Let me tell you a story…
The first time my husband and I went to Virginia Beach, it was a totally spur of the moment thing.
No, seriously – we were watching Back to the Beach and I said, “I wonder if the ocean really looks like that or if that’s just a Hollywood set.”
His eyes bulged and he immediately turned to me, “Are you kidding? You’ve never seen the ocean?”
“No – how would I?” At that point, I was only in my early twenties and I had lived in Ohio all of my life. My family had never taken a vacation beyond visiting grandparents in Mississippi.
He attempted to describe it, but then stopped mid-sentence. “Let’s go.”
“Okay. Yeah, let’s go,” I responded.
“I’m not playing. We can go right now.”
“I guess you better start packing.” I called his bluff.
So on a Saturday morning, with no prior planning whatsoever, we loaded up our truck and set out for a 12-14 hour drive to Virginia Beach, VA.
We made it there in the middle of the night. We had no hotel reservations. We slept right there in our truck and woke up just in time to catch the sun rising – it was breath-taking.
Then the car broke down on the way back and we both had to call off of work.
It was the most spontaneous and most fun thing we’ve ever done. Neither of us regret going and to this day, our friends get excited when they hear us tell that story – wishing they could’ve gone with us so badly.
So are you ready to do jump up and do something spontaneous yet? Are you ready to tip-toe across a hot sandy beach lined with beautiful hotels with crystal blue swimming pools? Look at chiseled bodies in skimpy bathing suits? Listen to tantalizing music?
I bet you want to go to Virginia Beach right now, don’t you? If I had an affiliate link for a vacation deal you’d probably be clicking away! (I know I would – I’m in serious need of vacation…)
Why does all this make you want to go on vacation?
Because it’s engaging
It captures the attention from the very beginning. A good story should mesmerize the reader, making it impossible to click away. They have to read on and find out what happened.
An entertaining experience
creates a feeling of well-being, of good times and makes you feel as if you went along with us. Your heart might have even dropped at the thought of our SUV breaking down on a mountianous highway, hundreds of miles away from home or anyone we know.
It inspires action
If you’re the adventurous type, a spontaneous move like this might even inspire you to act. If I’ve thoroughly appealed to your emotions and submersed you in a glimpse of an experience well enough, I might have awakened your desire to want more – the full experience.
Now what if I had started this post off by describing the history of Virginia and had given you a time-share type sales pitch advertising one of VA Beach’s most luxurious hotels, would it have been as effective?
How could you use the art of storytelling to get people to take the actions that you’d like them to, such as subscribing to your feed or newsletter, or following through on the purchase of a product? How could you use storytelling to gain your readers’ undivided attention?
If I gained yours, please take a moment to subscribe to my newsletter 
Kiesha is the author of We Blog Better and Christian Blog: Highly Favored. She’s a technical Writer, former writing instructor, and blogging consultant for small business owners. If you’d like to know more, read her extended bio. Connect with her on Twitter, Google and subscribe to her newsletter for blogging tips & tricks.
Storytelling is great because your readers can relate. Many people go through the same things every day and when you tell a great story, it sometimes helps them to relive something from their past. When you do this they instantly have a connection to you and are captivated.
Mike Roosa´s last [type] ..I’m Baaaack! Almost
Hi Mike!
You’re right, it does create a connection and makes you feel as if you’ve known the person all your life.
Kiesha
Story telling is a key art and great for blogging. It makes the difference. You have written a great engaging story here.
Something you are going to do more of?
Andrew
Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last [type] ..WordPress SEO Plugin: Do We Need Another One?
Hi Andrew!
Thanks for the compliments! Yes, you can find me here every week on Fridays!
Yeah..
Story telling is the Best art of Blogging to keep readers Intact with the website..
Great post !!
Hi Siddhu,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Beautiful example, Kiesha
I luv the art of story telling, and it made my blog at least a trillion times better.
Too many online crusaders write about blogging, and neglect the powerful art of telling a story.
It’s what connects us.
Mars Dorian´s last [type] ..How to Create a Woo-hoo Digital Product That People Luv to Buy!
Hi Mars,
It connects and it helps us to stand out from the crowd – it capitalizes on our uniqueness because no one has our exact same story to tell.
You know what Kiesha, that was truly engaging in a brilliant way. It’s approaching, oh crap it IS past midnight here and I am soo tired but your post engaged me straight away and actually woke me up a bit. Really wel constructed, you have a gift and it came through here -really. Love the way you created a message and a lesson out of a true and awesome story. Thank you for sharing that.
