Stories follow a three-act structure of a beginning, middle, and end to influence attitudes and decisions. Act 1 introduces a problem or challenge. Act 2 involves struggling to solve the challenge. Act 3 resolves the problem by revealing what was learned from the experiences in the first two acts. To create an engaging story, the ups and downs should mirror a rollercoaster, with positive aspects changing to negative to emotionally engage the audience.

1. How to Create Stories for
content marketing
Based on the TEDx talk given by David Sloly

2. Studies in psychology show
stories deeply influence your
attitudes, beliefs and the
decisions you make.

3. If stories influence decision-making,
then you must be interested to know
how stories are created?

4. Stories are journeys formed in
a three-act structure where
the characters, places and
objectives change, but the
structure remains the same.

5. Act 1: Sets out the problem or challenge

6. Act 2: Is where the struggle to solve the
challenge takes place.

7. Act 3: Is the resolve, revealing what you
learnt by going through the experiences
of Act 1 and 2.

8. To help you find the story ask…
Act 1:
• Who is the story is about?
• What is the problem?
• Why the problem came about?
• When it happened?
• Where did it happen?
Act 2
• Describe the Struggle?
• What was done to overcome
• the struggle?
Act 3
What did you learn from the experience?

9. Stories are like rollercoasters, they have
to go ‘up and down’ to be exciting.

10. What goes up, must come down.
What starts out positive, switches to a
negative. What is on, is suddenly off.
The ‘change of state’
will emotionally engage
your audience.

11. Restructure your story in Acts 1 and 2
to give it the rollercoaster treatment.

12. Creating a compelling story will
make your content more engaging.

13. Find out how to apply the power of story
to your content so that it is more
engaging, memorable and persuasive.
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