From Sympathy Likes to Client Conversions: Crafting Stories That Sell | Ep 7

Every coach on social media has heard the advice "just share your story" - but which stories should you actually tell? Not all stories generate engagement, and even fewer convert followers into paying clients. This episode cuts through the confusion to deliver a clear framework for strategic storytelling that actually grows your coaching business.

Discover why you need both your anchor "founder story" and smaller everyday narratives to build a memorable brand. I explain why repetition isn't annoying but essential branding - people need to see your story at least seven times before it truly sticks! Learn how to create a comprehensive story file with different versions of your key stories for various contexts and platforms.

The visual component of storytelling often gets overlooked, but your photos and videos communicate powerful emotions without requiring lengthy explanations. I break down which story formats work best for different purposes - reels for emotional impact, graphics for clarity, and carousels for step-by-step narratives. Most importantly, you'll learn which stories actually convert clients instead of just generating sympathy likes.

The critical difference between vulnerability and oversharing comes down to a simple question: are you sharing to get support from your audience or to offer support to them? Oversharing serves you; true storytelling serves them. Before hitting post on your next personal story, ask yourself who really benefits. Your audience doesn't need perfection, but they also don't need every detail of your personal diary.

Ready to craft stories that position you as the expert guide who helps clients move from darkness to light? Comment on this episode to learn more about my Signature Style System and transform your social media storytelling from random sharing to strategic client attraction. It's time to make your story the one they remember - the truth that ignites the reason they stay.

Chapters

• 0:00 Which Stories Should You Share?
• 1:35 Making Your Stories Visually Engaging
• 4:07 Stories That Attract Clients
• 6:15 Sharing Stories Without Being Salesy
• 7:42 Vulnerability vs. Oversharing
• 9:01 Connect, Position, Invite

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

If you're a coach on social media, you've probably heard these words Just share your story. And in your head, you thought well, what frigging story should I tell? Should I tell the one about my divorce, how I left my corporate job? Or maybe even that time I cried in the Walmart aisle because I couldn't find what I needed? Which story is the right story to tell on Instagram? And the truth is not all of them need to be told. Not every story gets the likes that you want it to. Not every story is the right story for your business. Today, I'm going to break down what stories you should share, how you should share them and how to make them actually grow your business, and I do this all through my signature style framework. Now I know that we want to make your story the one they remember, so let's go.

Speaker 1: 1:02

Welcome to another episode of the Story Lab. Today, we're talking about what stories you should share, how you should share them, and we're going to actually work on this through my signature style framework. So that's what we're going to look at today. So, number one this is the biggest question I get Do I need one big story like my origin story, my founder story, or can I have a lot of smaller ones and just go with the smaller ones. Do I have to share everything in my life or can I just share bits and pieces? And here's the answer you need both. Your founder story is the anchor. That's what explains why you do what you do and why it matters to your audience. But you also need a bunch of little stories and little lessons and client wins and those moments when you go aha, that's it. But the good news is you can tell your story over and over again. People don't remember it the first time. They remember it once they've seen it repeatedly, usually at least seven times. Make it a reel, make it a graphic, make it a carousel. It a graphic, make it a carousel. Tell it in a podcast. Repetition isn't annoying, it's branding, it's how you get known for something. So share your story. As a matter of fact, I recommend you build a story file and each of your stories try to have each of your main stories that you tell in your business try to have a elevator pitch, a three minute version of it and a keynote version of it, so you can share it in all those different ways whenever the time comes.

Speaker 1: 2:35

All right, so the next question, and this is really about how it looks. So we're going to take a look at the visual of this. How do I make my stories engaging without writing a novel? And this ties into the picture the video You've heard. Picture shares a thousand words. Your picture, or your video, is the story.

Speaker 1: 3:01

So post something like a picture of your old cubicle and your corporate job. That is going to tell a story in and of itself. That's going to tell a story of being trapped, sadness, whatever you want it to tell. Or maybe you can post a screenshot of your first Stripe payment. Your first client paid you. Oh my God, this was amazing for you and all the amazing things. You don't need to tell a 2,000 word story about it. All the emotions, all the connections, that's all in that video or in that photo.

