How to Turn Dry Expertise Into Engaging Narratives That Hook Your Audience

Start with the 3-story framework.

I’ll make this short and sweet.

You’ve already heard my rants about experts who don’t fully utilize storytelling to their advantage. This makes me angry and sad at the same time.

Angry because I know they have an amazing story to tell, along with the expertise they possess, and sad because they’ll stop themselves from the riches they deserve. Expertise means nothing because anyone can fake being an expert nowadays. The real authenciticy comes in when you show the reader the sh*t you had to go through to get that expertise.

Almost every article I’ve ever written that has gone viral has a personal story attached. Heck, I’m able to make money off my writing because I never let my readers forget my stories of failure.

That’s how you build a valuable brand that you can make thousands or even millions off.

So here’s how to turn that dry expertise into something your audience will engage with.

1. Use The 3-Story Framework—The 3-Story Framework is simple; pick three transformational stories that have defined who you are today, whether it’s a story that has impacted you professionally or personally. Try to have a mix of both as your first two. The last one can be a toss-up. I also highly recommend failure stories. People LOVE those.

2. Present your stories in the PAS format—What is PAS? It’s a technique I got from a popular writer. It stands for Problem, Agitation, Solution. I use it like this; I present the problem to the reader at the beginning of my blog post after I add context, then, I agiatate that problem so the reader knows the severity of it and how it can affect their life in other ways (this is the most important part), then, I present the solution to the problem so the reader can leave my article on a good note. The agitation part of this is where you want to tell your story. Try to use yourself as an example to show the true effects of the problem the reader faces. This is where you want to tug on the heartstrings. Spend the most time on this part.

3. Give the reader a happy ending—Oftentimes, I see various experts, especially the more math-oriented ones, ending an article with numbers or facts—blah. You want the reader to feel victorious after they read your article, not confused or meh. When people feel victorious from reading your content, they come back for more. Like a kid in a candy store (I love how that rhymes). Make the reader feel as though they’re the hero because they read a solution from you that can impact their lives. NEVER end your post on a negative or bleh note.

I hope this helps.

Now, go conquer the world!