How to Make Your Stories Sell More as a Creator

Storytelling is one of the most powerful advantages humans have over AI. AI may write a good story, true. But it’s a made-up story that happened to nobody. Meanwhile, we do care what happened to another fellow human being. It’s how we connect and deepen our relationships.

As a creator, great stories make you more relatable, keep your followers engaged with your content, and drive sales without hard selling.

Storytelling is one of the key skills you absolutely must learn to survive as a creator in the world of AI.

And the good news is that just a few tweaks can turn a mediocre story into a powerful piece with the potential to transform your business.

In this guide, I’ll share five of them. Work through them one by one, improving your story along the way.

For lightning fast implementation of this guide, copy and paste your story into your favorite AI tool. Then use the AI prompt boxes after each point to improve your story (each is a copy of the paragraph plus extra instructions for AI at the end).

Do NOT copy and paste this entire guide as it’ll lead to subpar results. Take your time and work through the prompts individually. Be human. Use AI as your writing assistant, not as your ghostwriter.

1. Provoke a Powerful Emotional Response From the Start

“It works so well my life is now ruined,” John told me. “Thanks, coach.”

And what a disaster his life has become. He had to spend a few grand just to replace his wardrobe, and then a few grand more because his wife (their relationship rekindled and has never been stronger) insisted they go to the Bahamas so she could see him shirtless every day.

Poor John.

When John first arrived at my gym, he wheezed his way to the top of the stairs (and mind you, there are only six steps to the entrance of our gym). He begged for mercy within approximately thirty five seconds of his first workout. And now he zips up the staircase without missing a beat, and asks me for more. Even guys twenty years younger can’t keep up with him!

A great story starts with a line that forces you to keep reading. A bad story starts predictably… and predictably makes you lose half or more of your readers before it even begins (guess how that impacts your bottom line).

Start your stories from the middle, or even from the end. Don’t be afraid to break the flow of time to surprise your reader and keep them guessing. Humans meander when they tell stories and that’s part of the charm.

If the same story started chronologically with John hauling himself up the stairs, we would miss the opportunity to hook the reader with a catchy opening.

A story doesn’t have to progress linearly from the moment John became your client to the moment he turned into a beast. You’re not a historian. You’re telling a story. And it’s infinitely easier and more human to keep a story interesting when it doesn’t follow the ordinary, dull motion of time.

A Powerful Emotional Response: AI Prompt

“It works so well my life is now ruined,” John told me. “Thanks, coach.”

And what a disaster his life has become. He had to spend a few grand just to replace his wardrobe, and then a few grand more because his wife (their relationship rekindled and has never been stronger) insisted they go to the Bahamas so she could see him shirtless every day.

Poor John.

When John first arrived at my gym, he wheezed his way to the top of the stairs (and mind you, there are only six steps to the entrance of our gym). He begged for mercy within approximately thirty five seconds of his first workout. And now he zips up the staircase without missing a beat, and asks me for more. Even guys twenty years younger can’t keep up with him!

A great story starts with a line that forces you to keep reading. A bad story starts predictably... and predictably makes you lose half or more of your readers before it even begins (guess how that impacts your bottom line).

Start your stories from the middle, or even from the end. Don’t be afraid to break the flow of time to surprise your reader and keep them guessing. Humans meander when they tell stories and that's part of the charm.

If the same story started chronologically with John hauling himself up the stairs, we would miss the opportunity to hook the reader with a catchy opening.

A story doesn’t have to progress linearly from the moment John became your client to the moment he turned into a beast. You’re not a historian. You’re telling a story. And it’s infinitely easier and more human to keep a story interesting when it doesn’t follow the ordinary, dull motion of time.

Analyze how my story unfolds. The first line needs to provoke a powerful emotional response in the reader. If needed, take something that happens in the middle or at the end of the story and work it into a hook that will lead into the story. Make sure I don’t recount it in a boring, chronological series of events. Mix it up.

2. Don’t Be Serious All the Time

When my 5-year old son proclaimed he wanted to learn a second language, I was beaming with pride. How could I not? I teach foreign languages for a living, and my son wanted to follow my footsteps—with no urging on my part! (I promise, I did NOT tell him to buy my “Be a Polyglot” course which happens to be available for 20% off until Friday)

I envisioned my son studying Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, or maybe even something more exotic like Hungarian or Kazakh. I’d be happy with any of those.

Not only would my son become a polyglot like his dad. I could also use his learning experience to inspire my students. Who knows, maybe I could even create a course for parents whose kids want to learn a second language.

