Tell Stories So Good You Finally Fix Your Retention (Full Course)
An 88-minute masterclass on every layer of social-media storytelling — from 30-second talking-head clips to 30-minute documentary-style videos.
Posted
11 months ago
Duration
Format
Tutorial
educational
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36.7K
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Big Idea
The argument in one line.
Every format of social-media storytelling runs on the same engine: a clear mission, tension built through stakes and setback, and a payoff that closes the loop.
Who This Is For
Read if. Skip if.
READ IF YOU ARE…
You post educational or coaching content and notice that viewers watch once and retain nothing by the next day.
You understand what to teach but struggle to make the lesson feel urgent or personal.
You want to produce short-form challenge videos but have no system for generating story ideas or structuring them.
You are building a YouTube channel and want longer documentary-style videos that grow a loyal audience rather than just chasing views.
SKIP IF…
You are a fiction writer or screenwriter — the frameworks here are optimised for social-media formats, not literary or cinematic narrative.
You already produce structured story content and want only delivery coaching — Module 4 covers it, but the first three modules are where the density lives.
TL;DR
The full version, fast.
The video argues that tips and tactics are forgotten the moment a video ends, but a well-told story creates memory, emotion, and trust all at once. Three learnable structures do most of the work: CAT (Context-Adversity-Takeaway) for talking-head clips, Mission-Progression-Payoff for immersive short- and long-form stories, and PAST (Place-Action-Speech-Thoughts) for zooming into any moment and making it vivid. The final module reframes delivery as a learnable skill built through improv practice, warm-up routines, and choosing a delivery style that feels natural rather than performed.
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Three-step spine; South Park therefore/but test; Jenny Hoyos secret room video breakdown
34:35 – 41:56
09 · Enhance Stories (Four Ss)
Surprise, Stakes, Show, Simplicity; Adley 90% six-second retention; marathon-in-illegal-shoes example
41:56 – 47:14
10 · Find Stories (Short-Form)
Say Yes to Fear, Start a Challenge, Break the Rules; copy-then-personalise permission
47:14 – 50:12
11 · Common Mistakes (Short-Form)
Challenge too big, too much context upfront, scripting before living it, slow pacing (1-3s shot rule)
50:12 – 51:52
12 · Module 3 — Immersive Long-Form Storytelling
Long-form as mini-documentary; weeks or months of production; massive loyalty payoff
51:52 – 1:01:17
13 · Structure Stories (Six-Step Long-Form)
Mission, Context (the why), Complication, Progression, Climax, Resolution; Matt D'Avella caffeine-quit example
1:01:17 – 1:05:54
14 · Enhance Stories (Long-Form)
Raise questions, build contrast, cinematic visuals; Niklas Christl running example
1:05:54 – 1:07:29
15 · Find Stories (Long-Form)
Personal challenges you would do privately — document them; four self-prompts for topic selection
1:07:29 – 1:10:51
16 · Common Mistakes (Long-Form)
Wrong story choice, no contrast, slow editing (watch-without-sound test), trying to do it alone
1:10:51 – 1:11:55
17 · Module 4 — Delivery
Four-years-ago archive footage shows the gap; delivery as learnable skill not personality trait
1:11:55 – 1:14:26
18 · Camera Confidence
30-day unscripted story challenge; film in public; pre-recording warm-up routine
1:14:26 – 1:19:49
19 · Speaking Excellence
Comfort is the foundation skill; improv over polish tricks; 12 free improv games in description
1:19:49 – 1:22:40
20 · Delivery Styles
Six styles: Conversational Friend, Performer, Raw Truth Teller, Charismatic Flirt, Quirky Storyteller, The Guide
1:22:40 – 1:28:13
21 · Common Mistakes (Delivery)
Storytelling voice switch, no vocal variety, trying to impress vs. trying to help
Atomic Insights
Lines worth screenshotting.
A story told in 60 seconds will be remembered longer than a 10-tip listicle watched the same day.
Connect every story beat with therefore or but — and then is a sign your story has no tension.
Most viral short-form stories follow the same three-step spine: mission, progression (progress vs setback), payoff.
One creator targets 90% retention in the first six seconds; most channels average 30%.
PAST (Place, Action, Speech, Thoughts) is what separates a vague anecdote from a scene the listener can see.
Unresolved stories often outperform tidy ones because resolution can feel staged.
If your viewer muted the video and still understood what was happening, you are showing; if not, you are just telling.
Writing your script before living the story makes you miss the actual magic — live it first, then write.
Simplicity is not dumbing down; it means anyone at a fifth-grade reading level can follow without effort.
Camera confidence is a nervous-system response that improv practice rewires over 30 days.
Authenticity is not fixed; it is a set of learned behaviors that can be expanded deliberately.
Conversion stories outperform testimonial bullet lists because they have story structure rather than a claim.
A coaching story wraps one lesson inside a real personal moment; without the story, the lesson is forgotten by tomorrow.
Filming in an unusual location (walking, car, park) can add thousands of views to the same script shot in a studio.
The best long-form stories are personal challenges the creator would have done privately anyway.
Trying to impress your audience creates distance; speaking as if helping one specific person removes it.
Takeaway
One spine, four formats, one delivery skill.
WHAT TO LEARN
Every storytelling format that works on social media runs on the same underlying structure, and the differences between formats are mechanical adjustments, not mysteries.
03Structure Stories (CAT/CARD)
Context, adversity, and a single takeaway are enough structure for a 30-90 second talking-head story — adding more lessons dilutes them all.
When your recovery from the adversity is itself interesting or unexpected, add it as a fourth step (Resolution) to get CARD; otherwise leave it out.
04Enhance Stories (PAST)
PAST (Place, Action, Speech, Thoughts) is the zoom-in technique that makes any moment feel real — dialogue and raw internal thoughts are the two most neglected elements.
Sharing the raw, messy version of your thoughts is more compelling than the polished version — audiences recognise the sanitised edition instantly.
05Find Stories (Three Cs)
The three story types that cover every creator need are a coaching story (teaching a lesson), a conversion story (client transformation), and a catalyst story (personal turning point).
A conversion story requires a narrative arc with a before, a turning point, and a transformed after; the story structure is what makes it persuasive, not the result alone.
06Common Mistakes (Talking Head)
Starting 90 seconds in with context (job title, background, past roles) loses the room before the story even begins — drop into the moment as close to the problem as possible.
Over-editing a talking-head story has zero measurable impact on performance; the story itself is the differentiator, not the animations.
08Structure Stories (Mission-Progression-Payoff)
Connect every story beat with therefore or but rather than and then — that one change is the difference between a flat anecdote and a story with momentum.
Short-form stories do not need happy endings; the most powerful endings are sometimes surprising, emotional, or unresolved — closure matters more than triumph.
09Enhance Stories (Four Ss)
The Four Ss — surprise in the first six seconds, clear stakes, showing instead of telling, and fifth-grade readability — separate a watchable short-form story from a viral one.
If a viewer muted the video and still understood what was happening, the visuals are doing real work; if not, the creator is narrating instead of showing.
10Find Stories (Short-Form)
Short-form challenge stories fail most often because the challenge is too big for the format, or the creator scripted everything before living the experience.
Copying a proven challenge concept and putting your own experience through it reduces ideation risk while still delivering original content.
13Structure Stories (Six-Step Long-Form)
Long-form storytelling adds two steps short-form skips: a context beat explaining why the mission matters personally, and a complication that deepens investment before the main tension begins.
Raising unanswered questions throughout a long-form story is what keeps viewers watching 30 minutes in — the audience needs something they are still waiting to find out.
16Common Mistakes (Long-Form)
The watch-without-sound test reveals whether visuals are doing real work or just decorating a narration track — if the video is still exciting on mute, the editing is succeeding.
Producing immersive long-form content without any help turns weeks of effort into a mediocre result that fewer people watch.
18Camera Confidence
Camera confidence is a nervous-system response built through improv — giving unscripted, unprepared speeches on random topics until the body stops treating mistakes as threats.
A pre-recording warm-up routine (physical shake-out, deep breathing, vocal exercises) shifts the nervous system from prep-mode to giving-mode before the camera rolls.
20Delivery Styles
Choosing a delivery style is about experimenting across six styles and picking whichever you can sustain and enjoy, then letting it evolve deliberately.
A soft voice is often not the real you — it is a learned behavior copied from someone else years ago; that does not make it permanent or ideal.
21Common Mistakes (Delivery)
Trying to impress an audience creates psychological distance; speaking as if helping one specific person removes it.
Switching into a performative storytelling voice mid-video creates a tonal break that distances the audience; the story should be told the same way as the rest of the conversation.
Glossary
Terms worth knowing.
CAT structure
A three-part talking-head story framework: Context (time, place, character), Adversity (the problem), and Takeaway (the single lesson). Designed for 30-90 second clips.
CARD structure
An extension of CAT that adds a Resolution step between Adversity and Takeaway, used when the action taken to overcome the problem is itself interesting or unexpected.
PAST framework
A zoom-in technique for vivid storytelling: Place (exact location), Action (what is physically happening), Speech (the exact words spoken), Thoughts (the raw internal monologue).
Mission-Progression-Payoff
The three-act spine for immersive stories. Mission is the challenge stated early; Progression alternates progress and setback connected by therefore/but; Payoff closes the loop.
Therefore/But rhythm
A story-beat test from the South Park writers: each beat should connect to the next with therefore (consequence) or but (complication), never and then. And then signals flat narration.
Four Ss
The four elements of viral short-form stories: Surprise (break expectations in the first six seconds), Stakes (what is at risk), Show rather than tell (visuals carry the emotion), Simplicity (fifth-grade readability).
Coaching story
A personal moment used to make a lesson stick. The lesson is the point; the story is the delivery mechanism that creates memory.
Conversion story
A narrative account of how someone else was helped — with a clear before, the help given, and the transformed after. More persuasive than testimonials because it has story structure.
Catalyst story
The one turning-point story in a creator's life where everything shifted. Told on podcasts, keynotes, or long-form videos; establishes identity and origin.
Improv
Giving a short speech or story on the spot with no script or outline. Used here as the primary training method for camera confidence — teaches the nervous system that mistakes are survivable.
“Great storytellers zoom into the moment. They share the exact words of that frustrated client. They share the look of your face at 2AM.”
Explains the helicopter-vs-trench metaphor concisely→ TikTok hook↗ Tweet quote
31:12
“What should happen between every beat is either the word therefore or but. Never and then.”
The South Park writers rule — specific, counterintuitive, instantly actionable→ IG reel cold open↗ Tweet quote
1:24:00
“When something feels strange at first, do not call it inauthentic. Call it what it is: unfamiliar.”
