You Don't Need Clients to Tell Stories

It's easier than you think

Author

Stephen Stanberry
September 28th, 2025

In partnership with

Hey friend!

The most common fear I hear is this:

"I don't have clients yet, so I have no stories, no proof, nothing to post."

Wrong.

You don't need client screenshots to write a story. You need conversations.

DMs.
Emails.
Comments.
Group chats.

If one person asks you a question, others are thinking the same thing. When you write about the conversation, they see themselves in your content.

Here's how to use what I call Community Stories.

I'll use this example I got in a DM last week:

"I'm writing posts but nobody is engaging. Does this mean I should stop?"

Things I keep in mind:

  • Does everyone in my audience have this struggle right now? No, probably not.

  • Is this specific enough to speak to just one person? With the right context and struggle, yes.

Now that we’ve established that, we can use a prompt.

Try this:

"I spoke with a [person type] the other [timeframe]. They were struggling with [specific problem]. Here's what I noticed [context]. Here's what I told them [solution]. Here's why this matters for you [lesson]."

Now I'll plug this in:

"I spoke with a new coach yesterday. She was struggling with zero engagement on her posts..."

I'm going to add context (more depth to bring the story to life). I'm going to add the solution (what's my end goal here? I want to teach and need to bring this back to that).

Turned into:

"I spoke with a new coach yesterday who was frustrated her posts weren't getting any engagement and wondered if she should give up.

When you're creating content in the early days, silence feels like failure. You compare yourself to accounts with big followings and steady engagement. This comparison makes you second-guess every single idea.

Here's what I told her. The lack of likes doesn't mean your content is useless. Your audience is still learning to trust your voice. Keep posting, but share stories that highlight the same struggles your audience mentions in private."

When you turn private doubts into public stories, you prove to your readers you understand them.

Let me give one more example 🤭😎
Fitness coach helping women in their 40s:

"I want to start working out but I don't have time for the gym and I'm too embarrassed to go anyway. What do I do?"

Things I keep in mind:
Does everyone in my audience have this struggle right now? No, probably not.
Is this specific enough to speak to just one person? With the right context and struggle, yes.

Now lets plug it in using the same prompt:

"I spoke with a working mom last week who wanted to start exercising but felt stuck between having no time for the gym and being too embarrassed to go anyway.

When you're in your 40s and haven't worked out in years, everything feels intimidating. You picture young people in perfect workout clothes while you're still figuring out what sports bra to buy. The gym feels like a performance you're not ready for.

Here's what I told her. Start with 10 minutes in your living room. No equipment needed. No audience. Pick three movements you did as a kid: jumping jacks, squats, push-ups against the wall. Do them during your lunch break or while dinner cooks."

When you remove the barriers and meet people where they are, fitness becomes accessible instead of intimidating.

Your living room is your gym. Your schedule is your trainer. Your consistency matters more than your intensity.

Booom!!!!! That’s it

This understanding is what brings clients, not likes.

Happy Sunday and see you tomorrow.

Stephen

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