The 1 thing most get wrong with audience building

To attract the people that fit your ideal client profile (ICP) on social media, you have to create content that resonates with them.

And what’s the singular best way to do that?

Storytelling.

And as I’ve been learning, good storytelling is just talking about transformations.

The character in the story (you) starts in one state, and ends in the opposite.

It’s all about the 5 second transformation in the middle.

Fill in the rest of the story with your character’s intention when starting out (future intended state) and the obstacles along the way to that place.

With this knowledge, you just have to know which transformations to talk about.

Some examples from my life that I talk about:

• Fat kid -> getting in shape and losing 60 lbs

• Journey from engineer -> marketer

• Going from individual contributor -> manager/leader at work

• Single -> married and father at 19

• Dad died -> learned to be my own man

• Employed at 9-5 -> starting my own business

• Good at writing in school but not liking it -> loving writing and realizing I was never “good” at it

Through each of these that you talk about, you have to iterate on: pain you felt, the turning point, the struggle, how you changed, and what you learned.

Basically the Hero's journey each time you post.

But the real trick is that these stories aren’t really about you.

No, you want the reader to see themselves in your story.

You want them to see: the pain THEY felt, the turning point, the struggle, how THEY changed, and what THEY learned.

There is literally no better way to connect with people.

Sharing personal stories, struggles, and transformations establishes a relatable connection with someone even if you’ve never met face-to-face.

In addition to the transformation, it's also important to discuss common emotions and experiences.

Don't just focus on talking about how great you are doing (showing off the Rolex and Lambo) or having a pity party (never plays well, and just makes people resent you).

If you are doing well, share it but talk about the struggles to get there.

If you aren’t doing well, talk about what you’re doing to get out of the hole.

And always talk about the main lessons you learned/are learning along the way:

• Starting point

• Struggles from being there

• The pain you felt

• The turning point

• Struggle to change

• End result

• What you learned

Because not everyone can relate 100% to your particular story, but they can relate to the pain and the struggle.

Anybody can google or ChatGPT, but sharing your stories creates a better connection.

If they connect with you emotionally, they will buy from you before anyone else.

Being authentic and expressing beliefs are key to standing out and building a unique personal brand.

Because it establishes that you are standing for something.

You are drawing a line in the sand and talking about your values with a story.

This is the real way to build connection:

Learn to tell stories.

Cheers,

Swanagan