Three Powerful Story Prompts to Create Captivating Content

INTRO: After generating over a million dollars in sales and selling one of her businesses with a single email, your host, Kathryn Thompson, takes an unconventional approach to marketing and sales. So if you're ready to tap into a more powerful way to be seen, heard, and a sought after entrepreneur in your industry, without having to spend endless hours marketing your business and chasing clients, you're in the right place. Be The Sought After Entrepreneur Podcast is here to help you ditch the cookie cutter, one size fits all approach to marketing and use your unique energy to effortlessly attract the most aligned clients. When you do this. You can spend less time marketing your business and more time doing your soul work and enjoying the richness of your life. Welcome to Be The Sought After Entrepreneur Podcast. And here's your host, Kathryn Thompson.

Kathryn Thompson: Hey, hey, super stoked that you're tuning in to this week's episode. I cannot wait to dive into today's [00:01:00] topic because I want to share with you some story prompts that I believe are going to spark some insight into your business.

Into sharing your story or sharing your perspective in a way that is integral, genuine, and really does speak truth to what it is that you're here to want to share with the world. And I truly believe that story is one of the best ways to form connection when done well. And in my opinion, a lot of marketing that's being done out there is actually creating more separation than it is connection.

Oftentimes it's leading with all of the things that we're doing wrong, or all of the reasons why we're not good enough, or all of the reasons why we have something missing within us, or all of the reasons why so and so is better than us, right? And so I want to really share with you these sort of prompts so that you can start to integrate your own story.

into what it is that you're sharing, but more importantly, [00:02:00] that you're sharing from a place of creating that genuine connection, because your people will naturally see themselves in your story. I believe we need more inspirational, more thought provoking, more sort of insight Being shared from that place of really genuine care and genuine care to really show people that they're not alone, that they're not doing anything wrong, that they're, you know, good enough as is.

They've got everything within them already to create the success. that they desire. And a lot of women that come into my world are very similar to me in a lot of ways. We've got these extremely high standards. We've, you know, we're perfectionist at heart, and we want to get things right. And we want to do right by the people that we support.

But what ends up happening is, is that we never quite measure up to the success or the standards that we're setting for ourselves because it's always just out of reach. There's always some sort of condition [00:03:00] that I'm, I can't be happy yet because I haven't reached X or that was good, but it wasn't the best, right?

We want to be the best at the thing. We've got these really high standards. And so I think that more and more and more of our stories that we share will inspire others in a lot of ways, but they'll see themselves in it. And we'll start to feel less alone in this world, whether you're an entrepreneur, small business, or whatever it might be.

We'll feel less alone in this world of creating a business on our terms, but we'll start to see ourselves in the world. other people and be inspired by it. Because like I said, I think a lot of the stories out there are coming from that place of agitating pain points, of you've got, you're missing the one thing that's holding you back from success.

Everything's holding us back, right? Um, and well, I understand that mindset and things get in the way and we're human and we've got our own tapestry and our own story. I, I really want [00:04:00] to inspire you to create the life and business on your terms, absolutely, but do it in a way that feels, really genuine and feels authentic to you and the seasonal life that you're in, knowing that your seasons of life can change depending on where you're at.

So with that, I want to share some of these story prompts with you that you can then go out and experiment for yourself. I want to keep this short and sweet. So that we can just get to sort of the juice of it, and you can start to apply some of this stuff in your own business, test it out, try it out. And of course, please let me know as you do that.

And so the first story that I think is really inspirational and creates this sort of essence of possibility, but also challenging status quo, challenging the norm, going against conventional norms in a lot of ways, which if you're in my world is like, Something you likely want to do is going against the grain is really telling your [00:05:00] story of, I was once told, right?

I was once told that if I tried to sell my brick and mortar at the height of COVID when brick and mortars were locked down, it would never work. Nobody was buying a store at that time, but I did it anyways. And here's what happened. In two and a half months, I sold my brick and mortar. Brick and Mortar, Posted, and all those sorts of things.

You can see how inspirational that is just in a few sentences, right? It's a, it's a few sentences that say, Hey, most people told me X, Y, and Z, but I went against what they said, and here's what happened. Here's my story, which doesn't play off of the You know, agitating pain points or, you know, I was once here and now I'm here.

It really does showcase sort of this sovereign approach to living my life, but also trusting my own instinct, trusting my intuition and trusting the guidance that I was given that, you know, went against conventional people. [00:06:00] communication, but also really challenged this very uncertain time that we were living in.

That's one prime example of I was told this would never work and I did it anyways type of story. And we see this with a lot of inventors and innovators. Right? That they were maybe told no a hundred times, and they actually tried and told no a hundred times, and yet they kept going, and here's why, and this is what I've learned, right?

