Utilizing Storytelling in Product Descriptions

Your storytelling is lazy. Most brands only focus on the basics. What the product is, its price, and its features. But what really sells is the why and how. - Why does your product exist? - How does it change someone’s day, week, or life? Take this approach: Instead of: “New mug, now $12.99” Try: “The mug that makes your morning feel less like a Monday” Or this: Instead of: “Durable hiking boots” Try: “Hiking boots that’ll make you forget how bad your old ones were” The product might be the same, but the story changes everything. Use this thought process when writing your next email.

If your story doesn't hit in the first 5 seconds It's Over You don’t get minutes to earn attention anymore. You get moments. That’s why the best ads today don’t start by selling. They start by storytelling, fast. Take this campaign: It opens like a zombie thriller. Not a product demo. Not a stat dump. Not a polished brand shot. But a story that grabs your brain before it even knows what it's watching. So why does it work so well? 📌 It uses genre to create instant tension Within seconds, we’re in a world. It’s not just an ad, it’s a scene. A story. One you can’t look away from. 📌 It anchors emotion before explanation We feel before we understand. That’s what powerful stories do 📌 It educates through narrative By the time we realize the message (synthetic materials take 200+ years to decompose), we’re already emotionally invested. 📌 It aligns cause with creativity This isn’t preachy. It’s precise. The storytelling is the message. The product is the punchline. Want to build content that hits like this? Here’s a storytelling framework to try: 1️⃣ Hook with conflict Every good story starts with tension. Show us something broken, scary, or just plain weird. Make us lean in. 2️⃣ Introduce transformation What changes? What insight or solution comes next? Keep us moving through the arc. 3️⃣ Reveal your message last Don’t start with “what”, start with “why care.” Let the product or idea emerge from the emotion. 4️⃣ Make it feel cinematic Use sound, visuals, pacing, not to show off, but to bring your audience into the moment. 5️⃣ Keep it short, sharp, and story-first We’re in the TikTok era. But attention spans haven’t died, they’ve just gotten pickier. Stories still win. Always. The best storytelling doesn’t sell the product. It sells the belief behind the product. And if you want your brand to rise above the noise Stop pitching. Start telling better stories. #storytelling #branding #sellwithstories #marketingtips I share storytelling and creativity to help you and your company sell more and grow. Let's Connect! 1. Try my other course on LinkedIn Learning: https://lnkd.in/gTh8R5Mc 2. Join 10,000 others learning weekly growth tips at: https://lnkd.in/eCDKabp2 Use the 3-Act E.P.I.C Structure to turn stories into sales: https://lnkd.in/e9_eczTG 3. 3 Ways To Grow Guide: https://lnkd.in/gZaq56hT (no sign-up needed)

A cheat code to write better content: Use storytelling. Here are 5 frameworks you can incorporate asap: 1. The Hero’s Journey Structure: Ordinary World → Call to Adventure → Trials & Challenges → Transformation → Return Use it for: Founder stories, career pivots, customer journeys Tip: Position your reader (or your customer) as the hero. Not yourself. 2. The Pixar Framework Structure: “Once upon a time... Every day... Until one day... Because of that... Until finally...” Use it for: Relatable micro-stories, product narratives, personal reflections Tip: Start small and personal—end with a universal insight or lesson. 3. Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle Structure: Why → How → What Use it for: Vision-led content, culture-building, brand storytelling Tip: Lead with belief. People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. 4. The Story Cycle System Structure: Backstory → Trigger → Quest → Conflict → Climax → Resolution → Moral Use it for: Brand arcs, customer case studies, transformational experiences Tip: Emphasize the emotional arc. Let readers feel the journey. 5. The Big Idea Framework Structure: Hook → Goal → Obstacles → Old Way → New Way → Big Idea → Proof → Objections → Steps → Transformation Use it for: Thought leadership, product positioning, brand vision Tip: Present a shift in worldview. Show what’s broken, what’s possible, and how your idea bridges the gap. Which one would you use most often in your content? p.s follow me for more content like this :)