Reframes a common objection with a punchy word swap at the end→ Newsletter pull-quote↗ Tweet quote
1:15:06
“The number one speaking skill is to feel comfortable when speaking in public. When you feel relaxed and grounded, everything will flow naturally.”
Undercuts the typical speaking-advice playbook in one sentence→ TikTok hook↗ Tweet quote
1:26:58
“Shift from how can I impress to how can I help — that is when you automatically become more relatable, more real, and way more impactful.”
Clean, quotable, directly actionable — the closest thing to a thesis statement for the whole course→ IG reel cold open↗ Tweet quote
The Script
Word for word.
Read-along
Don't just watch it. Burn it in.
See every word as it's spoken — crank it to 2× and still catch all of it. The same dual-channel trick behind Amazon's Kindle + Audible.
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metaphorstory
Before we begin, this is the most work I've ever put into a single video. I spent over six hundred hours creating it and honestly, I was going to sell it for thousands.
But then I thought, you know what? This is way too good to just share it with a few people. So I decided to give it away all for free.
I hope you enjoy. Module one, talking head storytelling.
Before I share anything, let's look at an example. I used to live in an apartment building here in, you know, in LA. A lot of celebrities and billionaires.
I was the poorest person there. But I, uh, was on a trip, and I came back from a trip driving back into the the valet of my building. And there was a tent in the valet.
And I kind of jokingly said to the valet attendant, someone didn't jump, did they? Kind of like joking. And the guy looked at me with like a serious face like, yeah, it just happened like thirty minutes ago.
I was like, this can't be real. It was like, what? There's billionaires in here.
There's millionaires in here. There's celebrities in here. I was like and I was just thinking, why would someone worth so much money take their life?
And I don't wanna assume what really happened, but it doesn't mean having all the money in the world is gonna solve all your problems, and you're gonna feel like you can love and accept yourself. So like you said, you may learn how to make a lot of money, but if you haven't learned how to heal your relationship with you, then all the money in the world can't save your life.
Did you notice something? The video didn't have any fancy edits, no flashy effects. It was just a real personal moment and what do you learn from it?
Now that's the magic of talking head storytelling.
It's simple, it's human, and it works. You can use that kind of story in a YouTube video, on a podcast, or even at a dinner with friends to make your point more memorable. In this module, you'll learn how to structure these kinds of stories, how to enhance them, how to find them, and then lastly, the biggest mistakes you need to avoid to tell those viral stories.
But let's start with structure stories. Now you may have seen a few story structures before like the hero's journey or the Pixar formula.
Now those structures, yeah, sure. They're great for books, TED Talks, and Hollywood movies, but hey, we're not making here a Hollywood movie. On social media, you don't have the time to take your viewers to through the 17 steps of the hero's journey.
You need something that works for short punchy stories. They're about thirty to ninety seconds long. To do exactly that, I've developed a structure I call c a t or CAT.
CAT stands for context, adversity, and takeaway, but let's break it down. Step one, context. Start your story by setting the scene.
Where and when does it take place? Who's the main character? And what is that main character up to?
In his story, Lewis Howe shares with us that he's in his car driving to the valet of his apartment complex. That's it. Just one or two lines.
Now why does it matter to state those things? Because time, location, and a clear character, they make your story feel real.
It builds trust from the start. If you say something like, oh, well, once upon a time, I was walking through the street. Well, would think that, wait, is this even true?
So state the time, location, and character. But hey, that part?
Keep that part short. The easiest way to lose your viewers attention is to give too much context. You want to go to the good part as fast as possible.
Step two, adversity. This is the heart of your story. Now what went wrong?
What problem showed up? What was so difficult about it? In Lewis Howe's story, the adversity is that this rich guy jumps off this building killing himself, making Lewis question the meaning of money.
Right? Describe what is at stake. Let us feel the pressure, the panic, the voice that is going crazy.
But once you share that, your story isn't done yet because your listeners might still be thinking, okay. This this is cool. Right?
But why are you telling me that? That's when you go into the last step. Step three, takeaway.
This is where you share what you learned. And what's the insight that you got from that moment? The takeaway in Lewis story was simple.
Right? If you haven't worked on yourself, then all the money in the world won't make you happy.
That's a pretty simple insight. Right? One takeaway.
That's all you need. Not three, not five, not 10. When you share too many lessons, your viewers, they won't remember anything.
And also when you share that lesson, don't say the morale of the story is or you should take away. Why not?
Because you just come across as this preacher and no one likes a preacher. Instead say what I learned from that experience is x y and z. That's a little bit softer, more human, and it's much more inviting your audience to reflect with you.
CRT works beautifully for talking head videos. But now that you know the three steps, let's look at another example.
Here's an example from Dan Martell. I had heard that my barber had won the lottery, like, million plus dollars, but he was still cutting my hair. He's cutting my hair.
I said, Phil, can I ask you a question? He said, yeah. I said, did you win the lottery?
Yep, Dan. I won the lottery. I said, is it I don't wanna be rude.
Is it rude for me to ask you, like, then why, like, why are you cutting my hair? Like, like, we don't I don't think you like me that much. And he's like he goes, you know, Dan, if I would've known better, I would've done something different.
I said, what'd you do? He said, well, I got the money, bought myself, my wife, my kids, new cars. I paid off the mortgage.
I brought the whole extended family on this big cruise. And when it was all said and done, million bucks doesn't go that far. And I remember hearing that and realizing that it wasn't even the money.
It was his mindset around the money. He didn't believe he deserved
that million dollars. Mhmm. And when you don't believe you deserve something, you work really hard to get rid of it.
Notice how Dan drops us into the moment and delivers the simple insight. Beautiful. Right?
But you might be wondering, Philip, what about the resolution? Like, shouldn't every story have, a happy ending where the problem is overcome? Well, that's a great question.
Sure. In real life, we often tell stories like this. Well, I had a problem.
I solved it. Everyone was happy, and here's what I learned. But in social media, the best performing stories are often quite different.
They usually go like this. They say, I had this big problem or surprising moment, and here's what I learned from it. That's it.
No resolution. So why is that? Well, because social media favors speed and punch.
The faster you get to the inside, the better. Also, resolution can sometimes feel a little bit flat or cheesy. Right?
If you say, oh, well, then everything worked out perfectly. Well, that can come across a little bit fake. Right?
Like too much of a fairy tale where everything is like beautiful, but that does mean that you should never include a resolution. So when should you include resolution? First, when the action you took is actually pretty interesting or unexpected.
Second, when the outcome is meaningful or inspiring. Or third, when the story just feels incomplete without it. Sure.
If that's the case, simply add a resolution after the adversity so that cat becomes card, like a shopping card that holds together all the awesome ingredients of your story.
And then you just share what you did to overcome that adversity and how the story turned out at the end. Did you double your sales? Did you turn around this difficult relationship?
Or maybe did you quit the job that you hated for all this time? Show the result.
Now here's a great example from Alex Homozi using the full card structure. There was a guy on my team who, uh, he we were getting complaints that he was acting like a dick. And so he had talked to three of the leaders in my company who had had one on ones within him and said, hey, man.
Stop being a dick. He continued to be a dick. And so, uh, they said, Alex, you can talk to him.
And I said, sure. And so when I sat down with him, I said, hey. Um, to be clear, I don't really care what you do.
My goal here is to decrease the likelihood that people complain about you. They keep saying that you're acting like a dick. He's like, yeah.
I know. I'm working on it. I was like, no.
It's fine. I don't care. What are the actions that you take that increase the likelihood they call you a dick?
Number one is that you interrupt them on meetings. Number two is that you say that you know their department better than them. And number whatever.
I had I had my list of things. I was like, so don't do those four things and do this instead. So when this circumstance occurs, do this action instead of this action.
And in the next week, everyone's like, oh my god. It was like night and day. And the thing is is that you have to tell them granularly what to do instead.
You see, both cat and card, they work, but I'd recommend playing a little bit more with cat when you wanna record those first videos
because that structure is usually the structure that lands the best on talking head type of videos. Alright. Now that we've got the structure down, let's move to the next and most fun part, enhance stories.
This is my favorite part. In this section, you'll learn how to take any average moment, even the most boring one, and turn it into an unforgettable story. Let me show you how to do that with a quick example.
Now imagine you're watching a war movie. Not sure if you like this. I actually don't like it, but stick with me.
It opens with this big helicopter shot from above. You see the battlefield from above. You see the tanks rolling in.
You see the soldiers lining up, smoke in the distance. Now, looks cool for about three seconds and then you're like, cool. Okay.
It's nice, but bring me down there. I wanna be part of the action, and that's when the camera zooms in. Now you're in the trenches, bombs exploding, mud flying around.
You see the fear in the soldier's eyes. Now in case you're wondering like how does that even relate to storytelling? Well, most people, they tell their story stuck in that helicopter view.
They say something like, well, I had a problem, and, yeah, then I overcame a problem, and everything was good. That's helicopter view, and it's a terrible story. Great storytellers, they don't do that.
They zoom into the moment. They take us into one specific moment. They share the exact words of that frustrated client.
They share the look of your face at like 2AM, and they share the doubts that were running through your head in that one moment. But the good news is, like, you don't need to be a poet to do that.
You just need a simple framework. I call it PAST or PAST.
It stands for place, action, speech, and thoughts. You can think of it like zooming into the past.
That's maybe how you can remember it. But let's start with the first one, place. In the cat structure, we already talked about the context where we say the time and the place.
Let's go one level deeper. Don't just say the country or the city. Tell us where you are exactly.
Examples, two weeks ago, I'm sitting on my couch in my living room in Chicago, or I'm outside the conference room taking a deep breath. When you tell your audience where you are, a picture starts forming in their heads. They hear living room or conference room and they instantly start imagining.
It doesn't matter if it's their living room or their conference room as long as they can picture something. Sometimes people think that they have to describe the location in great detail like, the conference room had a big wooden table, a shiny whiteboard, and a very modern screen.
Like, please don't do that. Those details can make your story feel staged or fake, and it just wastes time on details that aren't important. Second, actions.
Next, share what is actually happening. What are you or someone else doing in that one specific moment? Are you walking, biking, yelling, screaming?
Whatever it is, describe it. Examples, I'm staring at my laptop hovering over the send button. I'm putting my bags into the security belt at the airport.
These actions make your story feel as if it was unfolding in real time. They give your audience a mental movie to follow along and they add this momentum to your story, but the next technique is actually the one that I use the most. Third, speech.
Now many of your stories will involve more than one character. Maybe a coworker, a client, a family member, a friend, whoever it is. Right?
