Contents

About This Guide 2

Introduction 4

Intrigue 6

Character 8

Journey 10

Empathy 12

Conflict 14

Solution 16

Action 18

Clarity 20

Transformation 22

How to Use Sirens 24

Writing & Editing Checklist 25

Share the Love 26

About Jeda Pearl 27

You are the Ocean 28

Hi, I’m Jeda, and I’m about to take you on a wild, pit-stop tour around the world to introduce you to my Storytelling Sirens. Why? Because this is a writing guide, with mermaids! The Sirens are eight magnificent mer-woman who symbolise 8 key storytelling elements to use to in your writing to help you and your business stand out from the competition. On the next page, you’ll find out why I’ve chosen mermaids and why incorporating storytelling into your writing, communications and marketing {AKA Business Stories} is SO powerful.

What do I mean by the term “Business Story”? I mean any piece of content you publish. Whether you’re writing blog posts, About pages, sales copy, lead magnets, {e}books, emails, autoresponder sequences, services pages… you name it! By calling them stories, I’m reminding you to storyify your writing, so you forge deeper connections with more of your ideal clients and, in turn, grow your dream audience, receive more sales from your right people and create more meaningful success. How do you storyify your writing? The Storytelling Sirens will show you. But this little ebook is NOT like other writing guides. Although it may only take about 30 minutes to read, if your creative muse awakes, you may need to sit with Sirens a little longer or come back to it. In fact, I hope you come back to it again and again. This is a companion writing guide. That means, the more you refer to the guide, the more insight and inspiration you’ll discover and the easier writing and editing will become. Plus there’s even a one-page checklist for you, at the end of this 28-page book.

Introduction Jeda {jeh-dah} | Scotland | Scottish-Jamaican lassie, writer, artist, creative collaborator

It started in my local swimming pool, I’d glide around the legs of gossiping mums in the warm shallows of the infants’ pool, dodging unpredictable kicks from their toddlers. I was on the cusp of puberty and, even though I’ve never been a strong swimmer, the mermaid fantasy remained. In fact, I hate being out of my depth in any water, salty or otherwise – what with the unscrupulous tide, malevolent river plants and blood-thirsty sea monsters hunting you at lightning speeds. Yet, the ocean’s mystery and profound significance still captivate me. So obviously, I decided to create the ultimate water metaphor for business owners: Your business is a river, from source to sea. The next logical conclusion? MERMAIDS, of course! One for each vital storytelling element. But why are all mermaids “sexy” & svelte murderesses? Where are all the warrior, leader and mother mermaids? And why must nakedness always equal sex, anyway? Behold, my underwater utopia... This pdf is {probably} like no other business writing guide you’ve ever come across, but I’ve built it to awaken your muse and spark inspiration, as well as offering insight and tips to help you feel more confident in crafting magnetic, compelling and unique business stories.

Storytelling has been part of our humanity for aeons. That’s why it’s so powerful when stories are used as part of your marketing strategy. Unique, fascinating stories set you apart from your competitors. They help you create and share authentic narratives, forging stronger and deeper connections with your audience, assisting your ideal client's decision to choose YOU. What’s wonderful, is heart-led business owners have a unique opportunity here. Your audience wants to get close to you and hear about your adventures, warts and all. Immense corporations with armies of staff can’t compete with the nuanced, intimate human relationships you can offer. So, I’m thrilled to bring you this guide. I’ve combined both my artistic and analytical energies to offer up a fusion of art, metaphor and reliable writing guidance. You see, I’ve written copy for businesses since 2003 but I’m also a textile design grad who’s re-discovered the joy of drawing with the Sirens in this very booklet! I believe, as women, we relate to the flow of the tides, the pull of the moon and the longing of songs inside us.

We are fluid and enduring. Are you ready to discover who the Eight Storytelling Sirens are, and make use of their writing tips? Each Siren has an inspiration page with their story {which you’re welcome to skip if you’re not that into fantastical fiction!} and an action page with ways you can create more impact and strengthen your copy, plus a writing prompt to generate new content. Let’s dive in…

P.S. This guide is written in my native British English. If my extra vowels are too irritating, feel free to download the American English version or listen to the audio here.

