Your stories sound like police reports (here's why)

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Hey friend

Last week, I was reviewing a founder's LinkedIn post about landing his first enterprise client.

Good story. Had structure. Had a lesson.

But something felt... off.

I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first.

Then it hit me.

His mentor sounded exactly like him.

His client sounded exactly like him.

Hell, even his co-founder sounded exactly like him.

Every single person in that story spoke in the same voice.

And that's when I realized...

This is the #1 killer of founder content right now.

So here's the thing:

I believe that 3 things are enough to turn flat stories into content people actually remember.

Because as founders, our stories fail for 3 reasons:

• Everyone sounds the same

• We summarize instead of showing scenes

• We forget people have personalities

And when we fix these 3 things?

Dialogue transforms everything.

I call it the Voice Framework.

Let's break it down.

1. Use Their Actual Words

Most founders write like this:

"My mentor warned me I was making a mistake."

That's a summary.

It's reporting.

You see:

Here's what actually works:

"My mentor leaned back, crossed his arms, and said: 'Stephen, you're about to burn six months of runway chasing the wrong customers. Stop. Now.'"

Feel the difference?

The first one tells me what happened.

The second one? I'm IN the room with you.

The rule is simple: If someone said it, write what they said.

Not your interpretation of what they said.

Don't say: "She expressed concerns about the timeline."

Say: "She said, 'Stephen, we've been burned three times. I need a guarantee this won't take six months.'"

Use their actual words (or as close as you remember them).

That's when stories come alive.

2. Give Each Person Their Own Personality

Your mentor doesn't sound like you.

Your angry client doesn't sound like your excited one.

Your 5-year-old doesn't sound like your business partner.

So stop making everyone speak in the same voice.

Either way...

Here's what I mean:

Bad dialogue: "My co-founder said we needed to reconsider our approach."

Good dialogue: "My co-founder slammed his laptop shut and said, 'Dude, we're building a Lamborghini for people who need a Honda. This is idiotic.'"

Notice the difference?

The second one has personality. Has attitude. Has a specific way of speaking.

The rule: When you write dialogue, hear it in their voice.

Not your voice.

THEIR voice.

Your wife doesn't talk like your accountant. Show that on the page.

3. Go Back-and-Forth At Least 2-3 Times

One quote is interesting.

Three exchanges?

Now we're IN the conversation with you.

Single quote example: "The prospect said, 'We've been burned before.' I tried to address his concerns but he seemed skeptical."

Still reporting, right?

Three-exchange example:

"He said: 'We've been burned by four agencies in two years.'

I said: 'What happened with the last one?'

He leaned forward: 'They promised the world. Delivered garbage. Three months. Forty grand. Nothing to show for it. So yeah, I'm not exactly trusting right now.'"

Now we're there.

We hear the skepticism. We feel the tension. We understand why he's guarded.

The rule: Don't just drop one quote and move on.

Let the conversation breathe.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

That's where the story lives.

In short:

• We use their actual words to create scenes instead of summaries

• We give each person their own personality to make them real

• We go back-and-forth 2-3 times to pull readers into the moment

That's the Voice Framework.

Now look...

I've been testing this on my own content for the past 8 months and it's the single biggest shift that's increased my engagement.

But I'm always refining, so I'll keep you updated if I find better ways to make this work.

(Kind of like how I keep tweaking my newsletter strategy lol)

Either way...

Your turn:

Think of ONE conversation you had.

Client call. Partner disagreement. Kid's bedtime negotiation. Anything.

Hit reply and write it like this:

They said: "..."
I said: "..."
They said: "..."

That's it.

Don't overthink it. Just capture one real exchange using actual words.

I read every reply.

And tomorrow?

I'm featuring one of your stories and breaking down what makes it work.

Look forward to your reply.

Till tomorrow...

From Jamaica,

Stephen

P.S. That founder I mentioned who added dialogue to his story? His post went from 42 likes to 247. Same story. Just gave people voices. I'll teach you the other 6 storytelling secrets this week and next so you can stack these techniques.

P.S.S. If you want my help building your complete storytelling system 1-on-1 (not just dialogue but your entire content engine), reply "STORY" and let me know what kind of business you run. This isn't for beginners it's for founders who already have an audience but struggle to convert through content.

And if you happen to want any help with this...

I'm only a reply away ;)

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