You can make your story instantly more interesting by sharing what you or that character said in that crucial moment of the story. Now what were the exact words of that moment? Quote that person.
Examples. Instead of saying, oh, my manager was very frustrated. Say, he called me and said, I don't want another update.
I want results. Or instead of saying, oh, my mom really loved the idea, say, she smiled at me and said, wow. That's exactly what I needed.
Thank you so much. See the difference? Dialogue pulls your listener into the scene.
It makes the story feel as if it was unfolding in real time. But don't worry, if you can't remember the exact words from back in the days, don't worry. You can use the words that could have been used in that moment.
And last techniques, thoughts. Now, we have thousands and thousands of thoughts every day.
Our brains, they constantly bounce between fears, hopes, dreams, plans, crazy thoughts. Now to make your story a little bit more interesting, share some of those thoughts.
Ask yourself, what were you or that other character thinking in that crucial moment of that story? Examples, instead of saying, I was nervous about the meeting, say, I thought, oh, please don't ask me any questions. Right?
I don't know the answer to those. Or instead of saying, I was excited, say, I thought this is my moment.
Like this video will blow up my channel. It might seem like a slight difference, but it makes a huge impact to your story. A common mistake is that people share a version of their thoughts that just sounds too professional.
They say something like, I thought this represents a supreme opportunity. Do you actually think like that? I don't know about you, but my thoughts, they don't sound like that.
Right? Most of our thoughts, they sound quite different to that. They're a little bit chaotic, irrational, and sometimes downright neurotic, but those are the exact thoughts that will make your story much more interesting.
So when you share your thoughts, give your audience that raw, messy, or unpolished version of that. But now that we've covered the four elements of a great story, let's look at a real life example to see them in action.
Here's a story from Cody Sanchez. See if you can spot the four elements of past. So place, actions,
speech, and thoughts. I went to a coal mine where I went, uh, let's see, 650 feet down, four miles underground. And going in, I had all these ideas, you guys.
You know? Like, god.
These poor guys. This looks like such hard work. Then the weirdest thing happened.
One of the miners, when I was down there, when I asked him, I said, um, why do you do that? He said, well, my dad did it. I said, alright.
That makes sense. You've fallen in your father's footsteps. And he goes, yeah.
But it's more than that. Let me tell you why. Do you know why I work in the coal mines?
He goes, go stand over there. So I walk over five feet where the machine had just been, and he said, that ground that you're standing on right now, no man has ever stood there before. You know who else can say that?
Astronauts. You go, some people go to the sky, some people go underground. Two different types of explorers.
Now let's break down why this story works so well. First place.
Right away, she gives us a vivid place. We're actually in a coal mine 600 feet below the ground. Pretty visual.
Right? That instantly creates an image in our heads. Second action.
She doesn't stay vague. She describes exactly what's happening. She's walking through the mine, approaching the miner, and asking him some questions.
Now that level of detail makes the moment feel much more real. And then third, speech.
Then comes the miner's voice. She could have easily summarized it, but instead she gave us the exact words of that moment. Now go stand over there.
That ground you're standing on, no man has ever stood there. You know who else can say that? Astronauts.
Boom. That line hits. Right?
And then last technique, thoughts. She also shares her exact thoughts. She says something like, god, these poor guys, this looks like such hard work.
Those thoughts make the story relatable. There you go. This is the past framework in action.
But maybe you're thinking, okay. Structure and elements.
Yeah. Great. But I don't even know what stories to tell.
I'm glad that you brought this up. That's exactly what we'll cover next. Find stories.
This is where most creators get stuck. They get a feeling about how to tell a good story, but they're not sure what story to tell or when to tell it. The good news is that you actually don't need 20 different story types to tell a great story on social media.
In fact, you only need three. I call them the three c's of storytelling. Coaching stories, conversion stories, and catalyst stories.
Once you master these, you always know what story to tell in which moment. But let's break it down. First story type, coaching story.
If you're a business owner or a creator in the educational space, this is the story type that you'll use the most. It's called coaching story. A coaching story is a personal moment that brings you a lesson to life.
Every second video you'll find on YouTube sounds a little bit like this. Here are my five tips to be more productive or here are my three hacks to become a millionaire or here are three signs that he's cheating on you. Now that stuff might have worked back in the days, but today, especially with AI, it's just everywhere and it's so easy to put out content like that.
People hear your tips, maybe even like them, but they just forget about them the moment the video ends. If you want your insight to stick, wrap it into a story. A real moment that makes the lesson click.
Let me show you an example. In one of my videos, I shared a tip to put yourself in embarrassing situations to feel more confident, but instead of just saying that, I told a story. I'm on this crowded train thinking, I don't wanna do this, but I stand up and say, excuse me.
Can I have your attention, please? People look like confused. What does he want?
I wanna sing a song for you. You should know, I cannot sing. I'm a terrible singer, but I go for it anyway.
It's awful. People look away thinking, what is this craziness? One guy puts his headphones on mid song.
Three minutes of pure pain for them and for me. After that, finish, sit down and take a deep breath. Later that day, I'm walking onto the red carpet to give my first ever Tatar.
And you know what? I'm surprisingly calm. And why?
Because I just sang Reggaeton in a freaking train. That's way worse than speaking in front of people who actually want to hear me. So I guess if you've got something scary coming up, maybe meeting, an interview, or a speech, embarrass yourself on purpose beforehand.
Now imagine I just shared that tip without the story. Maybe you would find it interesting, but you'd forget about it tomorrow. But because I tied it into that story, you probably remember that story for the rest of your life.
That's the power of coaching stories. So how do you find yours? It's actually pretty simple.
Just ask yourself, what's the one lesson you want to teach? And then when did you learn that lesson? Did you mess it up and you had to learn it the hard way?
Or maybe did someone else mess it up or struggle, and you saw this and you learned from that? Find this one moment. That's your coaching story.
But let's now move to the second story type, conversion stories. Those stories aren't always the stories that go viral, but they are the ones that convert.
They turn cold viewers into fans, newsletter subscribers, and at the end also paying customers. So what is a conversion story? It's a story how you help someone else succeed.
It's not just testimonials, it's not this bullet list of results, but it's an actual story. Someone had a problem and then they ask you for help, and as a result of that, their life got 10 times better.
But let me give you a quick example from a friend of mine who's a coach. So Len came to me around three months ago with a problem that I hear from most
highly talented, skillful coaches. I remember him saying to me, Joel, I know I'm good at what I do.
I get my clients insane results. I get word-of-mouth, but my business is on a knife edge.
One month, clients are rolling in, $10,000 a month.
The next nothing, $1.02, 3,000 if I'm lucky. And he was relying solely on word-of-mouth and what I call the post and praise strategy.
He was jumping from one tactic to the next and what he forgot really was who he was. And that's what I helped him with.
I got him back to his essence and helped him trust his intuition and helped him remember that he was the scarce resource, not his clients, him.
And when he embodied this conviction, this belief, and acted from the end, Clients naturally came to him because they wanted to be around him.
And this is something I say to my clients often, the most profitable thing you can do is become energetically attractive and that's exactly what we did with Len, and he saw back to back twenty k months in his first two k two months with me.
Did you see? This is obviously much better than just sharing a quick testimonial.
So how do you find your conversion story? Well, think of someone you helped, someone who gave you great feedback, someone who said, ah, thank you so much. This changed my life, and then just rebuild their journey.
Now, what were they struggling before meeting you? How did you help? And then what changed after?
How was their life transformed? That's your conversion story. But just to be clear, don't need hundreds of those.
If you just have a few solid ones, that's usually enough. Those stories are perfect for landing pages, sales calls, webinars, or email sequences.
But there's one final story that you can't miss. Third story type, catalyst stories. Every creator or business owner I know, they have this.
The one moment that changed everything. They were living their normal life, but then boom, something happened. Something clicked.
Something opened. Something made them see the world in a completely different way. That's a catalyst story.
But let me give you an example when I shared a catalyst story in a podcast. For me, it started mostly when I, um, when I lost my previous job. Back then, I was a product manager at Uber.
I lost my job during COVID. And, actually, on the same day that I lost my job, I was in my living room scrolling, like, through random animal videos just trying to distract myself.
And at this one point, I this ad pops up. I'm usually like, I hate those ads. Right?
So I just click them away. I never looked them. But somehow, this time, I continue watching the ad.
I'm like, oh, this is fascinating. And I watched through the entire ad, but it was a twenty seven minute ad. After that, I thought, like, how how on earth did that happen?
So I rewatched it. The ad was by a guy called Scott Harrison, who's the founder of charity water, this nonprofit in The US.
And that guy was just an incredible storyteller. Just a story, story, story. When I saw this, I thought, wow.
This is a superpower. Like, I I need to learn this, and that's when I really got excited in that topic. See?
I could have just said, oh, I got laid off and then I started my business, But instead, I had to zoom into one specific moment. So how do you find your catalyst story? Now think back to the big turning points in your life.
The moment where everything shifted. When you quit something, when you started something new, or when you took that big leap. And then just ask yourself, what was life before that moment?
What happened in that moment? And then what shifted after? That is your catalyst story.
Now you can share those stories on social media or when you have a little bit more time on a podcast, during a keynote, or also in a longer YouTube video. So these are the three c's every creator should master. Coaching stories, conversion stories, and catalyst stories.
Master these and you'll have the perfect story for every situation. But now that you know how to structure, enhance, and find powerful stories, let me give you a few final tips when it comes to talking head videos, and let's talk about the most common mistakes. By now, I've studied thousands of talking head videos and there are four mistakes that keep showing up way too often.
I'm gonna show you what they are and how to fix them. First mistake, starting too slow. This summer, I was running a storytelling workshop for this big tech company.
And at this one point, this guy stood up and shared a story, and I started to glance at the timer. Ten seconds in, he was talking about his job title.
Thirty seconds in, where he grew up. Sixty seconds in, listing all the past responsibilities. At ninety three seconds, he finally got into the story.
I looked around the room. Every single person had completely checked out, and the wild thing was that once he actually got into a story, it was actually not even that bad, but by then, it was just too late. Afterwards, I pulled him aside and I said, hey.
Um, I really liked your story. Such a shame that you lost everyone before you even started. He laughed and he asked, okay.
Yeah. Yeah. I get this, but how should I start?
Now here's what I told him. Remove most of the context and start as close to the challenge as possible.
Drop us right into the moment before something goes wrong near the chaos. That's what keeps people listening. Second mistake, making it too complex.
If you're writing novel, sure, go wild. Multiple characters, complex arcs, plot twists, but for sure, talking at stories, don't do that.
It's too much. No one's following a story with six characters, three timelines, and multiple twists in a sixty second story. So instead, keep it simple.