“Water does not resist. Water flows.

When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you.

But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it.

Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child.

Remember you are half water.” ~ Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

Intrigue Ianira {EE-an-ee-ra} | Ionian Sea, Greece | Ionian goddess, enchantress

Meet Ianira, the Greek enchantress. Some say she’s a myth, but the island fishermen still sing dirges about her – the agony of glimpsing a flick of her tail, or a curl of her silver locks as they slip beneath the water, just out of reach. Tourists flock to the Nydri waterfalls at dawn, aching with anticipation for the living legend. As the sun comes up, the local boys goad one another into swimming closer and closer to the mouth of Ianira’s cave. But a strange old lady selling figs nearby tugs at your sleeve. She whispers in broken English that Ianira only appears at night and, if your heart is true, she’ll offer you safe passage through the underground lagoons to help you find your treasure.

Ianira symbolises intrigue – the art of catching your ideal client’s attention and keeping them captivated. All the best stories are full of intrigue. It’s the deliberate and fascinating way you move your reader or listener from one word to the next. It’s how you write compelling headlines and curious opening paragraphs and it’s alive with a delicious intimacy. Curiosity is an instinct we’re all born with. As we grow, we become more selective in what we’re interested in, but that natural impulse never leaves us. So, how can you use intrigue in your writing to arouse your ideal client’s innate curiosity?

Here are some intentional intrigue elements, or “Curiosity Sparks”. They’re the kinds of stories we’re all hungry for, regardless of the topic:

� be secretive / mysterious / revealing � state authentic urgency / scarcity � elicit genuine fear / warning � start where the “action” is

� share your wonder / evoke hope / illustrate passion � explain how to / clarify & discuss why � be unexpected / unpredictable / counter-intuitive � find an unusual / seemingly unrelated angle

� use surprise / shock � commiserate � share bold expectations � use cliff-hangers / suspense

That opening paragraph in your favourite book, those irresistible headlines… The reason they’re so compelling is that writers leave those words until last. You won’t believe the amount of time writers spend on those first sentences. So, when editing, always end with the beginning.

Choose 3 – 5 articles or emails from your favourite brands – ones which you jumped at to read. Analyse their headlines and content, considering why they appealed to you. What Curiosity Sparks did they use? Try using the same Curiosity Sparks in your own writing.

Character Kaimana {Kah-EE-mah-nah} | Hawai‛i | divine power of the sea

If you stroll along the charcoal volcanic sands of Pololū beach on the ninth night after a full moon, you’ll see hordes of box jellyfish. It’s their attempt to take over Kohala Canyon, but Kaimana is a fearsome adversary and protector of her territory. For generations, her octopi and merpeople have fought to keep their waterways clear of the gelatinous invaders – they’re desperate to keep the delicate ecosystem of the Kohala Canyon intact. Nowadays, the battles have few casualties and last only hours. The jellies move on and Kaimana returns to her benevolent demeanour {and her obsession for salt-worn glass}.

Kaimana symbolises character – the lead characters in your business story {you, your ideal client, staff, audience, etc} and more…

Think about the last book you read, series you enjoyed or your favourite film of all time. Which characters stood out most to you? The reason you’re drawn to them is down to the creation of distinct personalities, using specific details to make them multi-dimensional, realistic, absorbing and believable. Using specific details is vital in non-fiction writing too, making your words more interesting, memorable and captivating.

One factor that can make a giant-squid-sized difference is your natural tone of voice, as in: be your normal self and don’t hide behind a mask. So, be snarky / cutesy / serious / silly / earnest / woo-woo / … not because you think your audience expects it, but because it’s who you really are. Why? A, you can’t please everybody; and B, even vanilla is a flavour! The easy way to do this? Write as you speak.

When you’re setting the scene, giving an example, or using a real-life story to introduce a topic, what specific details can you weave in to make your content more engaging or entertaining? Give readers a vivid, sensory experience using some of the five senses – touch, taste, sight, sound and smell.

