How I Used Storytelling To Get 600+ Followers On Medium And Create Engaging Posts
Part #2 out of the creator’s journey to $100 on Medium
The secret to Medium success isn’t something completely related to the platform.
There isn’t any commenting, any amount of asking people to read your post or promotion you can do on an article to make it good.
The one thing that attracts people the most?
Stories.
Here’s how you can build one in every post you write
You might think that in order to tell a story you have to be interesting.
You have to have some sort of special skill nobody talks about.
You have to have done some really extraordinary things, like climbing Mount Everest to get people to listen to your story.
It’s not True.
Building a unique story does have a formula.
But first, you need to understand one thing.
People read stories. They love them.
Without them, we would just spend our time focused on meaningless things. Daydreaming about what could be. Eventually we would invent stories every single time we would try to get rid of them
Imagine you’re in a maths class. The teacher doesn’t really care about your understanding of the subject. The rest of the students are silent. You just hear some formulas, a theorem, and some other exercises you should solve.
Now let’s bring a story into the picture.
And I’m going to give you 2 examples, one is better than the other. Can you guess which?
“A long time ago in ancient Greece, a renowned philosefer found a formula that would forever change the course of mathematics.
He was a humble man, a simple man. His way of thinking was so diverse from others that he was often considered odd, weird, someone you shouldn’t talk with.
He lived alone in his house, with his only friend being his dog”
And then the teacher would go on about the formula. A much better way to explain the subject right?
But we can take it even further.
The teacher could say:
“Once, when I was your age, like a 1000 years ago *laughter from the class* I was passionate about mathematics.
What it can do for you and how it was found in every area of your life.
Being able to see the inner working of everything was nothing but a byproduct of my curiosity. I kept asking question after question to my parents, and when I didn’t get the answer I wanted, I went to the local library to study.
I would spend hours upon hours there, not like you kids do today with the whole internet in your palm *again, class laughter*.
In all my years of collage there wasn’t a single concept I couldn’t understand, not a single wall I couldn’t break.
But one day, when I was reading in the restricted section of the library (not a Harry Potter reference) I came across a book, a maths book.
It was old and torn apart. It was almost like worms spent their dinner eating through the paper.
On one page stood a single thing. Exactly one formula that wasn’t given any context and hadn’t been solved entirely. An individual without a backstory, <
> *the class mubbles something but remains silet with curiosity*.
Anyways, I spent the rest of the day, No, the whole week analyzing it and looking for an answer. The Answer. Something that would calm the nerves I’ve gotten from that damm equation. Everything changed in an instant.
On a windy winter night, as I was sitting at my desk contemplating, I remembered something from my past. A lecture from my proffesor. A lecture I haven’t paid attention to. Reviewing my notes…I finally got it. I got The Answer.
It was what we know today as Pythagorean Theorem. Here’s what you need to know about it, so it doesn't take you months to fully understand it like it took me”
Now now now…I know that the Pythagorean theorem isn’t a difficult concept to grasp.
I just didn’t have the time to search for something of actual importance. I might as well have said something about Einstein’s equations of General Relativity.
But I’m not here to teach maths.
I’m here to tell you how to become a better storyteller. The best one there is. (Maybe not the best, but one can hope. And you should always strive for the best. The best YOU can do)
If you haven’t caught on to the trend already.
There is one key difference between these 2 stories. And it doesn’t have to do with the number of words written, the tense used or the sprinkle of dialog and “effects” I’ve used throughout it.
It had everything to do with WHO was telling the story. From what perspective?
Always tell YOUR own story, or at least your own perspective on another’s individual story.
Good storytelling creates a bond between the telling the story and the one listening to it.
It’s like they go into their own little world and go about exploring every inch of it.
I don’t read a lot of fiction. But I do know that every book is told from one perspective. The one the main protagonist sees.
You have to put the reader into your own life and make them see what you see.
But enough with a small chitchat.
Let’s give you some practical advice to start your own story.
- There should be a protagonist. The reader! Create a persona, what they do, and at what stage of their journey they are. A little backstory
- The protagonists encounter a problem. Something life-changing. It’s difficult and they feel overwhelmed. This creates tension
- They eventually meet a mentor. YOU! Someone who highlights exactly what will happen if they don’t get over the obstacle. Someone who, in his time, experienced a difficulty and overcame it. Always talk “from above”, don't be rude, and be confident.
- (You) They give you a call to action. To either solve the problem or let it overcome you. Will the reader become a villain or a hero? Someone who takes pity on themselves and feels like there’s nothing they can do? Or someone who decides to take fate by the throat and take on the obstacle
- You have to create 2 outcomes for the story. A good, exceptional one, and something terrible to mirror it. Make sure to highlight each of them, targeting pain points.
Create a roadmap for them, if they follow it, they will get to their extraordinary scenario. They will feed indebted to you and appreciate your writing.
That’s all you need to know to create a compelling story.
There are other techniques, something to add to this whole “mess”.
But I’m leaving them on the side, just to spite you :)
They are actually going to be featured in my upcoming product.
“Getting your first $100 on Medium” (The name is still debatable)
With your feedback and support, I can develop something that truly helps people.
Something that, hopefully, you will enjoy reading. Not as a textbook, but as a compelling story to learn from.
Thanks for reading!
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- Following Eduard Nicoara
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