The Most Powerful Blogging Technique There Is

The Most Powerful Blogging Technique There Is

Reader Comments (67)

  1. And there’s another valuable lesson folks. If you don’t spell everything out, some people won’t get it, no matter how clear you think it is.

  2. euh …
    What the hell is this technique ?
    Let me guess : Is this article using this technique ?
    If yes, the technique is mystery.
    Or is it story telling ?

  3. It’s begin with a story that leaves them wanting more and wanting it now =>

    It’s like the Tasters Choice commercials from the early 90’s

    and yes – if you don’t give them everything all at once you could lose them.

  4. Now, now, Chris… be nice.

    I’m digging that Sesame Street reference, even if it *was* delivered in an Oscar the Grouch fashion. 🙂

  5. I just got bored of reading it after second paragraph (“just get to the point already”). So much for “most powerful”.

  6. Ahhh Joseph… now that was the *truly* subtle point of the ending, and you caught it with no problem.

    Gives me hope! 🙂

  7. Great post!

    At first, I thought the most powerful technique was Shane’s young daughter pouting a bit.

    But when he offered to tell her the bedtime story, that gave it away.

  8. I wonder if we’re seeing a generational divide, those who found the longer, gentle rhythm of the story intriguing and those who found it boring, wanting Brian “to get to the point already.”

    I think stories well-told are always a great technique. Writers, however, may need to make them shorter and snappier for a younger audience who’s used to scanning for “chunks” of relevant information. The only major exception would be when you’re looking to market “information as product.” Then I think longer-form stories, etc. would work fine no matter what the demographic.

    (But I’m just thinking outloud here…)

  9. Thanks for the informative entertaining post. As a newbie blogger, it’s definitely food for thought. Maybe that’s why my god daughter gives me strange looks when I read her stories these days…

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    Hi poor unhappy beauties, my name is Cinderella. If you’re anything like I was, you have tried countless ways to make money in the village, only to come up short time and time again.

    A proven wealth system never before revealed.

    I was in your shoes not long ago, but just a day after putting the One Glass Slipper System into action,

    My wealth increased by 1,000,000%!

    BONUS
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    *How to get rid of wicked stepmothers and ugly stepsisters forever (Value 2000 gold pieces)

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    Are you are ready to live happily ever after? Go to sleep now.

  10. Excellent.

    It’s funny how averse people are to connecting the dots. “We don’t want to think it through, just say it!”

    Cheers for leaving it for the reader to take the step on their own – a powerful technique itself! This stands out as teaching something of real meaning and depth in a web full of bulleted lists.

  11. Roberta, I think you’re right. And a person who really understands how to tell compelling stories with snappy short sentences commented just below you.

    Char, I’m talking about you (and thanks).

    Simon, hilarious!

    Rafi, thanks… that’s a very cool compliment.

  12. I remember telling Liz a story about telling stories and how I’d sold millions of dollars in products using them.

    The one thing I didn’t do was do it this well !

    WOW ! That was great !

  13. Thoughtful post.

    I believe in the power of stories too, I’ve posted a few on my own blog. Including one in May 2006 which I (and Chet Holmes) call the “Core Story” which is all about you and your industry

    Jim

  14. Great post, Brian, as always. I was one of those who didn’t get it. I tried to think it through, thinking that maybe the promise of an exceptional experience was the point you were trying to make.

    I missed the forest for the trees. Makes me wonder what the heck am I doing in marketing.

    Anyone knows of a good de-stupidifying technique?

  15. Brian, I’ve been reading your stuff long enough that I know there is a point that I need to learn from your post if I’ll just keep my brain engaged. As I was reading this one I kept wondering, with all the links why you didn’t link to Shane’s blog? If he’s got it mastered I want to check his stuff out too.

    Then I got to the end. “Oh. Duh.”

    Good job as always.

  16. for what i see,
    it borders on story telling, but what i find interesting is the title

    “The Most Powerful Blogging Technique There Is”

    and what he said
    “What if Daddy tells you the best bedtime story ever to make up for it”

    the most powerful xyz, best xyz
    in other words
    hype ??

    am i on the right track

  17. It seems pretty clear to me that the headline sets up the reader’s frame of mind. “The Most Powerful Blogging Technique There Is” can leads the reader to believe that a definitive technique that is most powerful will be delivered in the post. Maybe just adding the word “storytelling” to the end of the text would have helped those who could not get the gist of the story from the story you told.