Again, really shining a light on that sort of possibility, versus sort of the regs to riches story, or, which is not a bad story to tell. If that's a story you want to, want to tell, it was never one that really felt in alignment with me because I honestly never really felt like I was in sort of that regs to riches environment.

It just was not my lived experience. And this is a thing that I want to really preface because if anything that I'm sharing here, you're like, well, that really wasn't my lived experience, or I never, I haven't really gone against the grain or, you know, then don't apply that [00:07:00] to your life. And I think that's the big key takeaway that I want you to.

To take away from this is that I'm sharing these prompts as sparks as inspiration to sort of get the juices flowing for you to give you some, you know, inspiration, creative inspiration, whatever you want to call it. And what I often find is, is that we're often given these things like, hey, This is a really great prompt, or this is a really great angle you could take, or this is a really great story that you could tell.

And it's like, well, but I don't fit into that. My story doesn't fit that. My story doesn't fit the ranks to riches. And yet that was the story that was taught from many, many gurus to share as part of, you know, marketing and branding and, and all of that and authority building. Right. And if your story doesn't fit into that, then it's like, well, how do I make it my own?

Well, Make it your own, right? I think that that's the, you know, the best thing that I can absolutely say is like, what is stopping you from making it your own? Because I think so [00:08:00] often we get hung up, especially in the creative world, right? When people are giving us prompts and ideas and inspiration, it's like, yeah, but.

Yeah, but that doesn't work for me. Okay, well, what does? Right? It's not about taking what somebody's giving you and putting it on and having to live within this quote unquote story that really isn't true to you. It's about taking what you see and responding to the world around you and making it your own.

We all have a choice. We all have a choice. We can sit in the yeah, but, or we can go yeah, Cool, thanks for that, but I'm going to take some of this and leave the rest. Or, I'm not going to apply any of this, but you've given me a lot of food for thought, and now I feel like really inspired to share my story in this way.

So that's a really great story angle. I was once told X, Y, and Z wouldn't work, but I did it anyways. Or, I was told no X amount of times, and then finally, something worked or [00:09:00] something happened and here's what I learned, right? These are all sorts of things that you can really sort of apply with you and that really does showcase the, what you've learned, but also how you've gone against the grain and challenged the status quo.

Another really cool story that I think is like super powerful to share is all of the actions you did take that didn't result in the outcome that you absolutely wanted and then when you discovered something different. or you decided to try it one more time or whatever it is that you tried, then here's what happened.

And this is, this is how I was able to then create the success, the results, the desired outcome, whatever it might be. And the beautiful thing about that is, is that oftentimes in business and in life, we try a bunch of different things, right? I've done it. Many entrepreneurs have done it. We try all of these things and we figure out what we like and what we don't like.

Maybe we are trying it because we're looking to our mentor and they're, they're guiding us and we don't know any [00:10:00] different or any whatnot and we're willing to experiment and then we realize that, you know, that didn't work or this worked or whatnot. And the beauty of this is to really highlight all of the things you tried.

For example, you know, I cut carbs, I did cardio every single day and I. only lost a few pounds until I tried this, or something like that, or I did this instead, and this is what happened, right? So you're speaking to the thing that most people are probably trying, or what mainstream, again, has convinced us that we need to do in order to lose weight, or in order to drop dress sizes, or whatever it is that you're after, the intention in whatever industry you're in.

You can absolutely apply this. And when we can showcase again, the actions we've actually taken that didn't pan out, we spark curiosity because people then go, so what did you do then? And again, [00:11:00] it's not about following a cookie cutter or formula or anything like that. It's just showcasing that. What is often sold or what is often promised is a cookie cutter, is a one size fits all, and it doesn't work for everybody.

And we are our own unique beings. We have our own tapestry, our own DNA, we have our own life path, we have our own divine timing, and that we can't force that. And so it's about highlighting that we can take all the quote unquote right steps that people are selling us, But it might not always work out the way that we expected or anticipated, and so it's about really trusting our intuition and sort of following that.

And then another really beautiful story angle is I used to believe. I used to believe that I had to show up five days a week on social media to be successful, to be visible, for people to take me seriously. I used to believe that I couldn't swear because people wouldn't take me professionally. I used to [00:12:00] believe that I couldn't integrate my life and business because I see them as separate.

I used to believe that I had to intermittent fast until noon if I wanted to lose weight in my 40s. I mean, I'm just riffing on ideas here, but again, it highlights the belief that one held for years, months, weeks, that wasn't serving them. And it's another beautiful way to showcase that we all have beliefs that drive our life.