Certainly puts things into perspective – I was born and raised on the beach so could not imagine not knowing what it was like.
Tell your husband ALex thinks he’s a keeper and a true blue champion for reacting how he did to the news.
Alex Whalley´s last [type] ..How to Optimize your site with your Googles on
Yeah, she has had a couple cracker jacks here in a row now…she’s putting together some fantastic stuff. You know what I like the most about her writing style…is the way it always paints a picture in my mind. The breaking down on way home is the icing on the cake. I had to fly to brazil a couple times for biz. One time, after being gone 2 weeks, I landed at the airport, was happily driving back home to see my family and BAM…car broke down. it always seems to happen at worst times, far from home. ugghhh.
thanks Kiesha for sharing!
Hey guys!
I’m glad you enjoyed the post – you’re not gonna get me blushing again this time…
Alex, I’d give my husband your message, but I’m afraid it might go to his head
(just kidding)
Yeah, we blew the engine out on the way down a mountain. Luckily, we were able to keep it driving, but only at about 30 miles an hour – on the Highway! It took us forever to get back and we were so exhausted. But it was an awesome trip.
Hi Kiesha,
I’ve never been to the ocean before, either. Or West Virginia. I’ve done some travelling, but just haven’t made it to either coasts. One of these days…
Storytelling is really important, but I can sometimes get bogged down into revealing too much information and wanting to keep private things private. But, you’ve given a good example of the fine balance.
“So are you ready to do jump up and do something spontaneous yet?” Hell yeah!
Karen
Karen´s last [type] ..Life Is Short, But Not That Short
Hi Karen,
That’s the real reason why people take food to the beach.
I really love Virginia Beach, it’s one of my favorite spots in the world. The ocean waves are really unlike anything you’ve experienced in fresh water and when you lick your lips after getting out of the water – it tastes like bacon
Hey Kiesha,
Thanks for the reminder.
I think I’m going to visit the beach this weekend.
Have a great weekend!
Josh
Josh Garcia´s last [type] ..Free Hidden SEO Marketing Tools That will Give You an Advantage
Hi Josh,
Oooh, it must be nice! What beach you headed to?
Storytelling is awesome because when you try to use definitive features, you put the person into a logical mindset where if they do see a product, they’re going to question if they need it.
However, storytelling is all about emotion. You tell about the first time you smell the ocean, the gulls making noise, the sound of the waves crashing – this brings up so many different senses and emotions.
It makes you crave to experience the same thing. With the affiliate link in the post, people disregard logic and go solely on emotion.
Murlu´s last [type] ..How To Over-Deliver With Every Blog Post
right on Murlu… emotion is huge.
And Kiesha’s stuff touches right to the soul. Good stuff.
Hi Murlu,
Yes, it’s amazing what you can do with words, isn’t it? That ocean smell is something special – it stinks so good! Fishy, but fresh, salty and soothing.
Hi Kiesha,
You really have a gift for storytelling. You completely painted this picture in my mind of your adventure. I felt like I was right there with you.
Thanks for making this point. It’s an area of blogging that I really need to work on and you’ve definitely inspired me to give it a go.
Jazz Salinger´s last [type] ..Learn and Earn – It’s a Marathon Not a Sprint
Hi Jazz,
I definitely encourage you to try – because it so much more fun to write! I enjoyed creating this piece and when you enjoy it in the creation process, your readers enjoy it, too.
Kiesha @ We Blog Better´s last [type] ..Why Blog?
Hey Kiesha,
Nice Post. I really like the idea of story telling. Thanks for sharing this great Post.
Have a great weekend Kiesha.
~Dev
Dev | Technshare´s last [type] ..How to Choose Best affiliate Products And 4 ways to Promote it
Hi Dev!
It was definitely my pleasure!
Kiesha @ We Blog Better´s last [type] ..Why Blog?
You had me at “Let me tell you a story…”
For a few minutes I was right there with you on that mad dash to the ocean. Well done.
We all long for adventure. For deeper emotional resonance.
I learned in public speaking that finding for the perfect words isn’t as important as conveying the right emotions. People want to be moved and what better way than through a story?
Toronto Dentist´s last [type] ..Dental Sins and Dentists to Avoid – Pain Exploiters II
Thanks for sharing! I agree that it is better to convey the right emotion