Think about how a three-year-old scrutinises their surroundings, how every walk to the end of their street {or emptying of your make-up bag} is fascinating and filled with intricate exploration. The next time you’re outside, take an extra ten minutes to walk slower and absorb

the atmosphere through ALL your senses and write them down. Where were you when you had your last lightbulb moment? Using your five senses, describe your surroundings in as much detail as you can. Include the physical sensations of your emotional reactions.

Journey Jagua {JZA-goo-a} | Caribbean Sea | Neo-Taíno goddess, maternal, birth

Namesake of the Neo-Taíno “mother of women”, Jagua is a pathfinder. She mentors the young, teaching them how to restore their precious coral reefs destroyed by hurricanes and guides them to become thoughtful seekers of their own. She moves unhurried, from reef to reef, pausing to listen or enlighten her charge, often stopping the lesson when they happen across an interesting moment, like a seahorse giving birth or Wise Morkoi, the 132-year-old turtle passing through their waters. All ages of her kin wait upon Jagua’s stories at moonrise, as she passes down their merfolk’s truths and legends. The elders often call her to their council gatherings, under the guise of stingray diplomacy, when really, they want to hear her translation of the meaning of a whale song.

Jagua symbolises journey – the journey of your business, communications and customers. If we imagine that the communicative life of a business is just like the progress of a river from source to the sea, we can picture each “channel” as:

FLOW OF YOUR BUSINESS RIVER IDENTITY Offerings Publishing & Marketing AUDIENCE COMMUNITY

Philosophy Visual

Phraseology

Experience* Narrative*

Gifts Freebies Products Services

Flyers Websites {e}Books

Videos

{e}Courses {e}Magazines Articles / Blogs

Podcasts

Signage Packaging Stationary Brochures

Social Media Competitions

{e}Mail Events

{e}Newsletters Testimonials

Press Coverage Interviews

Advertising Networking

Joint Ventures Affiliates

Networks Followers Customers Encounters

Referrals Ambassadors Gatekeepers

SOURCE STREAMS TRIBUTARIES DELTA ESTUARY

You are the guide – the mentor, or leader who helps your customers navigate their journey with you. The Experience* you aim to give your whole community melts into Narrative* – the real-life stories you create with and for your audience, as your business evolves. They’re both about relationships and how you make the people around you FEEL. This is where emotive storytelling comes alive.

Stories from Shakespeare to Harry Potter feature revelatory quests. You can use parts of the Hero’s Journey, a monomyth identified by Joseph Campbell, to inspire themes for your writing, as in the prompts below. Realising the quests your ideal clients are on and demonstrating how you can relate to those quests helps your unique story and your unique offerings stand out.

Hero monomyth plot points to inspire business stories include: “the call to adventure” {why you started your business / developed your latest offering}, “the ordeal” {the hardest thing you or a past client’s been through}, “return with the elixir” {the results / transformation}.

Empathy Ebele {eh-BEH-leh} | Gulf of Guinea, West Africa | mercy, kindness, compassion

When all hope is lost, Ebele is who we swim to. She’s the ubiquitous, caring mother who nurses our fevers and counsels us through fear and pain. Out of all the Sirens, she understands us the most – with a soothing heart and trusted hand, she guides us back to contented health. Ebele has a profound appreciation of suffering, having been through loss and misery herself. But she carries the weight of others without burden. Her quest is to learn the nuances of our heartaches. And her calling in life? To provide sanctuary in desperate times – a sanctuary that’s always open. Ebele does not belittle the minor irks or flashes of anger we have in daily life. Her job is to listen, without judgement. Like the sea, she’s steadfast and can bear any weight.

Ebele symbolises empathy which, I would argue, is the most important storytelling element because, if you can’t empathise with the hopes, fears, frustrations and dreams of your audience community, then creating authentic and compelling business stories will be even more arduous. We’re all seeking something – support, friendship, acceptance, compassion… Throughout the chapters of our lives, we search out people who understand us – it’s an important decision factor for your dream clients and it’s made on an emotional level.