One problem, one or two characters, one clear moment, and then one lesson. That's more than enough.
Third mistake, filming in a safe spot. Now I ran a bunch of tests on TikTok.
Same script, same delivery, but one version was filmed in a studio, and the other one was me walking down the street. Which one do you think got more views? The walking down the street got 3,000 more views than the other one.
And why is that? Because it broke the pattern. People are used to the standard setup.
That's the recording studio like this one here, your living room, and your office. But when something moves or looks different, people get curious. So try to change your environment once in a while.
Maybe shoot from your balcony or in a park or on a walk or even in your car. Car videos work weirdly well. Just look at the lawyer Jefferson Fisher.
His entire channel is filmed in his car and it has blown up. And last mistake, wasting too much time on editing.
No way too many creators spend hours and hours adding flashy edits to talking head videos. Crazy animations, b roll sound effects, but here's the truth, none of this matters if the story is not wow.
In fact, I tested it a couple of times. Same video, but two different versions. One was packed with edits.
The other one, just few basic cuts and captions. Oh, there was zero difference in performance, and if you look at some of the best creators out there like Dan Martel or Alex Hormozi, some of their best performing talking head stories, they have absolutely minimal editing. So what I would recommend is to do the same.
Sure. Cut the dead space and the filler words, maybe add subtitles, and maybe add some light music if you want to.
Alright. That's it for talking head storytelling. If you're just starting out, I'd suggest to begin with those types of stories.
These stories, they take very little work, and they can help you really stand out on social media. But I'm also mindful that those types of stories, they are not necessarily the ones that will help you immediately go viral. If that's your goal, you may want to master the next style of storytelling.
That one takes a bit more effort, but also has this huge potential. Module two, immersive short form storytelling.
Now we're talking about short form stories where you bring people along on a life journey. You don't just say, oh, look. Here's what happened.
Instead, you say, hey. Here's what I'm trying to do. Come along on this journey.
But let's look at an example from Ryan Trahan. His video got more than a 180,000,000
views on YouTube. I've always wondered if I could draw a random person and then find them in real life. This is the guy I drew.
This looks like a sketch you'd see on the news of a criminal, but I'm gonna go find this man. You guys seen this guy? I just drew him.
I'm trying to find him. Right up the road, he's there. He's there.
He's there. There's no way he actually saw this guy. No?
No. That's not him. Hey.
Have y'all seen this guy walking around here? No. No.
Just as I was losing hope, I found this dude. Wait. Is this him?
Hey. Excuse me? Are you that's not you, is it?
No. He had the beard, he had the hat, he had the good looks, but he had on sunglasses. And then, a few minutes later, this happened.
Dude, that is him. That is 100% him. Excuse me?
Is this you? What?
Now, did you notice the difference versus Talking Head? These stories use voice over, sharp edits and reactions. But more importantly, they pull the viewer into the moment.
They make us feel as if we were part of the story. In this module, I'll show you how to master immersive short form storytelling.
And just like before, we'll cover how to structure them, how to enhance them, and how to find your story. Let's start with structure stories.
I spent two, four weeks analyzing the most viral short form stories on YouTube, TikTok, on Instagram. I watched hundreds of videos from creators like Jenny Hoyer, Ryan Trahan, or Eric, and here's what I realized.
Almost every single viral story followed the same three step structure. Mission, progression, and payoff.
And once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you start using it, your stories will be 10 times more captivating. But let me break it down so that you can start using it right away.
Step one, mission. Now the first few seconds are fundamental. If you don't hook people fast, they scroll.
That's why the most viral short form stories, they start with a clear mission, a challenge, a goal, or a problem that you're trying to solve. Something that makes your viewers think, wait a second.
Will this actually work? Do you remember Ryan Trane's video? His mission was pretty clear.
He said, hey. I'm gonna draw a picture of a random guy, and then I'm gonna find that person in real life. Pretty simple.
Right? But also so so real, so intriguing. So, yeah, maybe your mission might be, I tried David Goggins morning routine for just a day or I signed up for a stand up comedy course with zero experience or I spent twenty four hours making the perfect cheesecake.
Do you see those missions, they spark curiosity. They make you want to see what happens next, but then once you've set that mission, it's time to take us on the full journey. Step two, progression.
This is the middle of your story where you see how the story unfolds as you chase towards that mission. But here's the key.
It's not just a random list of things that you did. It's a back and forth between progress and setback.
Maybe at one point you have a small win, but then again something goes wrong. Then you adjust, something good happens. But then again, another challenge comes in.
That rhythm, that tension, this is what keeps your viewers hooked. But here's how the creators of South Park explain it. We can take these beats, which are basically the beats of your outline.
And if the words and then belong between those beats, you're basically. You got you got something pretty boring.
What should happen between every beat that you've written down is either the word therefore or but. Right?
So so what I'm saying is that you come up with an idea and it's like, okay. This happens. Right?
And then this happens. No.
No. No. It should be this happens and therefore
this happens. But this happens, therefore this happens. In Ryan Train's video, the back and forth looks like this.
At first, he shows this drawing to a stranger who said, oh, yeah. I think this person might be over there. Wow.
There's hope. Right? He wants to find.
But then he realized, no. That's not the person. Then he keeps searching.
He spots someone that looks very close to that person. Again, but again it's not that guy. Do you see how this dance between progress and setback pulls you in?
Now, what kind of setbacks or problems work the best? Honestly, it can be any sort of problem.
It can be physical problems like you got tired, sick or injured or maybe emotional problems where you felt scared, embarrassed or bored or time where you just had way too little time to complete this big task or even people. Right?
Maybe there was someone that's criticized you or someone that started a fight with you. Those problems will make the story much more interesting. So you've shared the mission.
You've taken us through the ups and downs of the story. Well, now it's time to land the plane. Step three, payoff.
The viewer stuck around for one reason. They wanna know how it ends. Did you succeed?
Did you fail? What happened? This is where you close the loop, but your job isn't just to wrap it up, it's to make the story feel worth it.
Now how did Ryan Train do it? He at the end he found this stranger that he drew. Yay.
Big happy ending. Right? But just to be clear, not every single story needs to have a happy ending.
Sometimes the most powerful endings are surprising, emotional, or even a little messy. What matters is that you give your audience this sense of closure, like show the result, share maybe what you learned or reflect
on how it changed you. That's what leaves people satisfied and also wanting to come back for more. Now that you've learned the three step, let's watch another example.
This time from Jenny Hoyos, who's a master of immersive short form storytelling. This video alone got over a 180,000,000 views on YouTube. I'm building a secret room with $0.
There's a whole room in here. What are you doing? You're destroying the house.
What? She can't know I'm turning this hole in the wall into a secret hideout to watch YouTube. And I'm using wrapping paper for the walls because my budget's $0 and we don't have paint.
But at least now, the walls fully come. How about a wrapping paper? It's not a secret if I'm yelling.
And I found items around the house to decorate the room, like a rug, table, pillows, blanket, and my iPad to watch YouTube. We got RGB. I think I just broke it.
And even though I might have stolen them from my parents, they're perfect for my room. But my secret room has a big problem. This is very obvious.
This is not a secret. So I added a secret entrance made from a trash bag so no one can find it. Then I got popcorn to enjoy watching YouTube in secret.
It looks so nice. Right? Did you catch it?
Just three simple steps.
Mission, progression, and payoff. That's it. That's how you build a powerful, immersive short form story.
But now that you know the structure, it's time to explore how we can take those stories to the next level. So let's talk about enhanced stories.
Sure. Structure gets you started. But if you want your story to stick, if you want people to care, if you want your video to go viral, well, you need to spice it up.
And after analyzing hundreds of short form stories, I realized that the most viral stories, they have four distinct elements. I call them the four s's of short form storytelling. Surprise, stakes, show, and simplicity.
Let's start with the first s. Surprise. This summer I interviewed Adley for my YouTube channel.
Now Adley has generated billions of views with her short form content. Very shortly into the interview I asked her, so Adley, what's your secret to going viral?
She said, well, I aim for 90% retention in the first six seconds. Just to let you know, this number, this is wild.
Like most creators, they end up with a 30% retention. That means that only 30% of the people are still around after the first six seconds. So I followed up with her and I asked, uh, okay.
So how do you actually keep people watching in those first six seconds? Her answer, simple.
Break expectations. Now what does she do with that? She means like do something strange, confusing or unexpected.
Something that makes them stop scrolling and think, oh, wait, what's happening there? I need to find out. Now here are a few ways to create that surprise in your story.
Well, one option is you can just use a weird prop like, let's say, you're holding up a banana as a microphone or you can start your story in this very unusual place. Maybe you film it under your blanket, maybe in a shopping cart or maybe going down the elevator or you break the logic in any way. Maybe you tape shoes to your hands or you drill a hole to through this perfectly fine table.
The goal is simple. Create a moment that takes people out of autopilot. But then once you've got their initial attention, you need to make them care about the outcome of your story.
Here's where the next element comes in. Second is stakes. Stakes are what makes a story matter.
They answer the question, what's on the line? What could you gain or lose in that specific situation? Without stakes, your stories feel pretty flat.
But once something is at risk, well, people lean in. They want to see what happens next. Now here are a few simple ways on how to raise stakes in your stories.
One is time pressure. Set a ticking clock. Show us that you have way too little time to complete this big task.
Say things like, hey, I've only got ten minutes to pull this off or fuck, it closes in one hour. I need to make it. And you see time adds urgency and urgency keeps people watching.
Now another way to raise stakes is to share the opportunity. What will happen if things go right? You can say things like, if I pull this off, I might land my dream client or if I succeed, she might say yes.
Big rewards make your audience root for you. And another way to raise stakes is to share the risk. Now what could go wrong?
What could you mess up? You can say things like, if I fail, like I will lose all of my savings or if that flops, I look like a complete idiot in front of 200 people.
That fear of failure pulls people in much more than the hope of success. But you don't have to say the stakes out loud. You can sometimes even just show them through your tone, your pace, your expression or even the music.
That brings me to the next element. The third s show don't tell.
One of the biggest mistakes in short form stories is over explaining. Hey everyone, today I'm going to try out the David Goggins morning routine and you say that while you're sitting here at your desk.
Don't do this, you'll lose people within a second. Instead just show it. Maybe open with a shot where you're crawling over the floor drenched in sweat, then overlay a title that says, trying Gorgon's painful morning routine.
In one second, we are pulled in. No need to explain, we feel it and the same goes for emotions. Don't just say, oh, I was very nervous.
Show your hands shaking in that one moment. Maybe your voice is crackling a little bit or your eyes just pacing around the room very nervously. Here's a simple check.