So when I asked him what language he wanted to learn, I was mentally debating what to do: order a couple of colorful textbooks for kids, hire a tutor, or maybe get a stack of post-it notes and tag my son’s favorite toys in his target language.

And then my beautiful vision faded as quickly as I heard my son’s response.

“Dad, I want to learn Dog. So I can finally talk to Biscuit.”

(our Golden Retriever, who looked instantly concerned)

It never hurts to inject a little humor in your stories (okay, maybe no humor if you’re in the funeral services business). When you educate and entertain, you keep more people reading until the end. That means more of them get to know you better, trust you more, and buy more from you.

Don’t be afraid to have a little fun when communicating with your fans. Look for opportunities to land a joke or two in your story.

Unless it’s your personal style, don’t become a clown, though. Aim for maybe 5-10% of humor and 90-95% of “serious” content.

Notice that I sneaked in a little promotion in the story. But it doesn’t disrupt the story because it’s not a hard sell and fits the humor.

Don’t Be Serious AI Prompt

When my 5-year old son proclaimed he wanted to learn a second language, I was beaming with pride. How could I not? I teach foreign languages for a living, and my son wanted to follow my footsteps—with no urging on my part! (I promise, I did NOT tell him to buy my “Be a Polyglot” course which happens to be available for 20% off until Friday)

I envisioned my son studying Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, or maybe even something more exotic like Hungarian or Kazakh. I’d be happy with any of those.

Not only would my son become a polyglot like his dad. I could also use his learning experience to inspire my students. Who knows, maybe I could even create a course for parents whose kids want to learn a second language.

So when I asked him what language he wanted to learn, I was mentally debating what to do: order a couple of colorful textbooks for kids, hire a tutor, or maybe get a stack of post-it notes and tag my son’s favorite toys in his target language.

And then my beautiful vision faded as quickly as I heard my son’s response.

“Dad, I want to learn Dog. So I can finally talk to Biscuit.”

(our Golden Retriever, who looked instantly concerned)

It never hurts to inject a little humor in your stories (okay, maybe no humor if you’re in the funeral services business). When you educate and entertain, you keep more people reading until the end. That means more of them get to know you better, trust you more, and buy more from you.

Don’t be afraid to have a little fun when communicating with your fans. Look for opportunities to land a joke or two in your story.

Unless it’s your personal style, don’t become a clown, though. Aim for maybe 5-10% of humor and 90-95% of “serious” content.

Notice that I sneaked in a little promotion in the story. But it doesn’t disrupt the story because it’s not a hard sell and fits the humor.

Find a way to land one or two jokes in my story. But don’t turn my piece into a stand-up with jokes every other sentence. Pepper in a tiny bit of humor but don’t overdo it. 90-95% of my content stays serious, with only 5-10% humorous to break the tone and entertain the reader.

3. Go Specific

Compare the following two stories:

Story A

My dog taught me an important lesson today.

We were getting ready for our afternoon walk when he randomly jumped at me. I lost balance and knocked over an expensive vase my wife bought in Thailand during our honeymoon. CRASH—the vase was beyond repair. My first instinct was anger. Deep, deep anger. What a stupid dog!

But then I realized: who cares? It wasn’t the vase that mattered. It might be in pieces now but the memories are as vivid as ever. If I wanted to, I could fly to Thailand tomorrow and get exactly the same vase again (not that I’m THAT frivolous with money).

And that’s why I started my cleaning company 15 years ago. I didn’t want to worry about money ever again. I wanted to have time for my family and for making beautiful memories. My business now allows me to do that, and I want the same for you. That’s why I’m running a special offer for my flagship Remote Cleaning Business course…

Story B

My Golden Retriever Buster taught me an important lesson today.

We were getting ready for our afternoon walk when he leapt at me like an overexcited puppy (which he is most certainly NOT). That 70-pound ball of energy knocked me flat… and along the way, also a $500 heritage porcelain vase my wife bought in Thailand during our honeymoon. CRASH—followed by a rain of ceramic tink-tink-tinks across the hardwood. My first instinct was anger. I was fuming like a dad who just stepped on a LEGO barefoot in the dark (I’m definitely NOT speaking from personal experience here). What a stupid dog!

But then I stood up, dusted myself off, caught a deep breath, and realized: who cares? It wasn’t the vase that mattered. I might spend the next thirty minutes trying to find every single of the five thousand pieces it had shattered into. But the memories from that 3-week trip hopping between Thai islands are as vivid as ever. If I wanted to, I could fly to Thailand tomorrow and get exactly the same vase again (not that I’m THAT frivolous with money).