Empathy enables a deeper connection with others because it’s a two-way street with conversation and trust, as opposed to sympathy which is one-sided, inspiring gratitude rather than mutual understanding. One of the ways you can build trust is by listening to what are your ideal customers say they’re struggling with. Ask questions which matter to them, so you understand what it is they really want {not what you think they need}.

When delivering relatable content, use some of your ideal customer’s language. If you struggle with writing sales copy, providing regular content of value, or your traffic isn’t converting, it might be time to call in a professional copywriter. Ask for recommendations, gather quotations, review portfolios and testimonials then choose a writer whose experience, approach, workflow and ethos feel like the best fit for your business.

Listen closely to your networks, reviews & feedback, client intake forms, emails, discovery sessions and social media engagement. Keep a note of phrases your potential customers use when they’re seeking help with the kinds of problems you solve. Make use of these phrases

in your sales writing {as well as your testimonial quotes, of course}.

Conflict Kali {KAH-lee} | Bay of Bengal, India | Hindu Goddess, warrior, dark mother, time

Before light, before creation and destruction, in the beginning… there was time. Kali, the dark mother, still dances the cosmic circle of death and {re}birth. Her fierce, yet benevolent ways, mean you want her on your side during any drastic changes in your life. She’s also responsible for destroying the aspects of our character which stand in the way of finding our true identity. Our Kali of the mer-queendom is a ferocious protector of the Indian coastal seahorses. She finds her sea ponies safe enclaves during the most turbulent of storms. Kali understands the cycle of life and the conflicts, momentous to minuscule, we face each day but, instead of offering counsel {which is Ebele’s forte}, Kali offers action.

Kali symbolises conflict – the inner and outer battles of our ideal clients and wider audience members, {and even ourselves}. Whether you enjoy Western formats, such as the turbulent Hero’s Journey and spiritual Heroine’s Journey {Creator: Maureen Murdock}, or you prefer more peaceful Eastern narratives, many story theorists believe there’s often a quest for something, or that all stories involve main characters who have an impact on one another. A character can be a person, place or thing, including the intangible {eg, emotions, concepts, time, energy, attitudes, memories, etc} and the environment {situation, setting, etc}.

Emotion is the go-to intangible character in copywriting because our gut reactions tend to kick in before rational thinking intervenes. The emotion itself may be the major conflict or it may be the result of the struggle. Conflict can take the form of: ¾ negative issues – crises, ordeals, burdens, frustrations, pain points, nightmares, fears ¾ positive aspirations, yet unfulfilled – dreams, ambitions, hopes and desires ¾ character impact on one another – effects, interactions, repercussions, etc – of a person, place or thing, intangible or environment.

Once you distinguish the underlying emotions of your customer’s conflicts, you can harness emotive language to show you understand what they’re going through – you are the mentor, ally or helper on their quest. For some of your business stories {eg, biography, epiphanies during product creation}, you’ll be the heroine, but try and make as many stories as possible focus on your ideal customer as the heroine or lead character.

What are the physical and emotional results of your dream client’s #1 struggle? Write a story from when you experienced similar emotions &/or outcomes and how you overcame them. Connect this story to their quest and, if appropriate, to your offering.

Solution Sorcha {SOR-sha} | Loch Linnhe, Scotland | bright, radiant, light

North of Oban, below the rugged ravines, crags and bonnieq glens, in the muckleq shadow of Ben Nevis, lies Sorcha’s home, Loch Linnhe. When she’s not basking on Black Rock island, teasing dolphins or gossiping with the swans and ospreys, Sorcha the selkieq sings lullabies to seal pups. She meanders through tales of selkie legends and seeking pearls. The pups’ favourite is the one about mussel grubs travelling on salmon gills ‘til they each find a quiet cove to call home. She lilts & laments for the troubled souls who still seek their perfect pearls and sings of her own quests to match the right pearls with the right earthwalkers. So, if you dare to swim in the shallows of Loch Linnhe, Sorcha will sense your ripples and what kind of pearl you desire most, right now. She’ll swim down through the Corran Narrows and out to her secret mussel colonies deep in the Hebrides’ ocean. She’ll meet you at dusk on the black basalt shore, stepping out of her seal skin and whispering ancestral tales of mighty glaciers as she shares the story of the chosen pearl with you. q bonnie means beautiful; muckle means huge; selkie is a Scottish mythological seal-woman.

