Have you ever heard of the hero’s journey? While you may not recognize it by its name, you’ve experienced it many times. The hero’s journey is the term used to describe a style of storytelling. All great books, movies, and other compelling stories use a version of the hero’s journey whereby the main character goes through a specific series of events that takes the audience on a wild ride.
The hero’s journey breaks down like this:
Departure
- The main character, who is usually an average person is called to take bold action usually to save their family or community
- The main character refuses the call initially
- The main character leaves behind their ordinary life to accept the call, usually with great reluctance or little faith in their ability
Initiation
- The main character meets a mentor who challenges them, believes in them, or offers them valuable training or resources
- The main character faces a series of adversity ultimately culminating in an epic battle (either physical or metaphorical) to overcome their enemy or achieve the epic goal.
Return
- The main character returns to ‘normalcy’ a changed person
If you think about movies, you’ve seen this scenario played out time and again. Epics like Lord of the Rings and love stories like You’ve Got Mail both tell the hero’s journey.
Use the Hero’s Journey in Your Business
The hero’s journey is perfect for creating compelling marketing for any business. Sharing stories that showcase an average person overcoming obstacles to achieve something great wins hearts and encourages people. You may not have had an experience like Frodo Baggins, but you’ve surely got some heroic stories to tell.
Tips to create heroic stories for your business
Tip- Share a time that you had to dig deep down and overcome. Share this with your audience in an email series or blog post. Tie the experience in with your product or services.
Tip- Share a story that inspires you. A heroic feat that gets you motivated can also motivate your tribe.
Tip- Use social media to engage your audience. Share videos or ask open ended questions that generate buzz. You can easily use hero’s-journey-type content to spark conversations.
Tip- Create a YouTube channel and showcase stories or create business related content that adopts the hero’s journey methodology.
The hero’s journey for storytelling is an excellent way to build excitement and enthusiasm for your business. You can create new and unique content or piggy back off existing content for your audience. Either way, using this dynamic method will get your tribe excited and interested in your business in a whole new way.
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