Avoid This Storytelling Advice at All Costs

A few weeks back, I stumbled across an article by a so-called “storytelling expert” who droned on and on about something called Freytag’s Storytelling Pyramid.

Freytag was a 19th-century German playwright.

And, unless you’re a glutton for punishment, I have good news for you: 

You don’t have to know anything about Freytag or his pyramid to write client-attracting copy. 

But some brainiacs like to complicate things. So they dish out stuff like this and call it marketing advice: 

“The typical storytelling structure of the Freytag Pyramid centers around setting the stage (exposition), providing details that move the story forward (rising action), reaching the most significant point of the story (climax), explaining the aftermath (falling action), and making sense of it all (resolution).”

Got that? 

But wait. There’s more.

According to this article, “The Freytag Pyramid is important for giving your story structure, but it alone won’t suffice for creating a story your audience needs to hear.”

As good ol’ Charlie Brown would say:

Good grief! 

I stopped reading after that. I couldn’t stand it any longer. 

So many goo-roos make storytelling WAY TOO COMPLEX. 

They compare storytelling for business to writing a screenplay, stage play, or novel. 

They liken business stories to Star Wars, Death of a Salesman, or War and Peace.  

And they encourage you to load your business stories with all those elements like exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, backstories, heroes, villains, conflicts, resolutions, and so on and so forth. 

Good luck with that. 

That article about Freytag — it’s one of many littering the inter-webs that spouts the same idea. 

And the madness doesn’t end with Freytag.

Goo-roos galore claim you can’t sell a thing with storytelling until you know all 12-stages of Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey.” 

There’s one “expert” who wants you to master “12 Storytelling Brand Archetypes.” 

Another offers a “simple 10-step system” for business storytelling.

Call me simple. But a “simple 10-step system” seems like seven steps too many.

Bruce Lee said it best: 

Simplicity is the key to brilliance.

That principle — simplicity — guided Lee as a martial arts legend. 

And that is one of three — just three — Story Power Principles that can guide you as a marketer. 

Principle #1: Keep the focus on PROSPECTS’ emotional journeys. 

Principle #2: Keep it human and personal. 

Principle #3: Keep it simple. 

This email — and others I write — checks all those boxes.

That’s why you’ve read this far.

Let’s meet.

I can show you how to apply the three — just three — Story Power Principles — to create captivating content…

…that prospects read from beginning to end…

…that inspires prospects to buy. 

If you want to learn more, reply to the email with the message “let’s meet.”

I’ll shoot you a link to my booking calendar.

We’ll discuss what’s working for you, what’s not, and what you’re looking for. 

I’ll offer some actionable advice to help you transform your content from boring to brilliant, turn marketing from frustrating to fun, and convert results from pitiful to profitable.

And if we agree there are ways I can help you, we can discuss the possibilities.

Reply with “let’s meet” to get the ball rolling.