Sorcha symbolises the solutions you provide to your customers – your unique offerings, products &/or services or, in her world, what kind of pearl they desire most, at that specific time. You are now in the Estuary of your business river! This is your utopia, where you mingle and meet your audience. You have incredible products and services to offer, but one “pearl” can appeal to many people.

By recognising the different origins of your audience community and understanding how warm, or ice-cold, your audience is, you can tailor copy to certain groups and enhance your success. You can also discover what elements they have in common with one another. This will allow you to speak directly to more of the right people. In other words, you can use these overlapping traits to integrate specific phrases into your sales messaging which will sell the distinct benefits that appeal to the right customers for that particular product or service.

Look at your offerings and sales copy from a “What’s in it for them?” point-of-view. Keep asking yourself “Am I communicating the features and benefits which they are most interested in?”

List the ways your audience community are different – where they originate from, their brand-awareness, how problem and solution aware they are, etc. Write down how you can target their different needs. Identify which needs overlap too.

Action Asuka {azs-KAH} | Sea of Japan | the smell of tomorrow

Trained by her grandmother, Asuka first went to war at the tender age of twelve. As the next in line to the throne, she could no longer bear witness to any more young merfolk being orphaned, like she was. In a bold move, she engineered a peace treaty with all jelly species of the Japanese waters and has since kept the peace for almost three decades. This doesn’t stop the older merfolk trading epic tales of battles with Nomuras’ fifteen-foot tentacles and comparing fighting techniques with their Hawai‛ian cousins at the annual Summer Solstice festival. Keeping the peace requires a consistent and dexterous effort but, despite her youth, Asuka’s people have complete faith in her stealth, tenacity, wisdom and grace. She’s a unifying force {of nature}, ensuring the tiny lantern sharks, giant spider crabs and boisterous puffer fish live in relative harmony among the corals. Asuka does not act first and think later – her actions may appear like a last-minute precipice dive, but she has prepared with many hours of meditation, mentorship and training.

Asuka symbolises action – considered action which takes both the past and future into account. This includes: ª what you’d like your audience to do ª what you can expect of your audience’s interactions & what they can expect of you ª how you prompt your audience with Calls To Action {CTAs} ª the momentum of your copy / videos / launch / etc ª the goals and strategy of your copy, communications and customer journey {see my year-round planner: Review & ReClaim your Biz Communications}

To reach more people &/or build stronger, more magnetic relationships, you need to figure out what works for your business. Remind yourself of industry averages and expert advice, but if you start testing copy and marketing options, you’ll discover what works best for you. Most email and digital marketing services allow you to segment and split-test, while you can also conduct trials, pilot studies, partnership feedback, focus groups and small print runs to test out your copywriting and marketing, as well as your product ideas.

If you were banned from saying “Subscribe”, “Sign up”, “Buy Now”, “Leave a comment”, what words could you use for your Calls-To-Action? Choose phrases which explain the action in more detail, such as what they’ll get for subscribing, or how you’d like them to engage when commenting eg, “Yes – I want my FREE guide!”, “Tell me how you are going to [topic of post]”, “Do you agree with [writer’s conclusions] – tell me in the comments”.

Invoke their “Future Self”, the aspirational, happy ever after, how their life will change for the better -self. Asuka’s name means “the smell of tomorrow”. What does “tomorrow” look and FEEL like for your customers?