If your viewer muted your video, would they still understand what's happening? If yes, you're showing.
If no, well, then you're just telling. Great short form stories, they often don't need any sound at all because the visuals do the heavy lifting. And when the visuals and the voice work together, wow, that's when your story becomes unforgettable.
And then the last s, simplicity. Hey, because you watched this video, you're probably smarter than the average.
Maybe you know how to speak very sophisticated, but here's the truth, complexity kills any story.
Your goal isn't to sound clever, it's to be understood by as many people as possible. Think about your audience. Many people don't speak English as their first language.
Some are watching this maybe half asleep at home at midnight, and most of them are scrolling through it very fast with very low attention. If your language is in any way confusing, well, they just scroll right past it.
So simplify. Every word should be easy to understand, crafted so that it can be understood by someone who's in fifth grade. Yes.
Someone that is 10 years old or even lower than that. Now there are tons of free readability tools out there. What I usually do is once I've written my first draft, I then paste it into one of those readability tools or AI and then I ask it, what grade level is that?
If it tells me this is grade level seven or nine, fuck, I know that I need to simplify it a lot. If it tells me it's grade level four or five, now we're talking.
Now I know it has the right language for any audience because when more people get it, well more people will watch it and more people will share it. So now that you know the four elements of great short form storytelling.
Let's look at another example. As you watch, see if you can spot the four s's. So how the storyteller surprises you, how he raises the stakes, how he shows and doesn't tell, and how simple his language is.
Today, I'm running a marathon in illegal shoes. Shoes so fast that you could get disqualified
from a race. Today, I'm gonna see if they actually work. My goal is to run an average pace of six minutes and fifty seconds, which less than 5% of men can actually run, putting me in the elite category.
My first mile was freaky fast. These shoes are like rocket ships on my feet. By mile five, I was running faster than I could imagine, which makes me think that I might set a new world record.
By mile 20, every single muscle in my body was screaming for me to stop. These shoes just wouldn't let me quit. And before I knew it, I was approaching the finish line.
To see what my final time was, go watch the full video. Now did you catch them? First, surprise.
He's running a marathon in illegal shoes. Now that instantly grabs our attention. Now I have never heard of that before, and I wanna see how this turns out.
Second, stakes. If he get caught, well, he could be disqualified from the race. There is some real tension.
And then third, show don't tell. He doesn't just talk about, oh, this is what I'm about to do.
Instead, he shows us. We actually run the marathon with him.
And last simplicity. I actually ran the transcript through a readability tool. It's written so that a fifth grader could understand.
Super easy. So now that you know how a great short form story looks like, let's talk about how to know which stories to tell. So let's go into find stories.
That is the part that I struggled with the most. When I started looking into this type of storytelling, I'd look at creators like Mr. Bees, Ryan Trayton or Jenny Hoyers and I think, fuck.
Right? Do we need to rent now a private island to have a good video? How the hell am I supposed to come up with ideas like that?
It just felt so overwhelming. But now after analyzing hundreds of short form stories, something clicked.
It's actually much simpler than it looks. Let me show you three simple ways to come up with viral short form stories. Let's start with the first one.
Say yes to fear. Here's what happened to me this week. I hopped on a call with a friend from Brazil, and he said like, oh, Felipe.
I have a millionaire mastermind coming up. Do you wanna give a workshop for them?
I said, uh, yeah. Sure. I can do that.
But then he said, well, there there is one thing. It's in Portuguese. And I thought, Portuguese?
Fuck. Right? I haven't spoken Portuguese in years.
But I said, yes. And I thought, if that thing scares me, well, that's gonna be a great story. So I documented the whole thing, the nerves, the doubts, the outcome at the end, and it became a video.
And you can do the same. Every week, something awkward or scary pops up. Maybe a task you've been putting off, a conversation you've been avoiding, or that one post that you know it's the right decision, but you haven't put it out there yet.
If that thing makes you nervous, it's probably a very relatable story, and that's exactly what makes it super powerful. But there's another way to come up with these types of stories. Second, start a challenge.
If you're watching this course, I can already tell like you care about improving yourself. Right now, it might be storytelling, but I bet that's not the only thing. You probably read books, you try new habits, you experiment with new routines, and usually we we do that stuff just for ourselves, which is good.
Right? But here's the shift. Next time you try something new, document it.
For example, a month ago, a friend told me that apparently it's healthy to fast for three days every quarter. And when I heard about that, I thought, that sounds interesting.
Pretty intense, I'd be keen to try it out. But instead of keeping it private, I then turned it into a story.
So I said, I tried going without food for three days. Boom. Simple but real.
And it's actually way more inspiring than just journaling about it. So if you ever think, hey, I wanna try this routine or I want to push myself a little or oh, yeah, I wanna test this new idea.
Turn it into a challenge. Another way is to use the fame of someone that people are familiar with, like a celebrity, a pop star, or an influencer. You can say for example, I pretended to be Tony Robbins in my next meeting or I tried Gordon Ramsay's three Michelin star restaurant.
Now anyone that is a fan of Tony Robbins or Gordon Ramsay, well, they are more likely to click on your video. But to make it even easier for you, here are some storytelling related challenges you can try today.
Maybe your challenge can be, I started every conversation today with this story, or I shared my most embarrassing story with a stranger, or I asked a stranger to rate my story, or I filmed a story in my bathroom. Now those are just some ideas to get you started.
That's how your personal growth becomes your content. But there's one last way to find those types of stories and that is break the rules. Now in every society industry or niche, there are certain spoken or unspoken rules.
There are clear guideline on what's normal, what's professional, or what you're supposed to do.
Now you can use those in your favor to create content. Some of the best short form stories, they intentionally break the rules.
They do the complete opposite of what is expected or accepted. Here's some examples. Now a common guideline is to always film in a quiet professional setting.
Well, then your story could be, I recorded my webinar while riding a scooter.
Or another norm is, oh, you shall never talk to strangers in the street. Well, your story could be, I said hi to every stranger I pass today. Or let's say everyone tells you, well, keep it professional on LinkedIn.
Well, your story could be, I posted the most vulnerable story of my life on LinkedIn. Now these stories work because they break expectations.
They make people think, oh, wait a second. You did what? And that curiosity, that puts people in.
So the next time you hear advice that starts with, you should always ask yourself, what if I tried the opposite?
That's where great stories are hiding. Now I hope this makes things a little bit clearer, but in case you're feeling overwhelmed, here's one last reminder. You don't need to reinvent the wheel.
You don't need to be original in order to be successful. If you see a video or a challenge that performs well for others, well, just copy it. Right?
Sure. Not word for word, but just take that core idea and make it your own. If someone shares for example a story with, I stayed in the cheapest hotel in my city, and you think, oh, wow.
This this sounds like a fun challenge. Great. Try it yourself because your experience will be different.
Your reactions will be different. Great creators, they don't wait for inspiration. They study what works and then they put their own spin on that.
But now that you know how to craft such stories, let me give you some final tips when it comes to immersive short form storytelling.
Let's talk about the most common mistakes. Now there are four common mistakes I see all the time in those types of stories, and they're so painful to watch because you can see that a lot of those creators, they put so much time and effort into creating those. So let's break them down.
First mistake, the challenge is too big. If your story is about a thirty day transformation, well, don't try to squeeze it into a sixty second video.
A thirty day challenge is not a short form video. It's a full long form YouTube video. So instead of saying, here's everything I've learned from the past thirty days of meditation, try.
Today, I meditated for three hours straight and this is the weird thing that happened. Pick something that fits the format. Something you can do in just a few minutes, maybe an hour or max a day.
That's all you need. Second mistake, too much context upfront. This one killed stories faster than anything else.
So last week, I was talking to a friend and he invited me to this thing and I wasn't sure but then dude stop.
Your viewers decide within the first few seconds if they wanna stick around. So instead of giving the full backstory start right into the action.
Start with an unexpected situation where there's movement, where something is happening. That grabs attention. Lead with the moment, not the plan.
Third mistake, writing the script too early. A lot of creators make that mistake.
They write down every single detail of the story before they've actually lived that story. But here's the problem, real life rarely follows an outline.
Well, and when you prescript everything, you risk missing the actual magic of the story. You won't be open anymore to all those surprising things that might come up.
So the better way is to live the story first and then write the full script after. So do the challenge.
Sure. Capture the raw moments and then turn it into a story. And last mistake, slow pacing.
Now the number one reason why so many short form stories fail is because the pacing is too slow. Creators hold the same shot for like ten to twenty seconds, but in short form storytelling, pacing is everything.
If you don't keep surprising your viewers with new challenges and new visuals every few seconds, well, you'll just lose them. So my rule of thumb is to change the shot every one to three seconds. I know this is crazy because for a sixty second story, that's maybe 20 to 30 different shots.
And I know it sounds insane, but that will decide if people continue watching or not. Alright. That's it for short form storytelling.
If you want a quick win and this real shot at going viral, short form storytelling is your best bet. But now let's talk about the next level.
There are a couple of creators that just posted a few of those stories and they exploded. Hundreds and thousands of subscribers, millions of views just from a few powerful stories.
Module three, immersive long form storytelling. Welcome to the big leagues. Now this isn't just content.
This is cinema. These ten, twenty, thirty minute stories, they take their viewers on a journey. Think of them as mini documentaries.
Some of them are even better than what you find right now on Netflix, And yes, they do take quite some time and effort to produce. Weeks, sometimes month, but if you do them well, the payoff can be massive. Nothing is more powerful to build a huge base of loyal fans than that.
Just like for the other story types, we'll cover how to structure them, how to enhance them, how to find them, and the biggest mistakes to avoid. Let's start with structure stories. Now here's the good news.
The core structure is similar to the structure of short form storytelling. So there's a mission, progression, and a payoff, but now you wanna go a little bit deeper. So here's the six step story structure that some of the smartest creators use to keep you hooked from start to finish.
Step one, mission. Every great story starts with this mission or goal. Not, hey, here's a video, but instead, hey, I have this big goal.
Come along for a ride. Now that's your mission. Watch how Matt de Valla does it.
I'm gonna quit caffeine for thirty days.
Yeah.
Or check out how I started my video. One month ago, I decided to start the scariest challenge of my life. Speaking on camera without a script for thirty days.
I wanted to see if I could go from feeling awkward to feeling totally confident on camera in just one month. That moment makes you curious.
You immediately think, what's gonna happen? I need to find out, like, did he succeed?
What was the result? So ask yourself, what's the big goal that you're chasing or the problem that you're trying to solve? And then say it early in your video, But once your listeners know your mission, well then give them a reason to care.
Step two, context. Now this is where you answer why that goal matters so much to you. Let your audience know your why.