And that’s why I started my cleaning company 15 years ago. I didn’t want to worry about money ever again. I wanted to have time for my family and for making beautiful memories. Core Green Cleaning Solutions, my 7-figure cleaning business in Denver, now allows me to do that. And I want the same for you. That’s why I’m running a special offer for my flagship Remote Cleaning Business course…

Evocative stories paint a vivid picture. And a vivid picture captivates and hypnotizes, even if your reader is otherwise distracted (who isn’t?)

You want to transport your fan into the world of your story. Weak, generic words don’t achieve that goal. The lesson may still be there, the structure may still work but the lack of details leaves the story flat and lifeless. Bring the scene to life by going from general, fuzzy words to laser-specific ones.

Go Specific AI Prompt

Compare the following two stories:

Story A. 

My dog taught me an important lesson today.

We were getting ready for our afternoon walk when he randomly jumped at me. I lost balance and knocked over an expensive vase my wife bought in Thailand during our honeymoon. CRASH—the vase was beyond repair. My first instinct was anger. Deep, deep anger. What a stupid dog!

But then I realized: who cares? It wasn’t the vase that mattered. It might be in pieces now but the memories are as vivid as ever. If I wanted to, I could fly to Thailand tomorrow and get exactly the same vase again (not that I’m THAT frivolous with money).

And that’s why I started my cleaning company 15 years ago. I didn’t want to worry about money ever again. I wanted to have time for my family and for making beautiful memories. My business now allows me to do that, and I want the same for you. That’s why I’m running a special offer for my flagship Remote Cleaning Business course…

Story B. 

My Golden Retriever Buster taught me an important lesson today.

We were getting ready for our afternoon walk when he leapt at me like an overexcited puppy (which he is most certainly NOT). That 70-pound ball of energy knocked me flat... and along the way, also a $500 heritage porcelain vase my wife bought in Thailand during our honeymoon. CRASH—followed by a rain of ceramic tink-tink-tinks across the hardwood. My first instinct was anger. I was fuming like a dad who just stepped on a LEGO barefoot in the dark (I’m definitely NOT speaking from personal experience here). What a stupid dog!

But then I stood up, dusted myself off, caught a deep breath, and realized: who cares? It wasn’t the vase that mattered. I might spend the next thirty minutes trying to find every single of the five thousand pieces it had shattered into. But the memories from that 3-week trip hopping between Thai islands are as vivid as ever. If I wanted to, I could fly to Thailand tomorrow and get exactly the same vase again (not that I’m THAT frivolous with money).

And that’s why I started my cleaning company 15 years ago. I didn’t want to worry about money ever again. I wanted to have time for my family and for making beautiful memories. Core Green Cleaning Solutions, my 7-figure cleaning business in Denver, now allows me to do that. And I want the same for you. That’s why I’m running a special offer for my flagship Remote Cleaning Business course…

Evocative stories paint a vivid picture. And a vivid picture captivates and hypnotizes, even if your reader is otherwise distracted (who isn’t?)

You want to transport your fan into the world of your story. Weak, generic words don’t achieve that goal. The lesson may still be there, the structure may still work but the lack of details leaves the story flat and lifeless. Bring the scene to life by going from general, fuzzy words to laser-specific ones.

Look for vague, imprecise words in my story. Replace them with more specific words that paint a vivid picture of the scene. Ask me questions about any part of my story that falls flat so I can do a better job describing it.

4. Increase Conflict and Tension

I glanced at my trusty neon blue Casio watch. 13 minutes left. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. Sweat dripped down my forehead as the vintage wall clock ticked with cruel precision.

Thirteen minutes left and I would give a keynote speech in front of 300 CEOs, many of whom came specifically to see me perform in person before contracting my services.

And yet, my laptop—and my presentation—sat on the back seat of an Uber halfway across the gridlocked city. Yes, even public speaking coaches make rookie mistakes. And in my defense, back then, I wasn’t even a coach yet. I was a worse speaker than 99% of my clients today.

I had two options: ask the organizer to push back my speech so the driver could bring it back. Or speak impromptu, without any visual aids.

Both would wreck my presentation. You don’t expect CEOs of multinational corporations to have an extra 30 minutes to spare. And you can’t speak impromptu when six figures are at stake—six figures I needed for an out-of-country medical procedure for my daughter that she desperately needed within the next two weeks. Or else—

Twelve minutes.

I thought back to my first paid presentation and how badly I screwed it up. Those expressionless stares. That awkward silence after I finished. That overpowering feeling of failure when I was supposed to begin my public speaking career but instead, I wrecked my reputation and failed my family. I could NOT afford that again.

