You might think that storytelling archetypes are only useful if you want to write a book. But storytelling can also increase the impact your blog, newsletter, or social media post has on your audience.
It’s the difference between reading a medical journal on heart disease and hearing how someone personally dealt with a life-changing heart attack.
A surprisingly captivating 2015 study on storytelling and oxytocin (the love hormone) showed that emotionally engaging stories were more likely to stick with us and inspire us to take action.
Oxytocin is a hormone that your body releases when you are cuddling with your partner or having an orgasm. It indicates that you feel safe and loved.
When oxytocin is released, it also increases empathy. Oxytocin levels don’t go up when you watch generic ads asking for money. But everyone who watched Sarah Mclaughlin’s dog commercial probably had a rush of oxytocin that compelled them to donate to help abused animals.
The point is – your story needs to engage your reader’s brain on a deeper level. The worst thing that can happen in a blog is for your reader to switch to autopilot.
These five powerful storytelling archetypes are patterns you can use to improve the impact of your writing. They will help you produce more interesting and unique content, and also allow your readers to connect to your writing on a deeper level.
5 Storytelling Archetypes to Inspire Your Clients
In this article, we look at five powerful storytelling archetypes to inspire and empower your clients:
- The Hero
- The Dark Forest
- The Mentor
- The Rising Action
- The Villain
Keep reading to learn a bit about each of the storytelling archetypes and how you can use them to create content for your blog, social media, newsletters, and more!
5 Storytelling Archetypes to Inspire Your Clients
1. The Hero
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
Christopher Reeve
The hero is a powerful storyteller archetype because we are all heroes in our own stories. Your readers and followers will instinctively connect to the idea of perseverance and endurance in the face of adversity.
The hero’s journey starts with a call you know you shouldn’t ignore. You may feel the call to start a new career, join the Peace Corps, go on a trip, or make dramatic changes to some part of your life.
When it comes to health and wellness, the call to a hero’s journey is typically accompanied by a health scare. You persevere, heal your body, and look for ways to live a healthier life.
Action Steps:
To create content with the hero archetype, identify what calls your followers to their hero’s journey. What obstacles do they face? And how can you motivate them to overcome those obstacles? Then, illuminate the path to change and use your content to inspire your clients to follow that path.
Write down any moments, words, or events that signaled a point of no return in your own hero’s journey. Reflect on how you can integrate those moments into your content.
2. The Dark Forest
Fairy tales do not start nor do they end at the dark forest. That’s only something that shows up smack dab in the middle of the story…
Ted Lasso, Ted Lasso
One way to appeal to your ideal client is to write about their dark forest. If you write generic content, you’ll attract a generic audience. But if you find your client’s dark forest and illuminate the path forward – you narrow down your audience significantly.
Everyone knows that when the story takes a turn for the worse and the hero is stuck in the dark forest, you aren’t at the end of the story. The dark forest is simply another obstacle for the hero to overcome.
Action Steps:
To create content with the dark forest archetype, think about the dark forest for your ideal clients. What is the darkest part of their journey? And how does your brand help them overcome it?
3. The Mentor
“When the hero is ready, the mentor appears.”
Will Craig, Living the Hero’s Journey
Some people are natural teachers and mentors. The positive side of the mentor is a wealth of knowledge, skill, and wisdom. You channel your inner mentor when you create content that resonates with your ideal client.
The best content always comes from the wisdom you gain through personal experiences. Anyone can recreate a blog with content they find online, or copy an Instagram post with a different design – but no one else has lived your life. No one has the knowledge or lived experience that made you into who you are today!
Look out for the shadow mentor who uses their knowledge to manipulate their clients for personal gain. Examine your motivation for each post to create content that empowers your audience instead of forcing them to rely on you for all the answers.
Action Steps:
To channel your inner mentor, ask yourself what knowledge and skills are unique to you. How can you use those skills and knowledge to create unique content?
4. Rising Action
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin
Everyone knows that scene after the hero meets their mentor where they go into training for the upcoming battle with the villain. A montage of exercise, reading, meditation, etc where the main character builds their knowledge to face the final conflict.
In real life, this part of the journey is much slower and often discouraging. Especially when you hit a roadblock or your mentor is just out for your money. But the rising action is an essential part of any hero’s journey because it’s the time when you create healthy habits and process old traumas.
When your client is in a time of rising action, they are looking for inspiration. Use your knowledge and experience to support them.
Action Steps:
You can use the rising action archetype to inspire your followers. First, provide them with the knowledge that helped you create changes in your life. Then, turn that knowledge into an easy-to-follow checklist.
5. The Villain
“Nobody is the villain in their own story. We’re all the heroes of our own stories.”
George R.R. Martin
When you write a blog, you need to find a way to empower your readers. And what better way than to help them defeat their villain?
We are all the heroes in our own story, which means that we all have a villain too! The villain in any story is made to be hated, but the role of the villain in real life is a bit more complex.
In real life, the villain isn’t an evil entity. It’s a person, cultural construct, situation, etc. that is instrumental to our growth. But growth isn’t always pleasant, and your guidance could make all the difference when your ideal client goes to face down their villain.
Action Steps:
Describe the villain you want to help your client defeat, including their strengths and weaknesses. Then, give your readers actionable steps to defeat the villain on their own. When you do that, you give them back their power and your content will make a lasting impression!
Use the Storyteller Archetypes
Storyteller uses classic storyteller archetypes to create more engaging and inspiring content in our blog and on social media. It isn’t your job as a content creator to solve your client’s problems. Instead, you inspire them to solve them on their own.
To do that, you need content that will engage them and stick in their memory! Use the action steps in this article to create content that motivates your clients to move to the next level.
Work with Storyteller Paradigm
My name is Emma and I’m a content writer that helps spiritual entrepreneurs write aligned content for their businesses. If you’re ready to take your blog to the next level, I’m here to guide you on a journey of creative discovery and strategic planning. I dive deep into your story and discover the archetypes that are integral to your brand to help you create blog and website content that speaks to your ideal client.
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