The Art of Storytelling: How to Hook Your Podcast Listeners

Hey Friend!

Want to hook your podcast listeners in the first minute of your podcast episode and keep them engaged and listening throughout the whole episode? Want to show, not tell, what your podcast episode is about to keep it interesting and relatable for your audience?

There is one technique that will bring more subscribers and recurring listeners to your podcast episodes. This technique will bring more sales and conversions from your podcast episodes. It creates instant rapport and connection and moves your audience to take action. This one technique is storytelling.  

Storytelling is taking an experience you or someone you know has had whether a long time ago or recently and retelling that story to your audience. Storytelling helps you portray or explain a topic, tip, or lesson in a way that helps your listener relate to it, remember it, and learn from it. The art of storytelling is showing, not telling, your listeners what you are teaching. Storytelling builds connection as you describe and paint the story in their minds rather than just telling facts. 

Here’s a storytelling example and 6 tips to help you develop the art of storytelling in your podcast episodes. As you incorporate storytelling in your episodes, your stories will hook your podcast listeners and keep them engaged, connected, and inspired.

STEF’S STORYTELLING EXAMPLE

“This morning, I was hanging out with my boys as they were off for the summer. There are no VBS, camp, or trips this week, so getting my work done with my boys at home has been a challenge. So I thought, If I am going to be able to fit in time to record podcast episodes, create content, do a coaching call, and lead my team, I need to be strategic and set up a structured plan for the day.

So I got out a sheet of paper and had my little guy write out the hours of the day. Then I asked, ‘What do you want to do today?’ Of course, they said, ‘We want tech time.’ So, I chose the hour of tech time to be the hour I record podcast episodes. The next thing that we did was to schedule meal times because those are standard. And then we played with the other time blocks in the day. We planned a 30-minute puzzle time and a 30-minute outside sports time. Next, we scheduled a time for reading. Once we had planned our day, I still found 3 to 4 hours of work time.

Is it a challenge to find time to record podcast episodes, create course content, write emails, and do coaching calls while your children are home for the summer? Even though it’s summer, you can’t throw work out the window, right? Like you, I’m trying to juggle kids and grow a business. In this episode, I’m sharing 5 tips to help you plan your day and your week so that you get your work done and have fun with your kids.”

Use this storytelling example to learn 6 tips to hook your podcast listeners in the first minute of your episode and keep them listening until the end.

WHEN STORYTELLING, POSITION YOUR STORY AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR PODCAST EPISODE 

Grab your podcast listener’s attention by sharing a story at the start of your podcast. Storytelling at the front end of your podcast builds a connection with your listeners because they say, “Me, too! I can totally relate!” Storytelling adds vulnerability and honesty. When hearing your story, they become more excited to learn from you. A story also provides a smooth transition into the topic of your episode.

Bonus Tip! Share multiple stories throughout the episode to keep your listeners engaged throughout the whole episode. This will improve your podcast listening metrics because your audience listens longer. It also helps them to know, like, and trust you more.

TELL A STORY THAT RELATES TO WHAT YOU ARE TEACHING

Hook your podcast listener by relating your story to the content you want to teach. You can teach anything by telling a story. To make your story and the lesson you want to teach even more effective, show, not tell. Use descriptive language to paint a picture in your listeners’ minds instead of just telling facts or outlining tips. 

Not sure what story to tell? First, plan the content you want to teach and then ask what story, big or small, relates to it or demonstrates what you want to teach. 

TELL A STORY THAT RESONATES WITH YOUR PODCAST LISTENER

Not only can your story reflect what you want to teach, but it should also connect with your podcast listener. Your story should matter to your person or you will lose their interest. The more relatable your story, the more effective teacher it will be. In the storytelling example above, the story showed how to plan the day and get work done around children. If 80% of your audience are moms working from home, the storytelling example above works because they relate to squeezing work hours around their children.

What stories can you tell about something funny or embarrassing that happened that your ideal listener will relate to? Is there something in your past or a lesson that you learned? Tell stories that relate to their season of marriage, their phase of business, or their parenting stage. Your goal is to keep their interest and encourage, motivate, and inspire them. As you plan your podcast episode and brainstorm story ideas, ask yourself, Is this story relatable to my ideal listener?

USE INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING TO ENGAGE YOUR PODCAST LISTENERS

Hooking your listeners and keeping them listening is your goal when podcasting. Getting your listeners to interact with your podcast episode is even more powerful. You can do this through interactive storytelling where you invite listeners to respond to you by answering questions and sharing their thoughts. Interactive storytelling helps listeners feel seen, heard, and valued.

In conjunction with the storytelling example, it could sound like, “How is your summer going? How’s working from home and spending time with the kids this summer? Come to our Facebook group and let us know. What are your top time-blocking tips for juggling kids while operating your business? Leave a comment in the podcast review section, and let me know.”

6 BONUS STORYTELLING TIPS

Want to enhance your storytelling further?  Here are 6 bonus storytelling tips that will keep your listeners’ attention.   

TIP #1: KEEP YOUR STORY SHORT

Storytelling is most effective when you keep it to 2 minutes in length or less.  Get straight to the point and avoid dragging the story on.

TIP #2: INCLUDE STORY ELEMENTS

Be sure to include characters, a setting, and a plot in your story. Characters help your listener to picture themselves in your story.  

A vivid setting, such as the summer, children off school, and writing on a sheet of paper at the breakfast nook, transports your listeners’ imagination to where you are during the story. It creates a belief factor as they listen to you. 

The plot of your story is the sequence of events in the story. It tells what happens first, second, third, and last. As you tell your story, make your plot compelling and engaging to keep your listeners’ attention.

TIP #3: BUILD CONFLICT INTO YOUR STORY

Enhance your storytelling by adding conflict. Examples of conflict are a struggle, tension, challenge, misunderstanding, fear, setback or loss. Conflict makes your listener lean forward in suspense and anticipation of what will come next and how the problem will be resolved. You keep them on the edge of their seat! Even better yet, begin your podcast episode with your story and then leave them hanging, waiting through your introduction, through your call-to-action, and then pick back up with the story. 

TIP #4: END YOUR STORY WITH A RESOLUTION

The last thing your story needs is resolution. Don’t leave out the outcome or the win! Your ideal listener is waiting for the solution to the story. They want to know the answer to the conflict, question, or problem you portrayed in the story.

Even for a short 1- to 2-minute story, you can include the characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution.   

TIP #5: AS YOU TELL YOUR STORY, WATCH YOUR VOICE AND TONE

Your voice and your tone matter as you tell your story. Use your voice, tone, cadence, and volume to intensify the story or to slow it down to create suspense or wonder. Ramp your voice up or talk faster when things are more intense or exciting. On the other hand, slow down and talk softly to create suspicion or emphasis. 

Smile and laugh at appropriate times because your listener can hear that in your voice. Avoid being loud and intense because it will lose its impact on your listener.

TIP #6: PLAY MUSIC TO ENHANCE YOUR STORY

Music grabs your listener’s attention, creates interest, and adds consistent identity and branding. Music also adds atmosphere and mood along with transitions between segments or topics. Use music to emphasize a special promotion, boot camp, or course that you are running.

Practice storytelling in each new episode you publish. As you outline your next podcast episode, think about a relatable story to share that will connect with your audience, draw them in, and keep them listening through the whole episode.

I pray this blesses you!

Xo,

Stef

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