Speaker 1: If you've watched my videos before, you know that I believe one of the best things you can do as an influencer is continue to educate yourself and learn new skills when it comes to the art of creating content. One thing I've been thinking about a lot lately is storytelling, and how powerful it can really be for influencers when used correctly. So today I'm going to walk you through six awesome storytelling tips to help you improve your content. If you're new here, I'm a fashion and beauty micro-influencer based in New York City, and I use this channel to help you create great content, grow your digital brand, and earn sustainable income from content creation. So if any of that interests you, please consider subscribing. Now when I was brainstorming topics for today's video, I actually went to TikTok for inspiration, and it got me thinking that one of the video types that's been performing really well for creators lately is the get ready with me style of video. The most recent example of a creator who's really utilized this video style to her advantage is Alex Earle, who at the time I'm recording this video has 4.5 million TikTok followers, with many of them joining her within the last six months. Her Get Ready With Me style videos involved sitting down, doing her makeup, and telling stories about her life. And I've noticed a lot of my fellow content creators pick up on this style of video content lately, and the common thread that I was able to really tie it back to was the element of storytelling. When it comes to the Get Ready With Me format, I find it particularly successful because it combines an audio storytelling experience with also something visually interesting that's happening in front of you. So whether you create that exact style of content or not, today as a former magazine editor, I'm really excited to walk you through these six key storytelling tips to improve your content. And I would say that these go for both your organic content that you create on your own for your audience, and they can also be applied really nicely to sponsored content as well. So if you can improve the quality of your sponsorships and make it feel even more organic, that could lead to more brand deals and more money in the future. Let's jump right in with my first tip, which is to include a hook to get your audience's attention. When we talk about a hook, we are trying to find something that we can say at the beginning of the video to give someone an idea of what is coming next and what to expect in the following content. Having a hook can vary depending on the type of content you create and also what the format of that content is, whether you're talking to camera, whether you're pairing voiceover with b-roll, or whether you are simply doing some primarily visual first storytelling with maybe selecting some background music to go along with it. A hook can be either an audio cue, something that you actually say, or it could also be text on screen or a certain animation to really catch your audience's eye and bring them in and encourage them to stick around and watch through the entire piece of content. So you can think about storytelling hooks in terms of a few different kind of categories. So maybe you're trying to intrigue someone to keep watching. I know that for me whenever I get a call from a friend who's like, boy do I have a story for you. No matter what I'm doing, if I was cooking dinner, if I was watching TV, not anymore, I'm locked and loaded. What is the story? Cause I need to know now. You could also say something along the lines of you'll never believe this or anything to really inspire intrigue and want someone to continue to watch along to see what it is that you're talking about. Another thing that I think is really key that you can incorporate into a hook, especially as an influencer, is something that might get your audience to convert later on. So for example, if you are talking about a product, whether it's in your regular content or if you're doing a brand partnership, saying something about the product to get your audience excited and interested to learn more about it. So maybe something along the lines of, wow, this product actually changed my life, or I can't believe I've lived this long without using this. There also doesn't need to be anything incredibly exciting or groundbreaking about your hook, but maybe it is just tapping into human connection. I have watched through a lot of TikToks that kind of start out with people saying, well, that was embarrassing, or all right, I made a mistake, now let's talk about it. Even if I don't know who the person is, I don't really understand what the mistake was or what caused it, I end up watching through a lot of those videos because they've said something that kind of makes me resonate a little bit with them or that I kind of empathize with and connect with. So whatever you can do to humanize it, draw excitement, or make people interested and encourage them to keep watching throughout the duration of your video, Those are all great things to consider when coming up with a hook. Oh, and if at all possible, avoid what has become known as the millennial pause. The millennial pause is essentially like that beat before you actually start talking in a video or before something happens. And especially on short form content platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, you really wanna get right into it because anyone could just swipe up and be onto something more exciting in the next video. So get into the content, have the audio start right away whenever possible, and also try to edit out any ums, uhs, or pauses throughout the content to keep the content moving forward. This will certainly vary a little bit between creators, but when it comes to the first millisecond of your video, the first two seconds of your content, it is really important to keep people watching. My second storytelling tip is to make sure that you have a clear path and an idea of where you're going with your content. Good stories typically have a beginning, a little bit of middle ground, some kind of arc or exciting moment, and then an ending. So think about that story arc when you're crafting your content as well. For example, even when I script these YouTube videos, I do script out the beginnings of my video, the meat of the content, which is what we're in right now, where I'm actually teaching and going through all of the points that I wanna make, and also the ending or resolution. So what happens at the end, right? Where do you want to direct people next? Do you want to do an engagement call out? Do you want them to buy something, subscribe, watch a certain video after the one that they're watching now? And so knowing where you're headed before you even start filming is really key, because you can make this narrative arc feel really complete and make sure that you have a clear direction of where you're headed as you're sitting down and filming your content. Not only is this more enjoyable for a viewer to watch who's kind of used to that format, but it also makes things easy on you as a