And we all have these beliefs that we're either conditioned into, we've developed as a result of lived experience, something that's happened in our life, and beliefs that We have formed based on our current reality, and if we want to change or veer course, what does that sort of look like? And so, again, sharing a belief that you hold or held, and how you've then changed such belief, And what has happened as a result of that is [00:13:00] such an inspirational story because it showcases one change, right?

And that change is possible. It highlights this connection with the reader, or the listener, or the watcher, that they're not the only ones that carry these beliefs that are, you know, driving their actions and their behaviors. When we can relate to somebody, when we can see ourselves in somebody, that forms innate connection.

And I know years ago, Rachel Hollis said something about, um, you know, I don't want to be relatable. And she got a lot of flack on social media. And I, I remember writing a post about this, but I was like, I want to be quote unquote relatable. Now, if you don't want to be, and you want to have a unrelatable.

life, that's absolutely okay. But to me, being in relation with somebody is being relatable to some degree, and I truly believe we're all [00:14:00] connected. What I see in you, likely, is something that you hold within yourself that's similar to something that I hold within my life. There's a reason why we're captivated or drawn to people, whether it be energy, whether it be their values, whether it be what they say, whether it be the messaging, whatever it might be, we're drawn to that person.

And I truly see myself when I come across people and have conversations with people. I truly see parts of myself in them and vice versa, right? And so to me, being in relation is being relatable. And relational with the people that are in our world. And it doesn't mean that we have to be liked by everybody.

It doesn't mean that we have to agree with everybody. It doesn't mean we have to agree with every aspect of somebody's life, lifestyle, business, whatever it might be. But there are. molecules and parts of ourselves that are relational to other people in our world. And so to me, my story and the way that I share my story [00:15:00] and how open and honest and vulnerable and genuine I share it, like I am right now, is that to me is what forms connection.

And when we can use the power of our own story, then that to me is what will pull people in that are so resonant with what it is we're here to share in the season of life that we're here to share. And this may change depending on how you evolve and how you grow. What you once used to believe may no longer be the case.

This also reflects an open mind, right? Again, I don't want you to overthink it, but there is meaning to be made behind the stories that you share. And when we share things that we used to believe no longer, again, that shows an openness. So what tends to happen? Sure, we might piss people off and they go, how can you change?

And I don't even know who you are anymore and whatever. But we're also calling in people who are equally open minded who's like, Oh, interesting. I used to believe [00:16:00] that too, but I didn't want to share it because what if, what if someone in my audience says, I don't know you anymore? Or what if somebody calls you out going, well, I used to.

think you used to believe in this. Now, I don't even know who you are, so I'm not following you, unfollow all of the things. And it just again inspires, one, you to share how you change, evolve, and grow. But two, how open minded you are and how honest you are about the perspective shifts that you may be navigating or sort of going through.

So, Those are three different story examples. Another one, which I've shared, I'm sure on a few different podcasts, is like, what is the thing that you're wanting to say that you're not? And why is that? So the story could literally be, I've been holding something really close to my chest, and I didn't want to share it because of X, Y, Z, the reasons, right, scared of being outcasted, [00:17:00] rejected, scared of what people will think, um, protecting maybe the person in the story that you're sharing.

I don't know, what are all of the reasons why we hold back and not share what it is we truly want to share that's on our heart? And then what is that? Because, again, that shows that you're human, shows that you navigate the same types of fears, the same types of questions, the same types of things that your audience is sort of going through.

Again, it's relational and being relatable. It's like, oh, this person actually is a human. I don't have to have them on a pedestal. Now, of course, in the day of authority building and gurus, we put people on a pedestal, right? We want it to be seen as superior, all knowing. I don't want to be seen as all knowing.

I don't want to be seen as superior. I want to be seen as That I'm navigating the same process, the same earthly plane as everybody else. I go through the same sort of shit. I have [00:18:00] the same sort of fears. I have the same sort of negative self talk that happens, that I'm not all knowing because I'm not.

And that to me is what I want to reflect in my content because to me that's genuine. When somebody is all knowing, And somebody is quote unquote perfect and they're showing this perfect sort of lifestyle. I question that because nobody's perfect. Nobody goes through life with, without obstacle, without challenge, without fear.

Nobody does, right? We all navigate this in some way, shape, or form. And so I want to see that. And that's what I want to see. I am connected to. I'm not saying everybody is, but that's what I'm connected to. And if I don't see that within your content and I don't see that within your message, and I'm not saying that you need to like air out your dirty laundry.

