You hear all the time that the best way to sell is with stories.

They’re instantly engaging and people think they’re being entertained, rather than sold to, and their cloak of cynicism is temporarily lowered.

But how do you write them?

That’s the tricky part.

A good place to look for inspiration is forums and product reviews.

And a good way to tell them is to use the Hips storytelling formula:

Hook

The angle, shocking fact or event that sets the stage for what your story is about.

Example – How you’ve always loved hearing people play the drums as a child.

Interest

The reason why this story is going to be interesting to be your reader, such as the pain point it addresses.

Example – Learning a new skill, like playing the drums, can be difficult and frustrating.

Parable

A simple story that reflects how your product solves the customer’s problem.

Example – How you learned to play the drums and how much satisfaction you get from it.

Slide

This is the close when you explain why the story matters.

Example – Learning to play the drums is like any skill. The best way to learn is practice and to have a good teacher, which is why you should buy my course.

By following the HIPS formula, you can easily create stories around your product that will be fun and engaging while selling your product at a deeper level – an emotional one.

Try using HIPS in your next emails, advertorials or sales letters and let me know how you get on.