Clarity Celina {seh-LEE-nah} | Norwegian Sea | heavenly, sky, moon

Celina and her sisters follow the transcendent Aurora Borealis, migrating from Svalbard to Greenland and back to Sørøya, their favourite Norwegian isle. There, they play among the thousands of islands notched along Norway’s rugged coastline, listening for the growls and chirps of the solar winds to rise. When the Aurora calls again, Celina gathers her sisters and they take in the moods and lessons of the cosmos. She leads them through the northern waters, fanning out across an ice-topped ocean and visiting their neighbours to spread word from the heavens. Celina’s entrusted with the nethermost waters, communing with the Kraken in the Arctic Deep. Now, the Kraken’s no monster. She’s a serene, island-sized crab, hidden in a secret crevasse – the entrance disguised by bioluminescent corals. Only Celina can translate the Kraken’s ancient language, exchanging her wisdom of the Aurora for meditations from the deep. She meets her sisters back near the shores of Sørøya, swapping stories along the route home with narwhals, jumbo oarfish, and creatures without names.

Celina symbolises clarity – clarity of language to help your audience read, listen or learn with ease.

This may sound counter-intuitive but, unless you’re writing a thesis, press release, catalogue descriptions, case studies, or fact-only articles, write as you speak. You’re writing for a web-savvy audience and, trust me, it flows better when your words are relaxed and intimate. Don’t forget to encourage readability and reduce monotony with {white} space, sub-headings, bullets/lists, icons, colour and imagery.

Once you’ve danced {or swam} with your creative muse and left your final draft to rest for a few days or weeks, it’s time to switch ON your Inner Critic. But rather than berate yourself for what is “now only fit for the shredder”, try to avoid perfectionism and put your Critic to work:

1. Don’t waste your reader’s time. Use direct and succinct language – refine, iterate and distill your words down to the barest of essentials. 2. While watching out for repetition, jargon, clichés, ambiguity and typoos, know when to break the rules. 3. Printing and {always} reading it out makes ALL the difference. You’ll find most of the typos, plus issues with cadence and flow when reading

aloud.

When refining your headlines, sub-headlines and subject lines, write at least 5 variations – keep writing dull and silly ones until you hit the best phrase. Go back through the Intrigue chapter and choose your Curiosity Sparks. Make sure your main conflict is pinpointed and

consider the emotional mood and flow. Spend time on your opening sentences too. This takes us full circle, as you end with the beginning.

Transformation Tiamat {TEE-ah-mat} | Persia | Mesopotamian primordial ocean goddess

Tiamat is the ancient mother. Her call echoes down through the undulating corals, the ravines and trenches, down to the deep abyss. It reverberates between the landmasses and crashes upon a thousand shores. It whispers through the dolphin’s sonar and the whale’s requiem. When the saltwater goddess of the briny deep, joined in sacred marriage with Abzû, the fresh water god, they created the cosmos. Oh, the stories the moon could tell… “Trust in your inner guiding star,” says Tiamat. “Bathe in the ebb and flow of buoyant peacefulness, succulent chaos and all states in between. Fluidity is strength.”

Tiamat, the ancient mother or “she who bore them all”, is the ninth Siren – a little surprise to conclude our watery escapades. She symbolises transformation.

You enable the axis of change for your clients – you create the environment and facilitate the transformation from one state to another. It’s you who provides the catalyst. Not all transformations are life-changing metamorphoses, but that doesn’t make them any less important! Whether it’s simple or complex, different, ordinary, innovative, light-hearted or life-altering, the changemaker is YOU. So, keep your writing and marketing fuelled with the key transformations {and the associated feelings} you provide to your clients.

Stories can help your business resonate with your dream clients and audience community, giving a more immersive and intuitive experience. You can use real-life stories of the transformations you provide to your clients and craft invented metaphors and similes to give examples, inspiration and jumping-off points. As well as quoting your actual customer feedback, you can use the words of your potential clients in your own copy.

Write about a time you went through a transformation in your business or personal life. It could be a whole new outlook on a topic; a website, home or offering revamp; parenthood; travel adventures. Relate this story to the transformation you facilitate for your clients.

If you’re wondering “what Siren will help me most?” or “where should I start?”, this page is for you. The Sirens guide is built around 8 key elements for business writing and one siren is not more vital than another. Yes, I do argue that Empathy is the most important storytelling element, but I know you’re the type of businesswomen who shares plenty of empathy with her clients {which makes storytelling easier for you}! Here’s another way to look at it. There are 8 key ingredients which work together to help your writing stand out – they are: Intrigue Character Journey Empathy Conflict Solution Action Clarity

To make things simpler, I’ve included a one-page checklist on the next page and some ideas below, depending what stage of writing/editing you’re at with the content you’re currently working on – use the checklist every time you’re working on important copy.

