Narrative Bias: Tell stories. Win customers.

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Hi there - Jen here :)

Why do we hate numbers but love stories?

Because stories engage us by making us FEEL SOMETHING.

Spreadsheets and data?

Not so much.

But when you tell a story in your marketing, people get hooked.

It’s down to a fascinating psychological principle called Narrative Bias, and it can help make our communications more powerful and persuasive.

Today you’ll learn:

• What is Narrative Bias?

• How Narrative Bias Can Trick Our Brains (and How to Stop It)

• The 9 Elements of Better Storytelling for Business and Marketing

👉 But before we get started, I’m excited to share that TOMORROW Friday (September 13th at 11am EST / 4pm BST) I’ll be welcoming Rob Voase (Disney, Activision, Vodafone, LiquidCX) to speak with Choice Hacking Pro Members in our September Mastermind call.

I’m offering a rare guest pass for non-Pro Members to attend this Mastermind on Friday, but I’m limiting it to the first 5 people who purchase a ticket. If you purchase a guest pass and have a question but are unable to attend the live Mastermind, you can send it to me to ask in the session. Everyone who registers will be sent a recording of the session.

Buy your guest pass here.

What is Narrative Bias?

Narrative Bias (also called the Narrative Fallacy) describes people’s tendency to make sense of the world through stories.

We trust stories, become more emotionally invested in stories, and even better remember information when it’s presented as a story.

It’s the difference between trying to remember the Constitutional Amendments and being able to recite the plot of Hamilton at a party - stories are just easier to engage with and remember.

How Narrative Bias Can Trick Our Brains (and How to Stop It)

Narrative Bias has positive uses, but it also has a dark side.

Sometimes a good story fudges the truth just a little to fit a narrative.

Or glosses over complicated issues in favor of an easy-to-digest but flawed narrative.

A good story can trick our brains into believing (and doing) some less than positive things.

For example, Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes built a big lie from a good story:

✨ The science prodigy who’d dropped out of Stanford to create a revolutionary medical testing technology that could potentially change the world. ✨

There was just one problem.

Holmes’ incredible story was fake.

Her tech didn’t work, and the company allegedly used commercially available machines made by other companies for most of its results.

Elizabeth Holmes used the power of a good story to raise millions from some of the savviest investors.

People like billionaire Rupert Murdoch, members of Walmart’s Walton family, tycoon Carlos Slim, and even former secretary of education Betsy DeVos.

Holmes had a good story, and stories sell.

As Professor Jonathan Gottschall put it:

“We don’t will our suspension of disbelief… [it] just happens to us, with or without our permission…

Successful stories generate powerful feelings, and strong feelings act as a solvent on our logic and our skepticism…

To put it negatively, they make us a lot more gullible.”

To avoid getting fooled by Narrative Bias, start by asking yourself questions like:

• What story am I telling myself about this choice, event, product, or solution? Or, what story is being told to me?

• Have I ignored any critical evidence that might disprove this story?

• Have I fallen in love with the narrative before investigating its claims? What happens if I turn this story on its head?

The 9 Elements of Storytelling for Business and Marketing

If you want to use Narrative Bias to improve your marketing, you have to know what makes a good story, great.

Here are the 9 elements that Author Jeremy Connell-Waite says makes for a better story:

1. Better stories are transformational.

2. Better stories capture your imagination.

3. Better stories tell the truth.

4. Better stories have measurable outcomes.

5. Better stories are emotional.

6. Better stories use strong verbs & short sentences.

7. Better stories are surprising.

8. Better stories are understandable.

9. Better stories inspire action.

If you want to learn more about these principles, I recommending checking out the framework below (you can find a bigger version here):

Read, Watch, Listen

• The Decline of Rainforest Café...What Happened? [Watch]

• Why We Shouldn’t Romanticize Failure: We expect people will learn from their setbacks. New research suggest the truth is more complicated, via Kellogg School of Management [Read]

• Season 6 of the much-loved Choice Hacking podcast is now live! Listen as I deep dive into the psychology behind mega-retailer Target’s success → [Listen]

If there’s a psychology principle you want to hear more about or a brand you want me to break down and explain, just reply to this email and let me know 😃 

Until next time,
Jen