creator. So you're never wondering what the next thing you're going to say is or what your next move might be. For me personally, I like scripting my YouTube videos with bullet points so that I can occasionally glance down as I'm talking throughout the conversation, but I don't really write full out scripts in case I want to go off of a point or add an example that I think of while I'm talking because that way it allows me to still add a little bit of real-time personality and what I'm thinking about right in the moment to it without it feeling like it was just, you know, being fed to me through a teleprompter. So that's something to think about as well, to give yourself those little points so that you can identify your story arc and keep the story moving for your viewer. My next tip when you're telling a story is to always remember who you're telling it to. So in business and marketing, there is something called an ICA or ideal customer avatar, and businesses and marketers come up with an ideal customer avatar because it's much easier to picture telling a story or speaking to one particular person than trying to think about all of the different people who might be watching your video and trying to appeal to everyone. If you're trying to make everyone happy, you might ultimately end up making no one happy. So creating an ICA in your head is something that can be a really helpful exercise. And if you don't have any customers per se, you could think of it as your ideal community avatar, right? what is your average follower or viewer like? Where do they live? How much money do they make? Where do they like to shop? What does kind of a day in their life look like? I actually used to take a lot of acting classes as a kid, and this is something that we used to do a lot for character development. So even listing out like that person's favorite food or favorite movie and things like that, that may never actually come up while you're creating your content, but just knowing it in the back of your head makes you feel like you can really relate to that person or that you have something in common with them. And for example, just kind of a vague description of my ideal community avatar is typically a millennial or Gen Z content creator who lives in or around a big city. They are not afraid to spend money on things that they actually care about, but they're also always looking for affordable solutions to pretty much anything in their life, whether it's a great drugstore beauty product or sale that's happening at their favorite retailer or even affordable digital product to help them achieve a goal in their content creator business. So that's even a pretty vague description, but again, I really think that even just knowing that helps you narrow down things even further. And I won't give you the whole rundown of my ICA at the moment, but you have a better sense of who I'm creating for and why I keep them in mind as I produce the content. Obviously, your ICA and the content you create all depends on what type of creator you are or identify as. And if you don't really know your creator type, I would highly recommend downloading my free guide, The Influencer Launchpad, where I actually have a quiz inside with a few different kind of influencer personality types. And when you take the quiz, you'll be able to see which category you fall into. And that might also give you a more clear indication of who your ICA is and what you can do and create to really serve them and fulfill them and make them happy to be following along with you. So there's more than just that one quiz in the guide, of course, there's lots of tips in there for content creators. So you can grab your free copy of the Influencer Launchpad from the link down below in the description box. And one other thing I want to call out about speaking to your ICA is keeping your tone in mind. I really do think tone matters as a content creator because depending on how you come off in your videos, you may attract or repel certain people from your audience. For example, I love watching creators on TikTok who are really bubbly, who show their personality, and who aren't afraid to jump into things. But I also can recognize that I am a millennial. And sometimes if I try to like insert Gen Z lingo into my videos, I kind of do it with a little bit of a wank knowing that I might be making fun of myself in a sense if I try to say things that maybe you wouldn't normally picture me saying and I think the same goes for you know all different types of creators too. I also think that when it comes to your sponsored content in particular that your tone is really important as much as you can keep your tone for sponsored content consistent with the tone in your organic content that will definitely make it feel like a lot more seamless of a partnership where it's not like you are reading from a script that a brand gave you or you feel like you have to be really proper somehow in order to like promote a product. That's definitely something I would push back on with a brand if you ever come across a brand who wants you to hit certain talking points and you just know that's not how you describe it. Think about whether or not that brand is the right fit for you because you want to be able to be true to yourself and make sure that your audience is really going to enjoy the content you're creating. My next storytelling tip is to really get specific and call out details. I truly believe that the more specific and detailed you can be when you are storytelling, whether you're talking about a book that you recently read, or the best fake snake plants from Amazon, or where to buy wall art, is really key. Because not only are you giving people even more information, especially if you think that they might be making a purchasing decision towards the end of your video, but you're also not just taking the easy way out by using vague phrases like, oh my god, these are just so good. You know, like, why are they good? Like, what about them makes them good? If you're talking about a beauty product, is it the fragrance or a lack of fragrance? Is there a particular ingredient that you found your skin responds really well to? Like, getting more particular about these things and not just saying it's so good as a blanket statement, it really does make a difference, I think, in terms of, you know, whether or not someone actually could see themselves using it. And this is actually where in my content creation, I do like to kind of put my old magazine editor cap on and think about, you know, even if like, let's say I tried a beauty product and I realized that it didn't work well for me, if I look at the label and realize, oh, this beauty product is, says made for people with oily skin, and I know I have more dry skin, even being able to say that in a piece of content and say, you know, this was actually designed for people with oily skin. I personally have dry skin as my skin type, so it didn't work for me, but I think it could potentially work for you. I think that's an example where you are able to give someone context, even if it's not a