    As for me, I like stories.

    Thank you.

  18. Jim, absolutely — core stories are crucial to both businesses and blogs (I formatted the link for you).

    David, your’re not stupid. Some stories connect with people better than others. I wanted this one to be more of a thought exercise, but stories in marketing are generally not supposed to be a puzzle.

    Chris, thanks… I guess if you briefly believed Shane was a real person, that’s a good thing!

    Divyansh, if you think that’s hype, you haven’t see enough hype.

    Jerry, I knew the comments would take care of that. 🙂

  19. Very nice delivery.

    I was like the first few commenters saying, “what? WHAT? what is it!!”

    you had the reader gripping til the very end.

  20. if you don’t have the love of your customers, you have not marketed well

    That presupposes you have customers. And I’d think Shane’s daughter doesn’t make a good analogy to the real world, in that case.

    Storytelling about storytelling; nothing revolutionary there. I did enjoy the links, but think some of your other posts are better (not that one is expected to constantly best themselves).

  21. This really is a well-done post. Thank you.

    I confess I only half-got it. The ending threw me off, because, like Divyansh, I linked the title and the line “best bedtime story ever.” So I was torn — is this about stories and leaving people wanting to hear more? or is this about making big promises with confidence? Yeah, I’m lame — but I’ve only had a couple sips of coffee this morning.

  22. “Shane is like a lot of people these days — sick of the corporate world”brian, this guy chin yew is doing that too,
    sick oc the corparate life, he quit his job, to tell storys, and paint.

    http://30dayartist.com

    nice re-intro-ish post to your blog.

  23. David (Leal), I don’t think it’s because we’re stupid that we don’t get certain things. I think it’s just different people see things differently as in ‘missing the forest’. It’s not because we’re blind, it’s just we’re looking as something else.

    This reminds me of the Mentos commercials. I used to hate them. And once I spoke to a friend who really liked them, he was also always carrying them. I never bought them because I hated the commercials. So we struck up a conversation and I realize different people have different tastes in humor. He liked that sort of humor and appealed to him. Whereas, I didn’t, hence never bought the product.

    I still don’t buy Mentos and not like the commercials but I look at them in a different light now.

  24. After reading most if not all of the comments, I see that the daughter was waiting expectantly to be impressed by her dad, is that the moral of the story, promising something and then
    getting people all worked up by their own
    imaginations?

    Confused but hopeful. I THINK I get it…..

    Lawton

    PS – Brian help me out.

  25. Excellent post, Brian.

    Words such as “tension” and “suspense” are often used to describe writing like this post but it’s really nice to see a blog post illustrate the technique so nicely.

    I see the technique used a lot in news items, but I have to admit, it often gets me skipping paragraphs, only reading the first few words to check if the para will enlighten. I wonder if the method does anything for comprehension?

  26. Another great one, Brian. I admit, I didn’t get it at first. Reading the comments helped me figure it out.

    Even the Son of God was aware of the power of storytelling as He used the technique often. How sad that ministers ignore it and wonder why people don’t get the sermons they preach. 🙁

    Well done, my friend. Keep it up. 🙂

  27. Unbelievable. I guess it is the first time I read more than 50 comments. I was amazed by this technique. As a design – background blogger never paid too much attention to copy.

    I guess I’ll do that from now on.

  28. Great post, Illustrated the use of a story in selling. For me the story was a good one. Different marketers need to use different stories to meet their ends.

  29. This is a good post that really works the brain. The subtle expression got me though, because I didn’t get it until I read the comments. If I understood right the most powerful blogging technique is story telling and the love you have and show for your customer.

  30. Excellent article; in user-centered design, we use ‘scenarios’ to describe how a new software product will make Joe Bloggs’s life wonderfully easy and fun. They’re a great way of getting stakeholder buy in at the highest level, providing they’re not set in a galaxy far far away.

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