Eleven minutes. I opened my Notes app to review the most important points of my keynote.

“I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” the message from my Uber driver popped up on my screen.

Twenty minutes. Could I ask the organizer to give me ten extra minutes or would that mean that half of my audience would walk out?

“Hey, Harry, you need to go now,” my assistant Allie said, peering out from behind the curtain. “The schedule got moved up.”

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to stay professionally panicked.

My jaw was clenched so tight it ached. No biggie, right? I’ve done this before… and it set me back two years in my career.

What if I just walked out? What if I tried to set up a GoFundMe for my daughter instead? What on earth had possessed me to believe that I had something of value to share with top global CEOs?

“Harry?” my assistant urged.

I smoothed down my jacket, put on my professional “all is fine” smile, and strode onto the stage with calm authority (inside, I was freefalling into the abyss).

The keynote was a hit. I landed six new clients who collectively promptly wired $223,500 into my account. It was more than enough to cover my daughter’s procedure. And yes, it was a success. My daughter never spent another day of her childhood in the hospital.

Every good story requires conflict and tension, and lots of it. Pressure forces the character to change and overcome obstacles. Where would be the fun in a story where everything goes right all the way to the finish line?

We’re not writing a novel so you won’t create multi-layer levels of conflicts that take hundreds of pages to resolve. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t increase tension by implementing a few fundamental plotting tools.

Here are five of them:

• Time limit: introduce a high-pressure deadline by which some important action must succeed or else, the character will face devastating consequences. For example, the character has three days to get $20,000 or she’ll get foreclosed.
• Dilemma: introduce two choices, both of which are imperfect, if not displeasing. Make your character face a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t situation. For example, the character needs to choose between missing his son’s practice or missing an important business meeting.
• Haunting: we’re all haunted by the past. Make the character recall an unpleasant moment and how the current situation is provoking similar emotions. For example, the character is haunted by a sense of low self-esteem because she was bullied at school.
• Inner conflict: we’re all conflicted inside. Make the character have two opposing sides that are at conflict with each other. For example, the character is torn between moving to another country (discomfort and growth) and staying put (safety and comfort).
• Larger-than-character stakes: whenever possible, up the stakes beyond just personal failure of the character. For example, if the character fails to keep his business afloat, he won’t be able to afford his daughter’s ballet lessons (and she has the potential to become a world-class ballet dancer).

The story above contains all five of these tools. But even adding just one or two of them is enough to force your reader to keep reading and avoid the dreaded “I’ll finish this later.” (read: never)

Conflict and Tension AI Prompt

I glanced at my trusty neon blue Casio watch. 13 minutes left. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. Sweat dripped down my forehead as the vintage wall clock ticked with cruel precision.

Thirteen minutes left and I would give a keynote speech in front of 300 CEOs, many of whom came specifically to see me perform in person before contracting my services.

And yet, my laptop—and my presentation—sat on the back seat of an Uber halfway across the gridlocked city. Yes, even public speaking coaches make rookie mistakes. And in my defense, back then, I wasn’t even a coach yet. I was a worse speaker than 99% of my clients today.

I had two options: ask the organizer to push back my speech so the driver could bring it back. Or speak impromptu, without any visual aids.

Both would wreck my presentation. You don’t expect CEOs of multinational corporations to have an extra 30 minutes to spare. And you can’t speak impromptu when six figures are at stake—six figures I needed for an out-of-country medical procedure for my daughter that she desperately needed within the next two weeks. Or else—

Twelve minutes.

I thought back to my first paid presentation and how badly I screwed it up. Those expressionless stares. That awkward silence after I finished. That overpowering feeling of failure when I was supposed to begin my public speaking career but instead, I wrecked my reputation and failed my family. I could NOT afford that again.

Eleven minutes. I opened my Notes app to review the most important points of my keynote.

“I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” the message from my Uber driver popped up on my screen.

Twenty minutes. Could I ask the organizer to give me ten extra minutes or would that mean that half of my audience would walk out?

“Hey, Harry, you need to go now,” my assistant Allie said, peering out from behind the curtain. “The schedule got moved up.”

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to stay professionally panicked.

My jaw was clenched so tight it ached. No biggie, right? I’ve done this before… and it set me back two years in my career.

What if I just walked out? What if I tried to set up a GoFundMe for my daughter instead? What on earth had possessed me to believe that I had something of value to share with top global CEOs?

“Harry?” my assistant urged.