Make it personal. Here's how Matt de Vella does it. I love the ritual of making a cup every morning.
It grounds me, no pun intended. It fuels my work, and it just tastes really good. So why on earth would I give it up?
That's a good question. While I don't think caffeine is inherently dangerous, I do suspect that after years of consuming it every day, I may have built up a strong dependency. By quitting coffee and all caffeine, including energy drinks, soda, and even chocolate, yes, there are about seventy milligrams of caffeine in a chocolate bar.
I wanted to see if there would be any impact on my sleep, anxiety, overall mood, and most important on my energy levels. He's not just quitting caffeine. He's exploring how it affects his energy,
mood, and even his identity. Or check out what I said in my video on camera confidence. Quick backstory.
I've been making videos for two years. For every single one, I'd write out the exact script and then read it off a teleprompter. Sure, my channel was growing, but the videos, they felt kinda stiff, forced, just not so natural.
But then this morning, I saw a video from this Australian YouTuber, Jack Pigott, and it completely changed my perspective. In the video, he's walking through a shopping mall talking to camera totally unscripted as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
And that video, it got 1,300,000 views.
Dude, this is a superpower. I wanna learn this. Like, can I get as comfortable on camera as that guy?
Or I guess, can I even get so good that I beat Jack? Now the context raises the stakes.
It makes people care. One sentence that I love to say at that part is, I was the type of person who and then you add this very specific but a little bit odd detail.
Let me give you some example. I was the type of person who rehearsed saying hi to the cashier before walking into the supermarket or I was the type of person who locked himself out for like five times in one week. Fuck.
Those tiny details, they make your story feel more real, more relatable. So now we know what you want and why it matters to you. But then it's time to move to the next step.
Step three, plan. Tell us how you plan to reach your goal.
Lay out the exact steps that will help you get there. Check out how Leon Hendrix lays out his plan of cutting down distractions for thirty days. Starting the day with no snoozing, putting the phone away, meditating, a cold shower, no social media distraction.
Eat from one to 6PM, no cheat meals, one hour of podcast a day, tell my grandma I love her, that was a joke, although I should, work out three times a week, no flippy floppy to bim long, if you know what I mean, and at 9PM, wind down. It's clear, it's funny, and it's easy to picture.
Or check out the plan that I laid out in my video. So here's my plan. I'll record one video per day for thirty days.
Each video will be completely unscripted. I'll give myself max thirty seconds to gather my thoughts. Then I post every video on TikTok.
But here's the twist, one take only. No do overs, no editing. If it's messy, I'll still upload it.
Now why is that? Because I don't wanna be the person who needs 20 takes for one video. I wanna build this raw, unshakable camera confidence.
And those types of plans, they make you think, hey, will this actually work? And you'll continue watching until you know the answer. Answer.
But once you've then shared the plan, you wanna go into the heart of the story. Step four, progression. Now here's where your story really begins.
This is where you take us on this journey towards reaching that goal. But here's the key. It's not just this list of random things that you did on the way.
It's this roller coaster of wins and setbacks. So sure, you move a little bit forward, but then something goes wrong.
Then you move a little bit further forward, but again, a challenge comes in. That rhythm is what keeps people watching.
So watch how Mettevella does it. So the first thirty one hours of my caffeine fast went by without incident. I braced for the pain that was headed my way, and it didn't happen until hour thirty two.
I struggled through my work for three hours. It was impossible to concentrate. My head was pulsing.
I felt my veins in my head throbbing. See that? Everything goes well, but then things go wrong.
We can feel his pain and we want to find out how it continues. Look how I did it in my video. So I was just watching Jack Pigott's video again, and I realized like that dude, he's he's in a freaking mall talking in front of strangers.
I realized that I'm here on my couch in the living room. Like, obviously, I'm not gonna grow like this. I gotta get out there.
But at first, I felt so self conscious. I've always judged those people for doing exactly this, like those Gen Z kids filming their boring lives. And now, I was that guy.
But deep down, I knew that there was no way around this. If I wanted to grow, I had to get uncomfortable. That step is about showing this dance between progress and struggle.
So in case you're wondering, like, what kind of struggles? Well, that could be pretty much anything. Can be a physical challenge like an injury, burnout, or illness.
Can be an internal struggle like fear, doubt, or impostor syndrome, or an external problem like maybe a job loss, a rejection, or things falling through. And lastly, even tension with other people like someone doubting you, blocking you, or not supporting you.
The more we feel the tension rise, the more invested we will be to watch until the end. So don't just summarize it. Take us on that roller coaster of emotions.
And that roller coaster goes on until you reach that final peak. Step five, climax. This is the moment your viewers have been waiting for.
The goal, the happy moments, the struggle. Everything has been building up to this one moment. Now we wanna know, hey, did you make it?
Did you finish that race? Did you land that client? Or did you speak on stage?
Here's how I did in my video. Alright. We're in the city center of Amsterdam.
People everywhere. But, yeah, we're going for this. So I don't know whether I wanna do this.
For what felt like hours, I walked through the crowded city center in Amsterdam. No script, no prep, just me speaking off the cuff.
I just did it. I walked through packed Amsterdam City Center speaking on camera for longer than five minutes. Now that stuff just would have never been possible thirty days ago.
This is crazy, like, how much you can advance just in thirty days. This is the moment of transformation. If at the beginning, you were afraid of speaking public, now you love being on stage.
If, let's say, you were hopeless, Now you're excited. What if you felt like this outsider?
Well now you belong to this super cool group of friends. Let your audience see the transformation. This is usually the most emotional moment of the story, but hey, the story is not over yet.
Last step, reflection. So far, the story has been pretty much about yourself. Right?
But in that final step, make it relevant for your audience. So what did you learn from that experience?
What should people take away? What advice would you give to your maybe past self? See how Matt de Valla ends his coffee experiment.
As this thirty day experiment comes to a close, would I do it again? Absolutely not. Definitely not.
While I learned that I don't need coffee, I learned that I really want it. I love it as a part of my day, as a part of my routine. Though, I will say that doing this thirty day detox did allow me to gain a greater appreciation for the beverage that we love so much.
In short, it's it's honest, and grounded,
and that's what you want. Again, your goal isn't here to teach the five things that people should take away. It's to leave them with this one final takeaway.
You might say something like, hey, what I learned from that experience is x y and z or looking back, I would tell myself x y and z.
That's it. So there you have it. The six steps of immersive long form storytelling.
Mission, context, plan, progression, climax, and reflection. Those steps work incredibly well.
But sure, there will be some stories that may not have all of the six steps. Sometimes you may not have a clear plan. That's okay.
Or sometimes maybe you don't have the perfect reflection. That's also okay. Then skip that step, but make sure that there's a clear mission, progression, and payoff.
Those ones are nonnegotiable. Now that we've covered the structure, it's time to explore how can we make these stories even juicier. So let's talk about enhanced stories.
Have you ever clicked on a video and before you knew it, you were like five minutes in and you didn't even plan to watch the video, but someone hooked you. I've had that moment a few times and every time I thought, wow. How did they do that?
And so what I do in those moments, I usually I rewatch the entire video to understand what did they do again and again, and eventually, I started to see a pattern. What I realized is that the best long form stories, they do two things incredibly well.
One, they raise questions and two, they make you care. That's the combo that keeps people watching.
Now, let me show you what they mean and how you can use them in your stories. First ingredient, raise questions.
We are wired to like to solve mysteries. The moment that a question comes in, we're like, I wanna know the answer.
It's like an itch that you need to scratch. This is why crime shows are so freaking popular, and this is why questions are your secret weapon in storytelling. Most long form stories start with one big mission.
Say something like, I tried learning Italian in thirty days. Boom. That instantly raises the big question.
Hey. We actually learned it in thirty days. Now it's a strong hook, but you need more than that to hold someone's attention for ten, twenty, or even thirty minutes.
So what do the smartest creators do? They sprinkle in those mini questions or mini challenges throughout their story. Little cliffhangers that make you think, wait, how's that gonna turn out?
Now here's how that might look. Let's say you start your story with, I tried learning Italian in thirty days.
Then early on, you share that, I know, your tutor sucks. Now, the big question becomes, who? Will you actually find someone better?
Later, you show how you try speaking Italian in this public space, completely bombed. Now, the question becomes, can you overcome that fear of speaking in public?
Then, maybe you miss your flight to Italy. Now the viewers are wondering, hey, will you still make it to into the country? And so once you answer one question, boom, immediately go into the next one.
That's what keeps people glued to the screen. But how do you actually raise questions in your story? Here are five simple ways.
First, introduce new conflict. So once you solve one problem, throw in another one.
Don't let things go too smoothly. Tension comes from the struggle, not from the success. Second, add time pressure.
A ticking clock creates instant urgency. I've got three hours left to pull this off or the deadline is at midnight. I'm nowhere close.
Now the viewer is thinking, will you finish in time? And third, show the risk.
Now tell us what could actually go wrong? What's on the line? What could you lose?
If I fail, I'll lose $5,000 or if I bomb this, I'll embarrass myself in front of 200 people.
Now we're wondering, can you avoid that disaster? And then fourth, show the opportunity.
Now tell us what happens if you succeed? If I nail this, I will land my dream job or if I succeed, I get to perform on one of the biggest stages of my life. And finally, show the impact on others.
That one adds emotional stakes. If I beat my brother's cheesecake, he's got to clean the apartment. If I win that bet, my friend has to post this super embarrassing video.
Now we are curious about how the situation is gonna turn The key is simple. Keep your audience asking, hey. What's gonna happen?
And once they know the answer, hey. Raise a new question. Raising questions is essential in long form storytelling, but there's another ingredient that keeps people hooked.
Second ingredient, make people care. No one is gonna watch you for twenty minutes unless they care about you.
They're not just watching a challenge. They're watching you go through this. So how can you make them care?
By sharing those raw vulnerable and human moments. Were you scared?
You frustrated? Were you embarrassed? Were you proud?
Were you on the verge of breakdown? Whatever it is, let us in. So when something real happens, well, turn on the camera and speak from your heart.
Share how you feel. Let's look at an example. See how Niklas Kristol does it in his video about running a marathon.
My right leg is just starting to hurt a lot. Just this lower part here and the calves.
I don't know why. I'm feeling very weak today, and even, like, five kilometers, I'm struggling.
This sucks, man. It's all kind of crumbling down at the moment. Now, those emotional they create this bond between you and the viewer, and they actually turn those viewers into some of the most loyal fans.
Okay. With the structure and the elements clear, what are the types of stories you can tell? Let's look into fine stories.
Short form stories, they're quick. You can often record and script them in a couple of hours, but long form stories, they're pretty different.