…For a specific campaign, webpage,

blog series, etc I’ve no idea what to write I’ve got pages of writing and don’t

know where to start I’ve got a rough draft to polish

Use the Intrigue Curiosity Sparks to start you off or to brainstorm topic ideas. Revisit Empathy, Conflict, Solution & Action.

Start with the writing prompts – there’s at least one for each Siren.

Write your crappy first draft – just let it flow out and, after you’ve left it to rest for a few days, then use Sirens to edit it.

Go back through your content asking “What’s in it for them?”, revisiting Solution. Using the Checklist, pinpoint areas you want to focus on and refer back to those Sirens.

Use the Checklist to make sure you’ve got the core elements covered. Pay special attention to Action and Clarity during the final edits and proofreads.

Remember, it may take some time to digest all the art and information – and that’s okay! As I said at the start, this is a companion writing guide. That means, the more you refer to the guide, the more insight and inspiration you’ll discover and the easier writing and editing will become.

� Included 1 – 2 Curiosity Sparks

� Spent time editing the opening sentences and headlines Intrigue

� Decided who my lead character is {me, my ideal client, past customer, someone else?}

� Used my natural Tone of Voice {does it sound like ME?}

� Included some vivid, sensory language {painted a picture with 1 – 2 of the five senses}

Character

� Considered where my Ideal Client is on their journey with me and how I want to make them feel

� Thought about the quest they’re on and demonstrated how I can relate to that quest

Journey

� Listened & understood what it is my audience really wants {not what I think they need}

� Delivered relatable content, using some of my ideal customer’s language.

Empathy

� Pinpointed the specific conflict of my Ideal Client

� Discussed the physical and emotional results of the conflict Conflict

� Worked out how warm or cold {brand/problem/solution-aware} sections of my audience are

� Tailored my copy to one particular group or the overlapping traits of certain audience members

Solution

� Invoked their happy-ending “Future Self” {sales copy}

� Made the Call To Action clear and persuasive Action

� Used direct and succinct language + avoided repetition, jargon, clichés, ambiguity and typos

� Encouraged readability & reduced monotony with white space, sub-headings, bullets/lists, icons, colour & imagery

Clarity

Notes

Did you enjoy The 8 Storytelling Sirens?

Let’s nourish the world with more compelling stories!

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Written and Illustrated by Jeda Pearl Founder of Jeda Pearl Creative and Storytelling Sirens�

Photo: Matthew Thomson, the artist who stole away my heart

Hey, I'm Jeda Pearl, copywriter, communication strategist & creator of the Storytelling Sirens�. I help incredible business owners, from around the globe, make magnetic connections with more of their ideal clients, so they can grow their businesses and create real change. Born & based in Bonnie Scotland, you can picture me dancing among the wild heather and thistledown, while I whip you up some delectable copy. If you enjoy using expansive, supportive frameworks to DIY your own content, or you’re wishing it was whisked off your {ever spinning} plates… if you seek meaningful connection with your audience let’s collaborate. On jedapearl.com I share inspiration, stories & tips on copywriting, marketing, communication strategy and the creative-business life. You can also find out about my award-flirting first business, why I can’t eat rice noodles and the diagnosis which changed everything over there too. Bliss is ... Dark fairy tales. Silence to write. Sarcasm. Boogieing all night. My awe-inspiring, mayhem-making, clever, hilarious kids. Funk, soul & 60's ska tunes. My massive extended family. Chocolate anything & a warm pot of tea. Absorbing conversation. Heart-led innovator, soulful rebel, fellow non-conformist – join us.

“You are the ocean.

You are dazzling and profound and serene.

You are harmony and fear, flow and sustenance.

You are impalpable, mercurial, enduring.

You are tumultuous.

You are paradox and clarity all at once and I want to dive in.”

~ Jeda Pearl