My favorite framework for story-selling: 1/ Hook 2/ Story 3/ Offer Most founders overlook the simplest way to sell. Fancy tactics and complex funnels don’t usually work. You really just need to nail those 3 things. Let's break it down with real examples: 1/ The Hook Zapier's hook is "Connect your apps and automate workflows." It addresses a universal pain point for businesses: The time wasted on repetitive tasks. By promising to connect over 5,000 apps, Zapier offers a solution that seems almost too good to be true. It's specific enough to be clear, yet broad enough to appeal to a wide range of businesses. 2/ The Story Zapier's story is about democratizing automation. Before Zapier, only big companies with dedicated IT teams could automate their workflows. The founders saw this gap and created a tool anyone could use, regardless of technical skill. Zapier went from a small side project to a company valued at over $5 billion. This resonates because it's about emboldening the underdog (i.e. small businesses and individuals) to compete with the big players. 3/ The Offer Zapier's offer is simple: "Try Zapier free for 14 days." No credit card required. No commitment. Pure value. This offer works because it's risk-free. You can experience the full power of Zapier without spending a dime. Who wouldn't want to automate their work for free? Zapier’s offer makes it easy for people to say yes (and to continue using the product long-term). A clear next step for you is to write down your hook. What makes you different? What will make people pay attention? Then, build out a story. What journey can you take people on? What transformation can you promise? Finally, present your offer. People buy stories, not just products. They want to be part of something bigger. Give them that opportunity.

In my time leading content at OpenSauced, our highest-performing pieces never started with 'Look at our cool features.' They started by talking about a real-life problem that we saw and explored how that impacted people. Instead of product-first, we used problem-first storytelling, which contextualizes the problems we're solving for our readers. It helps to understand what pain point we're solving for them. At the end of the day, if people can't see themselves using the product, they probably won't. People don't wake up thinking about your product. They wake up thinking about their challenges. That's where you can make an impact.

Everyone says “tell stories", but almost no one explains why they work. Stories attract attention in a way bullet points and product claims never can. When you pitch features, the reader's brain goes into evaluation mode: → “Is this true?” → “Do I need this?” → “Is it a filthy scam to get into my wallet?!” But when you tell a story, the reader's brain involuntarily shifts into immersion mode: → "Ok, interesting..." → “What happened next?” → “How's this gonna end?!" One frame of mind is naturally defensive. The other is naturally absorbtive. Think about your own buying decisions: You might not join a gym because their bullet points were well written...but you might join after hearing your friend’s transformation story. You probably won't sit through 5 episodes of a Netflix show because of the description...But you'd watch if a friend said "The ending is INSANE". Products are static. Bullets, features, benefits, pain points... It's all worth understanding if you wanna be a marketer or run a business... But if you can weave those elements into a genuinely interesting story? You will never want for distribution again. (especially if you're doubling down on organic social like you should) So next time you’re tempted to jam another feature or clever tagline into your content… Stop. Ask yourself: “What’s the story behind this? And how do I make that the hero?”

Here’s the deal: most paid ads suck because they don’t tell a story. They shout “Buy now!” or “Limited time offer!” but forget the one thing that grabs attention and keeps it—emotion. People don’t buy products. They buy feelings. Here’s how to use storytelling to make your ads actually work: 1️⃣ Start with a relatable problem Make the viewer think, “That’s me!” Set the stage with a situation they know too well. 2️⃣ Introduce a hero (your customer, not you) Show how they overcame that problem. Your product? It’s the guide, not the star. 3️⃣ Trigger emotion Make them feel something—hope, relief, excitement. Emotion drives action, logic justifies it later. 4️⃣ End with transformation Show the before and after. Make the result crystal clear. Remember, a good story isn’t about features or benefits. It’s about making your audience see themselves in your ad. So next time you’re writing copy, skip the pushy CTA and craft a narrative instead. Your ROI will thank you.