← Just One Tip from Your Podcast Performance Coach
Just One Tip from Your Podcast Performance Coach
250 6 Pro Storytelling Tricks That Make Your Podcast More Memorable
00:08:18
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- [00:01]
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Hey podcaster, I'm Tim Wahlberg, your podcast performance coach, with another actionable tip so you can grow your podcast authority, generate leads, and convert with ease. Today's tip is Improve your storytelling, Skyrocket your impact. If you've been podcasting for a while, you've probably heard that you need to tell more stories. Big stories, little stories, quick examples, anything that helps your listener connect and remember what you said. And that is true. There's even neuroscience to back this up. I'll tell you more about that in a minute, but let's get back to the real issue here. Most podcasters don't know how to actually tell a good story without rambling, oversharing, or turning their episode into an open mic night. So here are my top storytelling tips to help you add stories that land and have impact. Tip number one Use the power of the pause. Back in my radio days, I worked with a host who loved to build tension by pausing. He did it all the time, and because I was listening with one ear while prepping something else, those pauses would freak me out. Dead air is the enemy of radio, so every time you would pause for dramatic effect, my whole body would react. I'd bounce from my chair to the console, ready to hit a commercial or bring up a guest or a caller. I thought he had thrown to in a panic, but that was my job. Your listener won't have that kind of reaction, but they will lean in. This beat of silence interrupts the flow and forces them to pay attention. That micro moment gives their brain time to fill in the gap, answer a question, or conjure an image. It creates tension, curiosity, and connection. Now the story is sticky and they are fully engaged. Most podcasters rush. They think their show needs to be wall to wall. Sound Good stories have a pace. Let the story breathe. A pause can sometimes say more than the words around it. Storytelling tip number two Use open loops. This is one of the easiest ways to keep your listener hanging on you. Tease something early and close it later. A moment of curiosity that carries your listener through the episode doesn't have to be dramatic. You you may have noticed that earlier. I mentioned there is neuroscience to back up the power of storytelling. That was an open loop. I'll close it in tip four. So hold on. The point is the open loop piques curiosity and triggers the brain to pay attention. Because our brains hate unfinished business, an open loop in a story opens the door, then delays satisfaction for the listener. A really powerful tool. Tip number three for improving your podcast, use simple examples. Examples can be shortcased Case studies, how you experienced it. Or you can cast the listener as the main character in the example by using the phrase like, this might look like. This might look like struggling to hit record because you overthink your episode. This might look like forgetting who you're talking to halfway through the episode. Instantly relatable, instantly memorable. Examples are stories, so use them often. I love this specific technique so much, I did an entire episode about it. Look for episode 192. I'll link to it in the show notes for you. Okay, tip number four. Theater of the mind. Paint a picture. A quick sensory detail is all it takes. A sound, a smell, the look on someone's face. You don't need long stories. You need vivid ones. Give your listeners something visual to hang the lesson on, and they will remember the lesson far longer. I promised you neuroscience, and here it is. When you discover even a tiny detail that sparks a visual or a feeling, your listener's brain ting. It doesn't treat it like a story. It treats it like an experience. And when emotion is involved, the amygdala steps in to lock the memory down. So instead of just hearing information, they're processing it across multiple parts of the brain. This makes your point stick longer and hit harder. Now, this brings me to a story that I almost never tell. And once you hear it, you'll understand why. But it's almost the perfect example of tip number five. Tip number five for better storytelling. Years ago, when money was tight and I was working in radio. Money is always tight in radio. I decided to get a vasectomy. And because radio does what radio does, I pitched doing a story about it so I could get the procedure for free. So there I was, the most squeamish person on earth. I hate needles. Lying on the table with a microphone while the doctor talked through the snips and the snaps. I recorded the whole thing. Every sound, every reaction, every describing and surprising burning smell. My listeners heard me in a way that they had never heard me before. And you know what happened? They loved it. They connected with me. And that ridiculous, terrifying moment even earned me a number of prestigious awards. The point is, when you share a real moment, your listeners get to know you. And when they know you, they trust you. And when they trust you, you become the person they think of. When it comes time to hire someone or refer someone, you don't need to share your medical records. Just share something human and only share it if it makes sense. Which is our final storytelling tip. Tip number six. Give the story a point or have a point in telling the story. This is the most important rule your story has to connect to your lesson or the point you're trying to get across. If it doesn't serve the listene, it's just noise. You know, like drunk Uncle Ned rambling about his glory days even though the conversation was about potato salad. Don't be Uncle Ned. Your story needs a reason to exist. Think about the stories I've shared in this episode. Each one of them was directly tied to the tip I was explaining and hopefully made it clearer and more memorable. And that's what we want. Serve your listener with stories that aren't just entertaining, they actually help them in some way. So here is your storytelling checklist. Number 1 pause number 2 open loops number 3 use examples. Number 4 create a mental picture with sights and sounds and smells. Number five Share personal moments and number six Tell stories with purpose. When you stack these together, your episodes become more memorable, more engaging, and far more referable.
- [06:56]
And I hope that's just the tip you need. Now hold up one last thing. Great storytelling is the cherry on top of an already intentional podcast. I'm sorry to break it to you, but if your podcast isn't aligned with your business or your goals, you could weave a story better than Shakespeare and you won't see the ROI you're looking for. I'm serious. Knowing who your podcast is for, why you're creating it, and what you want your listener to do as a result of listening is what makes up the whole ice cream sundae. Then you can plop that storytelling cherry on top to improve your ROI even further. Now, if this has you scratching your head, then we need to talk. Book a free private podcast coaching call. Head to my website podcastperformancecoach.com and click the big orange button. Let's get you telling great stories to the right listeners in a way that builds authority while generating leads and sales. Book your free private podcast coaching call by using the link in the show notes or@podcastperformancecoach.com I'm Tim Walbert. See ya.
- [08:13]
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