They take their listeners on a full journey, something bigger, something that unfolds over days, weeks, or even months. And that means, yes, they do require much more effort, much more time, and obviously also much more money.
The best stories come from something personal, like a curiosity, a struggle, or that one big goal you've been thinking about for a while.
If for example, you've always wanted to run a marathon, well, maybe that becomes your story. Or if you've struggled with social anxiety for years and years, well then maybe your story is about talking to a stranger every single day. Or I guess if you're fascinated to become the most disciplined person on this planet, well then share a story about you trying to wake up every day at 4AM even though it's very miserable.
The best stories start from a place of struggle. If you're already great at that and you improve a little bit, well, sure. It's it's cool.
But it's not the most interesting story, but if you suck at something and you commit to improving, that's much more interesting. So ask yourself, what's something I've always wanted to try, but I just never got started?
What fear or insecurity do I want to face? What challenge excites me even, I guess, if no one else cares? And what's something that I know it would help me, but I've just been avoiding it for years and years?
If you just answer one of those, you've got your next long form story. But having been in that situation, I know that there are a few things that could go wrong. So let's talk about the most common mistakes.
So let's say you got a cool story. What could get in the way of that story to perform really well? Here are the four biggest mistake that can ruin the best ideas.
First mistake, choosing a story you don't care about. If you pick a challenge that you think will go viral, but you actually don't really care about it, it's going to fall apart.
You'll lose motivation halfway through. You'll rush through the script and the final video will just fall flat. Long form stories take so much effort, So choose something you're genuinely curious about even if no one watches it.
That will show in the final video. Second mistake, not enough contrast. There are too many stories are just one long of this.
I did this and that was great. And then I did this and that was also great. And I did this and that was also incredible.
That's a lousy story. Great stories. They need those ups and downs, moments where you almost gave up, moments where something clicked, show the full range.
Day three, I hate this. I wanna quit. Day seven, oh, wait.
That thing might actually work. Day 10, holy shit. That stuff works.
The more honest contrast you can include, the more people will care. Third mistake, the editing feels too slow. Long form storytelling is not like talking head.
You can't just speak into the camera for minutes and minutes and expect people to stick around. Instead, you need to take people on this cinematic journey, a new visual, a new shot every few seconds. Yes.
This means hundreds and hundreds of shots for, like, a ten minute video, but that's what it takes to produce something great. So how do you know if your editing is actually interesting Well, easy.
Just watch your video without the sound on. If it still feels exciting without the sound, well, then you're good. But let's now talk about the last and biggest mistakes that creators make.
Last mistake, trying to do it all yourself. Talking head, sure. You can do it all by yourself.
Right? Short form, yeah, it takes a little bit more work, but you can also do it by yourself. But immersive long form stories, there are just so much to do by yourself.
So what I'd suggest, get some help. Hire a filmmaker to spend a day with you, and on that day, you can then shoot most of the b roll.
Or if you're short on budget, get a film student to record you, and also find a great editor. Ideally, someone that doesn't need constant input, and maybe even ask someone to coach you on your script. Yes.
That stuff costs money, but it will save you so much time and frustration. Nothing feels worse than spending two or three months in a story and then just to get couple hundreds of views.
I'd much rather invest one to five k and be really proud about that final result. Now that we've covered what this type of storytelling is really about, let me make this clear.
You don't have to make those type of stories in order to succeed on YouTube. There are so many different path on YouTube to grow. You can build a powerful brand just through talking head videos.
You can go viral with short form storytelling. But, yeah, if you feel drawn to this kind of immersive storytelling, if you love to go deeper into filmmaking, then go ahead and try it out.
See how it feels. See if the process excites you. Because, yes, the potential of those types of stories is just massive.
So far, we went deep into the technical details of how to craft that perfect story. But if you don't know how to deliver them, well, nothing of that matters. Right?
So let's make sure that the story sounds as good as it reads. Module four, delivery. This is me four years ago.
Welcome, everyone. My name is Philip Hamm, and I'm the founder of Power of Storytelling. Now high chances you are right now browsing for books, courses, trainers on storytelling.
It's overwhelming. Right?
There's just so many options out there. And I know I had a bit more hair back then.
Actually, a man bun. I know. Very questionable.
Do you know what is even more questionable? That I was actually wearing a bottom up shirt. I know disgusting, but the real issue wasn't even that.
It was that I felt so awkward on camera and the video that you just saw, that's the result of rehearsing a three minute video for a full day. Like, I spent seven hours rehearsing for that and still I looked so fake. I looked so uncomfortable.
Sure. I was smiling, but I was panicking from the inside. That only changed once I started learning a few techniques.
In this module, you'll learn what has helped me the most to improve my delivery. First, speak about camera confidence, then speaking excellence, and lastly, delivery styles.
But let's start with the first one, camera confidence. Last year, a friend called me and said, Philip, this is my year. I'm going all in on YouTube.
I'm gonna post every single week one of those bangers, one of those twenty, thirty minute YouTube videos. He was fired up, and then he said, hey. You got any tips for me?
And I said, yeah. Sure. Send me one of your videos.
I wanna check out your style. Okay?
And he did, and I watched it, and I told him, man, if I were you, I wouldn't record a single long form video right now. You look confused like, dude, why not?
Right? I wanna go big. And I said, because your delivery still looks so robotic.
Look. Hey. I mean this in the kindest way possible, but if you jump now into long form, you just spent hours filming and editing, and still at the end the video will still feel super awkward and stiff.
So I gave him a different challenge, I said, hey, forget the perfect setup. Forget perfection. Just post one short unscripted story every day for thirty days.
Just focus on showing up and try to speak, sure, as naturally as possible, and he did. Within thirty days, he started to sound more natural, look more comfortable, I guess, even enjoy the process. If you see some of his videos today, they feel completely effortless.
So if you're starting out or you still feel a little stiff on camera, I'd recommend to do the same. Record one short story every day for thirty days. No script, no editing, just one real improvised story every single day.
Maybe about a lesson you learned. Now where should you post it? It can be anywhere.
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube. Doesn't matter. In case you're worried that other people see that and think it's a terrible video, well, then just post it somewhere under a different account.
Create a new account on, I don't know, TikTok, and then no one who knows you will actually find this video. And either way, if it's a terrible video, well, then the algorithm won't push it anywhere, so it would just be buried like all the other videos out there.
So, yeah, zero pressure, but then once you start to feel comfortable, well, filming outside right at the park on the street in front of a cafe. Yes, it is much more awkward. There will be some people that will be staring at you, but once you get more comfortable filming in public, well, everything else will feel so easy, like talking to lens at home, piece of cake.
Jumping on this podcast, no problem. So I would say go for it. Try to commit to that for thirty days.
Oh, and if you post on Instagram, well, feel free to tag me. Each week, I'll reshare some of my favorite stories. Now that you know how to become more confident on camera, let me give you also some tips on how to become, say, the most captivating speaker.
So let's talk about speaking excellence. When I started on my speaking journey, did what most people do. I followed the advice of the gurus.
I tried to cut all my filler words, like no, no more m's. I then practiced where to place my hand in this one specific moment. And I also tried to speak with a lower voice to sound more masculine.
But even after doing all of that, obviously, I was still a lousy speaker. In fact, I was even worse than before. I just looked so freaking fake like a total douchebag.
And why? Because those tips that you often hear like raise your arm in this one moment or pause for dramatic effect. Well, those things are cool if you're already an advanced speaker, but if you're just starting out or if you're just an average communicator, it's too much.
There's actually something that is much more important. So what should you focus on instead? The number one speaking skill is to feel comfortable when speaking in public.
That's it. I know it sounds a little bit too easy, but when you feel relaxed and grounded, well, everything will flow naturally. Think about it when you're talking to your best friend about something that you love.
Well, you probably smile, you gesture well, and your voice also becomes alive. You don't try to do those things. They just happen.
It's already within you. So the real challenge is bringing that version of yourself, that relaxed, that expressive one into your public speaking. And the good news is it can be learned, And there is one tool that has helped me more than anything else in this world, improv.
Improv means giving a short speech or telling a story on the spot. No script, no prep, no outline, just you figuring it out as you go. Now here's how it works.
First, you wanna pick some random topic. Something like, should pineapple be on pizza or should school uniforms be mandatory or what's the best way to spend a Sunday?
Then you just set the timer, take your phone, set it on one to two minutes, and then just start talking out loud. Sure. At first, you'll mess up, you will lose your words, you'll say something slightly weird, but that's the whole point because improv teaches your nervous system something powerful.
Hey. It's okay when things go wrong. You realize that, hey, even if I mess up, I'm okay.
I can handle that. The more you improvise, the more relaxed you become on camera, and then everything else just flows. Your gestures will feel more natural.
Your voice will have more variety, and you become the most magnetic version without trying so hard. Oh, and by the way, I created 12 improv games that make it super easy and fun if you wanna get started. They're completely for free, and I'll include the link in the description below.
Look, Improv will turn you into this most magnetic speaker. No doubt. But I guess it takes a little bit of time.
Right? You need to put in some reps to see results. So what if you wanna have a quick confidence boost in the meantime?
Let's say you're recording tomorrow. What can you do in order to show up with your most confident version? But first, think about the last time you recorded a video.
Now what did you do in those, let's say, five minutes before you hit record? I ask this question to a lot of people that I coach, and most of the people answer in the same way. They say something like, oh, yeah.
Uh, I was still reviewing my notes or, um, well, was just setting up the microphone in the in the camera or, oh, yeah. I was still trying to remember what I wanted to say. If I know, this might sound productive, but that's actually a terrible idea.
Now why is that? Because if your mind is still in that prep mode, well, you're likely starting your video with lower energy. Now I know low energy, that sounds a little bit woo woo, but what does it mean?
Well, in those moments, you're distracted, a little bit nervous, and thinking usually about yourself, and we wanna avoid this.
So the better approach is to show up with the highest energy possible, with the energy where you're, like, present, where you're having fun, and where you just wanna give. And so how can you get into that state of high energy? Do a quick warm up routine before your recording.
Let me show you what I do usually before those sessions. First, I shake out my body. Right?
I shake out my arms. I rotate my shoulders. I kick my legs.
I just get as physical as possible. I do this usually for like sixty seconds, maybe two minutes, but it just lets go of the stress. It just resets a little bit the day.
That's the first thing I do. The second one is deep belly breath.
So what I do is usually I take very deep inhales through my belly and exhales through my belly. So it's like I almost feel like the the roots coming through the feet, and that just helps me ground myself and also relax myself a little bit more in the moment.