specific, like, this is what I loved about this thing. But you're at least able to direct someone towards a product who could say, oh, well, I do have oily skin, so maybe that one is worth a try, versus some other ones that they've tried already. It's really your job as a content creator to paint a picture for your viewers. Also on the note of things like ingredients and skincare, I always really appreciate when fashion influencers know the names of things that they're talking about. For example, not calling a pleat a ruffle or just kind of knowing your history a little bit. I do think that it really makes you stand out and it makes you feel like more of an authority in what you're talking about when you do know the proper names for things. So even if that means pausing your video quickly look something up and then editing that part out later. I do think that that makes a big difference. My next tip is to make a point in your content to tap into emotion of the viewer. Think about a great tv show or movie you've watched recently or a great book that you read and ask yourself what made that really great? Like what made that compelling to me? There are lots of different emotions that you can walk away with from having watched a great tv show, right? We talk about having feel-good TV shows that you can put on when maybe you need a little bit of motivation or you need a laugh or something like that. So if you are turning to that particular piece of content for that reason, think about that in terms of the content that you're creating as well. I certainly have my comfort influencers who I can kind of just like toss on their videos and it makes me either feel calm or maybe cozy and relaxed or just really happy to see what they're doing on a day to day basis. And so thinking about those emotions that you are trying to make your audience feel as you're creating the content can also really change the way that you do tell stories. I know for me personally, I love making my audience feel really empowered. Like I hope that whenever you watch one of my YouTube videos here, you walk away feeling like there's something tangible that you learned in this video that you can actually go out and apply to your own business. And that is an emotion that I think is something I think about every time I sit down to film a video. So some other examples of strong emotions that I think you can think about as you're creating your content are excitement, empathy, nostalgia, humor, all of these different things can not only give you ideas for content to create, but will also help you tap into what your audience feels as well and help you build stronger connections because of the emotions that you're using. And my next storytelling tip is to whenever possible, give your audience just a little peek behind the curtain. People love getting clued in and being behind the scenes. So anytime people can get a little bit of a sense of your process or how kind of things came together, I think that it does help you not only build more trust with them, but also just gives them a little bit of a bonus, a little bit of additional content and context to understand how something really came together. One thing that I really like to do whenever I'm creating a new digital product or offering online is to kind of tease it a bit to my audience or bring them in as part of the process as well. So for example, I recently launched my course, the Influencer Income Accelerator, and that idea actually came about after polling my audience here on YouTube and over on Instagram and seeing that the majority of people were looking ways to build consistent income streams in their businesses. And to be able to, during my launch, say to everyone, hey remember four months ago when I asked you this, well this thing that you wanted exists now. That's a really cool thing to be able to show people and to be able to connect those dots. I also think that you can let your audience in on the process for whatever type of content you're creating. Let's say if you're a beauty content creator and you know you're going to be testing a new skincare product, maybe even for a brand partnership. You might want to think about unboxing the product when you first get it on your Instagram stories and tagging the brand or maybe even as you're showing you know your bathroom and some of you getting ready to have that product somewhere in the background so people can see that you're actually using it and then by the time you go to post that brand partnership there is already a little bit of information that people can gather to say oh Oh, yeah, like she got this product a few weeks ago. I remember she's been testing it because it's been in her bathroom and like, now here's what she thinks about it. Like think about how much more compelled you're going to be to take that person's word at face value and really believe their recommendation versus someone who like, you know, you've just never seen them post about it before and they jump into it and say it's their favorite thing in the world when you've just never heard them mention it. And I do realize that requires a little bit of more work and planning on your end as a content creator. So make sure you're negotiating that with brands. Make sure you're asking for ample time to test the product. Make sure that you are trying to at least mention the brand name or tag them organically sometime leading up to that content. And if it requires them paying more, have them pay more. This kind of taps into the rule of seven and marketing where someone needs to see something seven times before they really take action on it. So again, anytime you can kind of let someone behind the scenes, give them something to be excited about and feel like they were involved in the process of, that's a pretty big win in terms of storytelling. And you can make it fun too. I actually think Taylor Swift is the perfect example to use here because she is always leaving Easter eggs for her fans, whether it is in music videos, in her social media posts, and there's always something that fans are speculating about or guessing about based on little clues that she leaves for people to find as well. So it doesn't have to be a scavenger hunt per se, but it could be kind of dropping little hints of things coming or happening to build excitement so that when you do release a piece of content, people feel like they were involved in it. We have such a power with social media to make people feel like they're part of the process and make people feel like they're super involved and connected. So definitely utilize this tactic when you think about storytelling in your content. Don't forget to take the quiz about which type of influencer you are inside of my free guide, The Influencer Launchpad, which you can grab from the link down below in the description box. And if you're feeling inspired and ready to put these tips into action, before you sit down to film your next batch of content, be sure to watch my video with my 10 best tips for being confident on camera. Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you in the next video.