Shaan Puri: 3 Principles to Master Storytelling | How I Write Podcast
Mar 20, 2024
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Shaan Puri, a celebrated entrepreneur and sought-after storyteller, shares his mastery of engaging narratives. He unpacks the power of intention and obstacles in storytelling, revealing how these elements enhance emotional connections. Shaan emphasizes the significance of humor and vulnerability, using personal anecdotes to illustrate his points. He also discusses crafting a 'binge bank' to captivate audiences and the importance of finding a unique voice in writing. With practical insights, he inspires writers to innovate while leaning on effective storytelling techniques.
Craft stories that evoke laughter, surprise, or awe to engage and resonate deeply with your audience.
Highlight character intentions and obstacles to drive compelling narratives centered around moments of change.
Connect personal experiences with storytelling to create relatable character journeys that resonate emotionally with audiences.
Tailor narratives to elicit specific emotional responses for increased audience engagement and resonance.
Energize yourself before writing to enhance creativity, quality, and audience connection through a positive and energetic mindset.
Foster creativity with curiosity, balance imitation with innovation, and aim for unique ideas to develop a distinctive writing voice.
Deep dives
The Power of Emotion in Storytelling
Starting with the idea of working backwards from emotions, the importance of creating content that elicits emotional reactions is highlighted. Understanding that people will only share content that evokes emotions like laughter, surprise, or awe guides the creation process, ensuring the content resonates with the audience on a deeper level.
Transformative Moments in Storytelling
Aaron Sorkin's concept of 'intention and obstacle' is explored, emphasizing the essence of storytelling being moments of change. Understanding the significance of portraying clear character intentions and obstacles ensures engagement and drives compelling narratives. Every story is built around a central transformation and the dynamic between character desires and challenges.
Creating Relatable Character Journeys
Illustrating relatable character journeys by framing challenges and emotions within stories makes the narrative impactful. Drawing parallels between personal experiences and storytelling, the concept of relatability in crafting engaging content is underscored. Building stories that connect with audiences emotionally enhances their resonance and appeal.
Crafting Stories for Emotional Engagement
Emphasizing the importance of emotional resonance, stories are discussed as a means to evoke specific reactions from audiences. Learning from influencers like Miss Excel showcases the power of combining engaging content with emotional connection. Tailoring narratives to elicit emotional responses ensures a deeper connection with viewers, leading to increased audience engagement and resonance.
Importance of State of Mind in Writing
Establishing a peak state of mind is crucial for effective writing. By energizing oneself before writing, ideas flow more naturally and content creation becomes more engaging. Embracing a positive and energetic mood enhances the quality of writing by allowing the writer's emotions to transfer to the audience. Adopting a performer's mindset by focusing on energy and excitement can lead to more captivating and impactful written pieces.
Physiology, Focus, and Story in Writing
Changing your physiology, focusing, and crafting a compelling story are essential elements in writing. Physically altering your state through exercise or movement can positively impact your writing output. Directing your focus on the core aspect of your writing rather than distractions like deadlines or difficulties enhances productivity. By shaping a powerful narrative, writers can connect with readers on a more profound level and maintain engagement throughout their pieces.
Unique Ideas, Curiosity, and Writing Success
Delivering unique and thought-provoking ideas is key to writing success. Fostering creativity by letting curiosity guide your writing process can lead to groundbreaking insights. The simplicity of great ideas coupled with genuine excitement can drive exceptional writing endeavors. Balancing imitation of successful strategies with personal innovation can help individuals navigate the complexities of writing and develop a distinctive voice in their content creation.
Distribution Strategies for Writing
Building a loyal audience through consistent and engaging content is fundamental for successful distribution. Earning trust and interest by consistently sharing valuable information can expand your reach over time. Leveraging social dynamics and the power of sharing within communities can amplify the distribution of your work. Emphasizing quality interactions and building a connection with readers can establish a strong foundation for effective content distribution.
Building Emotional Connections in Writing
Establishing genuine connections with readers is paramount in creating impactful written pieces. Focusing on trustworthiness and likability can enhance the relatability of your content. Cultivating a sense of indispensability as a creator can foster long-term audience engagement and loyalty. By prioritizing personal branding and authentic connections, writers can solidify their presence and influence within their respective communities.
Consistently Delivering a Unique Feeling to Consumers
The podcast episode emphasizes the significance of consistently providing consumers with a unique feeling that they can't find elsewhere. Examples from different platforms like TED Talks, comedy podcasts, and Twitch are cited to illustrate this point. The key takeaway is to identify the specific feeling you want to evoke in your audience and focus on delivering it more consistently than anyone else.
Teaching Effective Writing through Consistent Format and Personal Voice
The episode discusses the importance of teaching effective writing by utilizing a consistent format and maintaining a personal voice. An example from creating a newsletter called Milk Road is used to explain how a writer was trained to mimic the host's style by following a predefined format and enhancing their authentic voice. The emphasis is on avoiding imposter syndrome and focusing on genuine interest and relatability in the chosen topics.
Every year, 25 million people download Shaan’s podcast. Sure, he’s a brilliant entrepreneur, investor, and writer, but there’s one skill in particular that keeps Shaan’s audience coming back for more: storytelling.
And not the kind of storytelling that feels like an IQ contest. (I know you know what I mean.) Shaan tells stories that burst with aliveness, that make readers laugh out loud with joy or fall silent with understanding. And as a result, he’s built more than just a following; he’s built a fandom.
In this episode, Shaan reveals every framework he knows for telling stories so well they make your reader go, “Wait, how did they do that?”. And I mean, every framework. You won’t find this in the ole’ self-help aisle. Plus, he shows you exactly how to do it. We deconstruct everything from popular movies to business origin stories to viral Twitter threads.
Stories are the #1 way to grab readers’ attention, get them to like you, and ultimately, turn them into fans. And this episode is a masterclass on how to do it.
