Strength of a Story: How to Use Storytelling in Marketing Emails

Being human in your marketing has never been more vital. 

Clients and subscribers are inundated with AI-generated marketing emails. In this sea of sameness, your unique perspective and personal stories set you apart. Using storytelling in your marketing connects at the human level in a way nothing else can.

When I started sending story-rich emails, they began resonating with readers much more. People replied more. They felt more seen. They shared their own stories. Click-throughs jumped, and increased sales followed suit. 

It’s not a cliche. People buy from people. But only if they connect with them. 

Strategic storytelling will completely uplevel your results. Here, I’m sharing how I use a template to embed stories into my newsletters and how newsletters, specifically, are a fantastic opportunity to connect and sell.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

• What Storytelling Marketing Is
• How to Use Storytelling in Marketing
• Why Stories are Important
• Storytelling examples + 
• 5 Tips for Weaving Effective and Compelling Stories into Your Newsletters for Greater Impact

What is Storytelling Marketing?

Story marketing is about weaving relatable, personal stories into your marketing. Done well, it deepens authentic connection and builds your brand.

Why Stories Matter

What makes stories special is their ability to transform emails into memorable conversations your audience actually wants to have. 

Your stories are as unique as your fingerprint. That’s why I think of them as personal imprints that leave an enduring impression in a chaotic digital landscape.

Stories also drive sales. For example, story-driven emails generate 50% more click-throughs than generic ones.

How to Write Story-Centered Marketing Emails

A marketing story is a relatable narrative about you and your journey as a business owner.

A story has the basic elements of any other good story.

• Character — You or a client
• Tension — Situations of doubt or uncertainty that your readers also experience. A personal struggle, the humorous or unexpected, or the day-to-day running of your business. These can also be relatable highlights, bucket lists, or celebrations. 
• Transformation — The resolutions, wins, or lessons learned - anything that shows growth, a shift toward change, or what’s possible for you - and for your readers.

Storytelling Examples

Example 1

STORIES IN MARKETING CONTENT/BLOGS

In this blog’s introduction, I shared a story about how I used to write more lackluster newsletters. Then I began sharing more stories, and noticed that people took more action - whether this meant more newsletter opens, replies, waitlist signups, or sales. The stories gave me a stronger voice. Like cellular data, they made my transmissions faster and more impactful.

Example 2

STORIES IN MARKETING EMAILS/WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Part of my email marketing system is a weekly newsletter. To produce an entire newsletter every week requires that I work smart, not hard. 

I created a story-focused template to help me do this. I don’t have time to reinvent the wheel each week or overthink anything. The template ensures I can just follow the template outline, confident that the marketing bases are covered - including strategic storytelling.

An example of a strategic story is the “Monday Meltdown:” a “messy moment in my business” story. Here it is:

Despite blocking a whole morning to batch emails, my Wi-Fi went out. I’ve got this, I told myself. I’d just finished packing my laptop for a work session at my local coffee shop when my beloved cat, Gypsy, threw up! If you know me, you know I’d never leave her alone while she was sick. I pulled up my Google calendar and, luckily, I was able to switch out my tasks for the day.

I went into analogue mode and ended up outlining and fleshing out a new campaign. What started as a disaster turned into a productive morning!

Notice:

• The story’s implicit message: building your business doesn’t have to be perfect. Sometimes messy moments give you the best momentum. 
• How the story aligns with my brand, as I consistently encourage my audience to be open, flexible, and compassionate with themselves. In this case, I didn’t abandon myself by leaving my cat, or ditching work. I leaned into my values and did my best to maintain a doable work-life balance. 

The template told me exactly where and how to tell a story. All I did was pull the story from my brain and add context. 

Now for the super cool part of all this: My template not only tells me where or how to write one particular story, it guides me through a storytelling flow, helping me integrate several relevant stories: multiplying the newsletter’s storytelling power. 

Weaving Story Marketing Into Other Newsletter Elements

The structure of my newsletter template solves for where and how to include stories. But it answers other key questions as well.

• What should I write about?
• What structure and flow work best?
• What’s my link strategy?
• What content or brand elements should I include?
• What do I want my newsletter to do?
• Where should my CTAs go, and how many should there be?
• How can I make the newsletter engaging -- something a reader will anticipate?
• How can I make my newsletters SELL?
• ETC

Here’s an example of how, and in what order, I might integrate storytelling with other newsletter elements.

• Storytelling + Newsletter Introduction: I like to start my newsletters with a story related to my subject. If my subject is time management, the “Monday Meltdown” story could be a good starting place.
• Storytelling + Client Win/Testimonial: Then, I could transition into educational content and a story about a client who leveraged some of my advanced time management tips to help hit her highest launch numbers yet. 
• Storytelling + Product Sales: I could connect the client's story with a linked product highlight.
• Storytelling + Social Proof: I could wrap up with relevant, fun snapshots from my week: one of my coffee-shop “office,” or one of me laughing with a friend at yoga (linked to IG).

Instead of sending out links, announcements, or offers, the template prompts me to tell stories.

5 Tips for Writing Your Own Marketing Emails

Storytelling = Storyselling

Use story-centered prompts. Ask yourself questions like, “What challenged me this week in my business?” or “What win did my client have?” The answers become the seeds of great stories. If you feel unsure, ask yourself, “What happened this month that my reader may relate to?”

Repurpose testimonials as stories. A client testimonial is a ready-made story. Highlight the character (your client), the challenge they faced, and their transformation as a result of taking action after working with you.

Share memorable behind-the-scenes moments. The messy desk, the coffee shop work session you never made it to, the unplanned brainstorm in a parking lot: these glimpses remind your readers there’s a real person behind the business. The story can also be more profound, a pivotal point in a life/business journey.

Keep structure simple but potent. My newsletter uses a straightforward three-part rhythm. Try your own 3-part structure in an email template.

Use a template to systemize and automate low-level marketing emails. Because producing a regular newsletter is a repetitive, low-level task, it’s essential to make it as easy as possible and streamline your time. Spend as little time as possible on them.

If you’re sold on these ideas, want to see them in action, or want to save yourself even more time and effort by swiping my template, check out the Email Template Bundle. The bundle includes 11 “done-for-you,” editable templates that give you everything you need to know what to write, when, and how so you never start from scratch. 

Check Out the Email Template Bundle