No, no, no, no, no. But what I am saying is, a story like, I used to believe X, Y, and Z until I did this, or [00:19:00] I was told once that X, Y, and Z wouldn't work. I did it anyways, and here's what happened. Or, um, I thought, or I believed, or I, you know, I tried all of these things and they never worked. And then I did this and this worked, right?

Again, it's showcasing the failure in some degree. It's showcasing the experimentation. It's showcasing that. You know, I'm willing to try and experiment that I'm okay with stepping into the unknown and uncertainty. So again, these are just some of the story angles and the arcs that you can start to use within your.

own story. And maybe from this you're going, cool, I want to try a different story. I want to try a decision I made that ended up resulting in people getting hurt or something and what I regret, you know, decisions I regret. Or maybe it is, you know, um, How I [00:20:00] ended up, like, pivoting away from a life and success I had built, and all of the sort of quote unquote bridges that were burned as a result, and what I've taken away from it.

However you want to tell the stories, you absolutely can tell them however you want, as long as your story fits within that. But I think it's coming back to, how do I want my content to land and resonate with people? What do I want people to say to me? And one of the things that I absolutely wanted my content.

Something that I often hear from people is the groundedness, right? Often people will say to me, I just felt like when I heard you talk and heard you speak, it was authentic and genuine and very grounded, but you also seem very knowledgeable, right? And that's not me tooting my own horn, which I shared on the last episode of like how to build quote unquote authority, it's more on how you show up and how you be and getting really clear on how you want to be perceived.

Now, not everyone's going to get it right. So it's not about [00:21:00] having, you know, every single person telling you this, but it's like, I want to come across as being grounded down to earth, you know, easygoing, open minded. flexible, in integrity, authentic. Like this is how I want to sort of be in what it is I'm sharing.

And so I knew that I had to ditch the script. I had to ditch the cookie cutter. I couldn't follow the step by step processes anymore, even though that's what I had been doing. Because that wasn't working for me, but it wasn't portraying Ultimately, who I am at the core of who I am, and I had to get really, really clear on what was it and what is it that I want to share right now in this moment that maybe I'm not sharing, and how can I share more of that?

How can I bring that more into the conversation? my business into my life and whatnot. I'm going to leave you with the thing that I'm contemplating. The thing that I'm continually contemplating is how can I integrate my life and my [00:22:00] business more succinctly as one? And by that, I mean, I've always sort of looked at business separately to my life.

And if you see brands out there that I won't say they're lifestyle brands, but they are very much integrating their work with their life and now it doesn't mean that they're on social 24 7, doesn't mean that they're sharing everything that's going on in their life. I mean, for example, if traveling is something that you want to do all of the time, you want to spend a lot of your time as a nomad or traveling, and yet you're maybe doing consulting with the local businesses, and they need you to be local for certain periods of time in the year, that wouldn't be a full integration, in my opinion, right?

However, if you were wanting to travel and you had a global brand and you were able to then integrate, I don't know, brand photos or brand images from your travel into the work that you're doing, it was all sort of integrated [00:23:00] seamless. That's what I'm contemplating, like, how can I? integrate more of my life and how I live into the marketing and the sales, right?

Because again, it feels a bit compartmentalized for me. Now, this is just my own truth speaking what I'm sitting in with at the moment. Um, and I wanted to share that with you because that's my contemplation in terms of, you know, My content and the stories that I share and how I share them, like, for example, you know, if I am traveling, or I have day to day stuff going on with friends and family and different things like that, like, how do I integrate that?

Or if I'm somebody who's prioritizing creativity and getting out in nature? and that's part of my life. It's not something that I'm trying to do. It's just something that's been integrated into my way of being. Then how do I integrate that into content? Now, you don't have to do that. If you want to compartmentalize [00:24:00] your business, you absolutely can.

But this is something for me from a fluidity perspective and a, and a, place of ease and creativity and expression. How can my lived experience be more expressed through the work that I do? And that's my contemplation. And again, you might think, no, I'm happy to keep both worlds separate. Then that's totally cool.

That's up to you. Again, you get to create. what it is that you want to create and it's about creating something that's fully in alignment with you. So with that, I hope those different types of stories and ideas have sparked some insight for you. Because like I said, story is one of the most powerful ways that we can form connection with our people and connection to me.

is a gateway to conversation and conversation to me is a gateway to being able to support more people with your work. So with that, I hope this has been super helpful for you. I'd love to hear how it goes if you decide to share some of this stuff and try this out [00:25:00] within your community, um, and just see how it goes.

Cheers. Thanks for listening. We'll see you right back here next time. You can also find us on social media at creativelyowned and online at creativelyowned. com. Until next time, keep showing up as your authentic self.