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- I almost quit storytelling.
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True story, friend!:
I almost quit storytelling.
Completely.
Was about to pivot to writing "How to grow on LinkedIn in 30 days" posts like everyone else.
Here's what happened:
About 12 months ago, I was posting EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
LinkedIn. Threads. You name it.
Sharing stories, lessons, frameworks...
And people were eating it up.
Comments rolling in... "This is gold!" "Saved!" "So relatable!"
My engagement was through the roof.
I felt like I was finally "cracking the code."
But then I'd check my inbox...
And the bank account...
Crickets.
Zero sales.
Not a single person was actually BUYING anything.
So I did what any confused creator would do...
I started doomscrolling through my feeds looking for answers.
And you know what I saw EVERYWHERE?
"How to grow on LinkedIn" "Threads algorithm secrets" "Get 10K followers in 90 days" "The viral post formula"
Post after post after post.
And these posts? They were getting INSANE engagement.
Thousands of likes. Hundreds of comments.
Meanwhile, my storytelling posts about business lessons and human psychology?
Good engagement... but clearly not "viral" enough.
So I started thinking...
"Maybe THIS is what people actually want."
"Maybe if I teach them how to grow on these platforms, THEN they'll buy from me."
"Maybe storytelling is dead and I just haven't realized it yet."
I even started drafting my first "how to grow on LinkedIn" post...
But something felt... off.
Like I was selling out.
Chasing the algorithm instead of serving my audience.
Then one Tuesday afternoon, something clicked.
I was on a call with a potential client who'd been following me for months...
And I asked him: "Why didn't you buy sooner?"
His answer?
"Honestly? I loved your stories, but I didn't know how they'd actually help my BUSINESS. I thought they were just... entertaining."
Wait... what?
I was getting all this engagement...
All these comments about how "relatable" and "inspiring" my stories were...
But I never actually connected the dots for people.
I never showed them how storytelling would put money in their pocket.
Meanwhile, those "how to grow on LinkedIn" posts?
They promised a CLEAR outcome: more followers, more reach, more visibility.
Even if that outcome doesn't actually lead to sales (spoiler: it usually doesn't).
And that's when the truth hit me like a freight train...
The truth that was buried in plain sight the whole time:
Gif by TOWIE on Giph
People don't buy engagement.
They don't buy relatability.
They don't buy "inspiring" stories.
They buy OUTCOMES.
And I was so busy crafting beautiful stories and chasing engagement metrics...
That I forgot to connect those stories to the ONE thing my audience actually cared about:
Results.
Revenue.
Growth.
The "meta" content (how to grow on platforms) was winning because it promised a tangible result.
My storytelling was losing because I made it about the story... not about what the story could DO for them.
Once I figured this out?
Everything changed.
I kept telling stories...
But I started ending every single one with a crystal-clear bridge:
"Here's exactly how this applies to YOUR business." "Here's the revenue this unlocked." "Here's the framework you can steal."
Same stories. Different framing.
And suddenly?
The sales came flooding in.
So here's my question for you:
Are you making the same mistake I was?
Chasing engagement instead of outcomes?
Getting lost in the "meta" (how to grow on platforms) instead of focusing on what actually drives sales?
Reply to this email and tell me:
What's ONE thing you're spending time on that gets engagement... but doesn't move the needle on revenue?
Be honest. No judgment.
I'll reply back with exactly how I'd pivot that to actually drive sales.
Let's fix this together.
Stephen
P.S. - That client who finally bought? He's now one of my biggest advocates. Turns out, people just need to see the bridge between "interesting" and "profitable."
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