Speaker 1: 3:40

So sharing the visuals matter and, of course, format matters as well. Some stories belong in your reels because you need to get to the emotion. Some can be graphics when clarity matters. Not every story needs to have a long caption. You could even use a carousel format to tell a story. So pick the format that matches the moment and that story that you're sharing so that it works for you All right.

Speaker 1: 4:07

Now this is another big question that I get which stories actually attract clients instead of just getting me sympathy likes? And this is actually a tricky question because it depends on how you're showing up. You see, some stories that make you human actually are going to land that client. Some stories that you wouldn't think would land you a client will help you get a client because they see you as human and they see you as somebody that gets them. So I shared this past week a story about my dog passing and how my um, the dog who survives him, is actually dealing with it and that story I I'm not directly expecting it to get me clients, but that story is something that makes me human and shows me as a human in my content. So that could get me some followers, me a client.

Speaker 1: 5:05

But what you really want to focus on when you're looking to drive the point home for clients, you need to show them the transformation, and this is where I tell you you got to show them the darkness and bring them to the light. It's that darkness and the fact that you understand their darkness, that before and then you can show them that with your service they're going to have light. You're selling happy. That happy is what they want, that happy is what they're after. So that's what's going to convert your clients and that's stuff like what your clients achieve because of you, what they're going to get to because of you. If it's just drama, if it's just the darkness, if it's not showing them how you get to light, they're not going to buy because it looks like you don't know how to get them to that light. Now you can share whatever stories you want, just know that you want to position yourself as the guide to the light, you want to help your audience and you want to show them that you can get them the results they're looking for. Those are the ones that are going to convert the other stories. Sure, you can share them, but they're not going to get you clients, all right.

Speaker 1: 6:15

So the next question is how do I share stories without feeling salesy? And so many people end the story with buy my program. Now, one week left in my program. You don't need to do that. You don't need to say comment yikes, if you're ready to buy, you can just end the story with something simple like if this is where you are, how can I help? You can not end it with a CTA. You could actually just talk about some of the things in your program, tell a story about something in your program and how somebody's winning because of something in your program, or share my new report is out this week. We talk about this, this and this and if you're part of the signature membership, you're going to get this, this and this. That's a soft sell. You're sharing a story but you're not directly pushing them to buy.

Speaker 1: 7:10

There's lots of ways you can do it and then have a system for your stories. Know that you're going to tell different stories and what each of those stories is actually going to accomplish. When you share your founder story, you want to inspire them. When you share a client win, you want to show them that they can get that win from your program. When you share a failure, you're showing that you're human. Have a system so that you're building connection with credibility and, most important, what's the balance between vulnerability and oversharing? So oversharing all right, I'm going to be blunt here.

Speaker 1: 7:45

Oversharing is when the story serves you. If the only purpose of that story is to serve you, you're oversharing, storytelling and connecting. And vulnerability is when you're serving the audience. It's not so you heal. It's so your audience learns. If you're serving you, you're oversharing. But if you're helping your clients, your audience, if you're showing them the next steps, if you're bringing them up, offering them a solution, that's appropriate. That's vulnerability, that's storytelling. Understand that there are two things. If the story serves you, you're probably oversharing. If the story serves you, you're probably oversharing. If the story serves them, you're telling a story. You're being vulnerable. You're reaching your clients.

Speaker 1: 8:33

So, before you hit post, ask yourself am I sharing this to get support from my audience or am I sharing this to offer support to my audience? Your audience doesn't need perfection from you, but they also don't need every detail of your diary. You want to keep some stuff to yourself. You should keep some stuff to yourself. It's normal. So make sure the story serves them. So what story should you share? You should share the stories that connect, the stories that position you as an expert, the stories that invite people in closer. Those stories are the ones that are really powerful.

Speaker 1: 9:15

And if you're ready to start designing your storytelling through the Signature Style System, please reach out to me, comment on this episode and let me know you're interested in taking the next step. I'll help you build your system so your stories actually land with your audience and they don't just get likes, they get you clients. If you enjoyed this episode, please do me a favor. Go to your favorite podcast platform, give us a rating, give us a like, give us a comment, whatever you can do on that platform, make sure you do it and let me know that you enjoyed this episode. Or there's something else you want to hear? Until then, let Make your story the one they remember, the truth that ignites the reason they stay. This is your time, the brighter than ever. You've got something to say.