And third one, I do some vocal exercises. So I usually start with some lip trotes. So and then often go into some vocal sirens like or even some weird stuff where it just move my face like.
All that stuff helps you let go of the stress and the tension that is accumulated everywhere and it gets your voice warmed up. Now I know this is my warm up routine. It works incredibly well for me, and so maybe for you it's singing, maybe for you it's dancing, maybe for you it's meditating.
Pick whatever is your warm up routine, but just the key is do something before the recording to get into the right state. Now so far we've talked about how to feel more comfortable on camera, but there are actually quite a few different ways how you can show up on video. Let's look at them.
Delivery styles. Now after years and years on YouTube, I realized that there is not just one way to speak on camera. Some creators are super calm, some are super loud and dramatic, and some are just raw.
But at the end, all of them can work. The key is to choose a delivery style that works for you. So in this video, I'll walk you through six powerful delivery styles.
So let's find your style. First, the conversational friend. This is the talking to a friend on FaceTime vibe.
It's casual come and it's often filled with little pauses, some side comments. It's a little bit random. So that first insecurity I had with my red face, my main one which always has haunted me was never mine.
You you almost feel like this person just hit record and just started chatting out of nowhere. Right? Second, the performer.
Now that one is more theatrical. Every word is intentional. Every gesture has weight.
And wow, did he do just that with probably some of the most amazing retention hacks I have ever seen. You know, it's almost like they're on stage. Right?
It's more energy, more edits, and also much more punch. Third, the raw truth teller. This one is in your face.
I'm gonna compress thirteen years of brutal business truths and lessons into this one video. The pace is fast, the cuts are sharp, and the delivery pretty bold. Right?
It feels like someone is just shaking you by your shoulder and saying, hey, wake up. Stop being such a pussy. And then fourth, the charismatic flirt.
I like that one. I actually wanna do this more. This one is a bit playful.
It's simple. It's tactical.
It's fast. It's kinda fun. And if you want, you don't even need a sales team.
You can just have people look and buy just like that. That creator feels like they're just having so much fun on camera. They're smiling, joking, and teasing,
even flirting a little bit with the audience. Fifth, the quirky storyteller.
Now that one leans quite into that uniqueness. Greetings from the basic bathroom. Pretty pretty basic.
Yeah. We've got a sink. The tile is nice.
Oh, it's not actually tile. The toilet is it's definitely a toilet. The flush button's got some use, but that's that's a good thing.
It's doing its job well. Overall, pretty fun in here. For sure, it is quite weird.
Often It's a little bit fun, and oftentimes they bring in some, I don't know, weird metaphors or some weird props,
but very entertaining to watch. And lastly, the guide. Now that one is calm,
warm, and inviting. If I only had one piece of advice for someone in their twenties and it had to be as broad as possible to encompass almost any possible goal, what's, like, the one piece of advice that I could give? And I found myself thinking for about five seconds, and then what I said was, you should listen to one audiobook every week for the next year, and if you do that, I guarantee your life will completely change.
You can think of them almost like your favorite
teacher or mentor. They're not there to lecture you or to tell you what to do, but they're there to guide you through your journey. So out of all of them, how do you know which one is the right one for you?
Well, pretty simple. Try them all. Actually, them right now.
I want you to think of one simple tip that you wanna share right now with the world. One tip that, let's say, has made your life a little bit better. Now pause the video and film that exact tip, but in six different styles.
Maybe first you tell this as the conversational friend, then you go into that performer, and then lastly, you tell this as this raw truth teller. And after that, just watch back the video. Which style felt most like you?
Which one did you enjoy the most? Which one felt the most fun? Then, I guess, just pick the one that resonated the most.
That's the style we wanna double down on. And I know there will be some haters saying now, well, that's not your style. That's not authentic.
Anytime that someone tells me, oh, Philip, this is not who you are. This is not authentic. I just shake my head and I tell them, hey, if I'm speaking the same way as I do today in a year from now, I know that I have failed.
The only thing that shows is that I have not grown. Look, the way that I speak today, it's not some deep eternal truth that has to be with me for the rest of my life. No.
It's just this set of learned behaviors. Maybe you speak with a soft voice. Maybe it's because when you were a teenager, you saw your dad speak like that and you copied it and over time it became you.
But that doesn't mean that it's the real you. It's just familiar. So when something feels strange at first, don't call it inauthentic.
Call it what it is, unfamiliar. Because authenticity isn't something that is fixed. It's something that can be built over time.
So I guess if there's a style that excites you, well, try it out. Maybe you love it. But, hey, when it comes to livery, there are few things that I see creators messing up all the time.
So let's talk about the most common mistakes. Here are three big mistakes that can ruin any video. The first one is actually the one that I struggled with the most.
First mistake, using a storytelling voice. For years, I made this mistake. I'd speak just in my normal voice, but the moment I started to share a story, it completely changed how I spoke.
Suddenly, sounded more like a fairy tale uncle. I was like, it was a dark and stormy night, and I, a humble traveler, found myself in an unusual cello. It was weird.
It was theatrical, and worst of all, it created a distance between me and my audience. Now don't get me wrong.
There's nothing inherently wrong with a more performative style, but if that's your choice, well, own that style from the start of the video until the end. What I now do is I try to tell my story the same way as I do the entire conversation, and I actually tell it as if I was talking to my best friend. So really, I picture my best friend in front of me, and I'm just thinking, how would I tell that story to him?
Now would I say there, on that fateful evening, destiny knocked on my door? Of course not. Right?
That would my friend would be like, what the hell? Instead, I say something like, dude, wait till you hear what happened yesterday.
That's much more me. That's much more authentic to me. Second mistake, no variety.
The number one reason people click away is because everything is predictable. I get where this is going, And people click away.
They're like, I have no reason to say. I already know where this is going. The best speakers, they don't do that.
They keep you on your edge throughout the entire video. They constantly change the way they speak to keep things interesting. At one point, maybe they speak super fast, full of energy, but then they slow down to let a point sink.
Sometimes they get super loud, or other times, they get soft and reflective.
And it's not just the way how they speak. They mix up what they say too. Maybe they start with the story, then they're going to matter for, then maybe punchy tip, then maybe some surprising twist.
So keep your audience guessing. Change up your rhythm. Use contrast and add moments that feel a little bit different because variety is what keeps people watching.
And third mistake, trying to impress. A lot of creators, they try to sound impressive. They use big words.
They speak polished, perfect, almost like in an academic tone. They want their audience to think, oh, wow.
This this is a very smart person. But here's the problem. The audience feels that you're trying to impress them, and when they feel that, well, they disconnect.
So what should you do instead? Shift from how can I impress to how can I help? Speak with a giver's mindset.
Not like, hey. Look at me. I'm so cool.
But rather, hey. I'm here to help you. This is for you.
I wanna help you. But here's a trick that has helped me. Before I speak, before I record, I just picture one specific person who really, really needs to hear this message in this one moment, and it can be completely made up person.
Someone I could help today, and then I just speak to them. I forget the crowds. I forget the likes, and I just speak to that one person because when you focus on helping, you automatically become more relatable, more real, and at the end, way more impactful.
Alright. That's everything I've got for you. Now, if you're still watching, can I ask you a quick favor?
Is there anyone you feel could really benefit from that video? Maybe it's this one friend who just got started creating, or maybe this teammate who needs to tell better stories, or maybe this one person who wants to be more confident on camera, whoever it is, and then send them this video right now. That small action will help them tremendously, and it will help me produce much more high quality content that I'll put out for free.
Thanks for being here, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye bye.
The Hook
The bait, then the rug-pull.
Six hundred hours of work, and he almost put a price tag on it. Instead, Philipp Humm posted the whole thing for free — four modules, seven frameworks, and enough worked examples from Hormozi, Trahan, and Jenny Hoyos to make the theory immediately actionable.
Frameworks
Named ideas worth stealing.
02:08acronym
CAT / CARD
Context
Adversity
Takeaway
(Resolution)
Core talking-head story structure. CAT for most clips; add Resolution to get CARD when the recovery is itself interesting.
Steal forAny short educational clip, podcast story, or email newsletter anecdote
09:57acronym
PAST Framework
Place
Action
Speech
Thoughts
Technique for zooming into a moment and making it vivid. Each element adds a layer of detail that pulls the listener into the scene.
Steal forThe adversity or climax moment of any story
16:03list
Three Cs of Storytelling
Coaching stories
Conversion stories
Catalyst stories
Story-type taxonomy for creators. Coaching stories teach a lesson; Conversion stories sell through client transformation; Catalyst stories establish identity.
Steal forContent planning — map your story inventory to these three types
29:09model
Mission-Progression-Payoff
Mission
Progression (therefore/but)
Payoff
Universal spine for immersive stories. Progression must alternate between progress and setback, connected by therefore/but rather than and then.
Steal forAny challenge video, documentary vlog, or long-form YouTube story
34:49list
Four Ss of Short-Form Storytelling
Surprise
Stakes
Show (not tell)
Simplicity
The four elements that make immersive short-form stories go viral. Surprise breaks autopilot; Stakes make people care; Show replaces explanation; Simplicity removes friction.
Steal forHook design and script audit for any short-form video
51:52list
Six-Step Long-Form Structure
Mission
Context (the why)
Complication
Progression
Climax
Resolution
Extended structure for 10-30 minute documentary-style videos. Adds Context and Complication steps that short-form omits.
Steal forAny personal challenge video, year-in-review, or transformation documentary
1:19:49list
Six Delivery Styles
Conversational Friend
Performer
Raw Truth Teller
Charismatic Flirt
Quirky Storyteller
The Guide
A taxonomy of on-camera delivery modes. Recommendation: try all six with the same script and notice which feels most natural.
Steal forFinding or deliberately expanding your on-camera range
CTA Breakdown
How they asked for the click.
VERBAL ASK
1:26:58subscribe
“Is there anyone you feel could really benefit from that video? Send them this video right now.”
Soft referral CTA instead of a direct subscribe ask — audience-first framing. End card adds subscribe + next video.
Add Modern Creator as a preferred source and Google shows you more of our breakdowns in Search, Top Stories, and AI Overviews. It only changes what you see, and you can undo it in your Google settings anytime.
Add to Preferred SourcesOpens your Google source preferences with us pre-loaded. Tick the box and you're done.
An eleven-minute, single-take breakdown of the three fears that stop creators from filming without a script — and the three reframes that replace editing entirely.
A speaking coach reviews one client's day 1, day 14, and day 28 self-tapes from a 30-day talking-to-camera challenge — and pinpoints exactly which habits changed.
Five specific psychological blocks that make creators go stiff on camera, each with a concrete drill to fix it, demonstrated live by a creator practicing what he teaches.
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