I smoothed down my jacket, put on my professional “all is fine” smile, and strode onto the stage with calm authority (inside, I was freefalling into the abyss).

The keynote was a hit. I landed six new clients who collectively promptly wired $223,500 into my account. It was more than enough to cover my daughter’s procedure. And yes, it was a success. My daughter never spent another day of her childhood in the hospital.

Every good story requires conflict and tension, and lots of it. Pressure forces the character to change and overcome obstacles. Where would be the fun in a story where everything goes right all the way to the finish line?

We’re not writing a novel so you won’t create multi-layer levels of conflicts that take hundreds of pages to resolve. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t increase tension by implementing a few fundamental plotting tools.

Here are five of them:

Time limit: introduce a high-pressure deadline by which some important action must succeed or else, the character will face devastating consequences. For example, the character has three days to get $20,000 or she’ll get foreclosed.

Dilemma: introduce two choices, both of which are imperfect, if not displeasing. Make your character face a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t situation. For example, the character needs to choose between missing his son’s practice or missing an important business meeting.

Haunting: we’re all haunted by the past. Make the character recall an unpleasant moment and how the current situation is provoking similar emotions. For example, the character is haunted by a sense of low self-esteem because she was bullied at school.

Inner conflict: we’re all conflicted inside. Make the character have two opposing sides that are at conflict with each other. For example, the character is torn between moving to another country (discomfort and growth) and staying put (safety and comfort).

Larger-than-character stakes: whenever possible, up the stakes beyond just personal failure of the character. For example, if the character fails to keep his business afloat, he won’t be able to afford his daughter’s ballet lessons (and she has the potential to become a world-class ballet dancer).

The story above contains all five of these tools. But even adding just one or two of them is enough to force your reader to keep reading and avoid the dreaded “I’ll finish this later.” (read: never)

Analyze my story in the context of the five plotting tools described above. Give me ideas where and how I can implement at least one or two of them.

5. Give a Satisfying Resolution That Lingers

I concluded the keynote story with a subtle message that sold the expertise of the public speaking coach. Namely, despite a high-stakes situation (that could happen to anyone), he could still perform well (selling vulnerability and credibility). I also emphasized how that ability transformed the life of his daughter (selling inspiration).

This sets the right tone to offer a course or coaching for someone who wants to learn from a seasoned public speaking pro.

Think what kind of an emotional pay-off gets your reader to take action. It can end on a high note, inspiring the reader and strengthening their resolve to follow your advice. Or it can show the catastrophic consequences of inaction, forcing the reader to reflect on their choices and stop procrastinating.

Since our main goal of telling stories is to grow your creator business, most of your stories will end with a resolution that:

• Bridges into your offer. Transition from the story into how your product or service can help. Because your story does most of the selling and puts the reader into the right emotional state, you don’t need to hard sell. Simply connect it with the emotion that closed the story.
• Nurtures the relationship with your followers. A story doesn’t need to lead into anything else other than your fans liking you more and being more receptive to your future offers. Think of it as building goodwill because that’s exactly what it is.
• Increases your credibility and authenticity. When you’re vulnerable, you become more credible and authentic. Not less, as some may believe. People trust real, raw humans more than they trust cold, infallible experts.

Satisfying Resolution AI Prompt

I concluded the keynote story with a subtle message that sold the expertise of the public speaking coach. Namely, despite a high-stakes situation (that could happen to anyone), he could still perform well (selling vulnerability and credibility). I also emphasized how that ability transformed the life of his daughter (selling inspiration).

This sets the right tone to offer a course or coaching for someone who wants to learn from a seasoned public speaking pro.

Think what kind of an emotional pay-off gets your reader to take action. It can end on a high note, inspiring the reader and strengthening their resolve to follow your advice. Or it can show the catastrophic consequences of inaction, forcing the reader to reflect on their choices and stop procrastinating.

Since our main goal of telling stories is to grow your creator business, most of your stories will end with a resolution that:

Bridges into your offer. Transition from the story into how your product or service can help. Because your story does most of the selling and puts the reader into the right emotional state, you don’t need to hard sell. Simply connect it with the emotion that closed the story.

Nurtures the relationship with your followers. A story doesn’t need to lead into anything else other than your followers liking you more and being more receptive to your future offers. Think of it as building goodwill because that’s exactly what it is.

Increases your credibility and authenticity. When you’re vulnerable, you become more credible and authentic. Not less, as some may believe. People trust real, raw humans more than they trust cold, infallible experts.

First, ask me what I want my reader to do after reading my story. Then, rework the ending of my story to give a satisfying resolution fitting that goal.