.
Human beings despite being amazingly creative, often can’t operate without structure. I find this with my own content. If I don’t have a framework, I overthink it or over produce it, then get angry at myself for wasting 2 hours making one post.
If there is an area I’m weak on, I don’t look for hacks or tips and tricks, I look for structures or frameworks.
Frameworks give me a container to work within.
The 5P’s of Storytelling Content
This 5P framework I found in 2018 and have used and repurposed for different types of content. This is it...
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Picture - Set the scene (who, what, where, when)
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Problem - What’s not working (the issue that arises)
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Process - What I did (the steps you took)
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Payoff - What happened (the result)
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Point - The lesson (the reminder for your audience)
Let me do a post example:
Picture
I was sat in a coffee shop a couple of weeks back. I was drinking my favourite drink, Chai Latte.
As I took a sip, the shop owner approached me, “You do marketing right?”
Problem
“We’ve been struggling to get people into the shop mid-week, can I pick your brains?”
We chatted back and forth and I asked a few questions, before I gave my advice.
Process
Here’s what I suggested she do...
First, mid-week in a small town you need retired customers coming in. On a weekend the footfall is high, so that is taken care of.
So, I’d do some form of deal for the most popular items older people buy. I wouldn’t put all the effort on getting new customers. Just get existing customers to come more mid-week.
Second, I wouldn’t rely on social media to promote it, I’d do a promotional card and give it to customers over the weekend.
Third, I’d adjust your opening hours so you’re open for trades people for early morning fry ups and breakfasts. They often start at 8am. You open at 8:30am.
Payoff
“Why didn’t I think of that? It is so simple and makes total sense”
She made plans for the cards to be printed and decided to open earlier on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
I went back in this weekend and checked out it was going.
“We did a ‘builders brekkie’ on Wednesdays and they’re going well. We actually had some of lads outside this week waiting for us to open at 7.
“We do a pensioners discount mid week now and it bring us steady flow of custom on our quiet days.”
Point
Sometimes we run to the big bold actions, but often it’s the simple tweaks that make a big difference.
It’s cheaper and faster to make the little tweak.
Structure gives you speed and uniqueness
A structure like this works for you and the audience.
There is a logical flow which makes it easy for the audience to follow along, but it also makes it easy for you to put the point you want to make into a story or experience which makes it unique.
There is no shortage of content out there.
This allows you to package your advice and knowledge in your own stories and experiences.
This gives you speed and uniqueness.
That connects your expertise and you with your audience.
If there is a topic you’d like covered, feel free to drop me a message.
I want to help you build your brand, win clients and get paid what you’re worth, so tell me what you need and I’ll core it.
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