Storytelling lets your audience know who you are. It puts a face on your brand and practice. It lets people know that you’re human, not a faceless entity. It’s a bridge that connects what you do and why you do it.
Storytelling also matters when it comes to explaining a treatment or your patients’ condition. You can probably explain why they have chronic pain by describing how nerves and inflammation work, but your patients might understand it better if you tell a story — kind of like Dr. Lorimer Moseley and his snakebite experience.
Telling your story and listening to your patients’ stories are part of narrative medicine, which is a way for those in pain to make sense of their experience.
It can also build and establish a stronger relationship between you and your patients and community. Without the human connection, it’s harder to build trust and credibility.
If you have a lot of practitioners in your area who do what you do, why should anyone go to you?
What makes you stand out is your personal story.
Related: How to tell your story with a funnel
Stories bridges connections with emotions
I recently read the story about Toa the Orca who was washed ashore in New Zealand and was separated from its pod. It died 12 days later, and the story captured the hearts of many worldwide.
Because of this story, I got interested in the conservation program in New Zealand, which led me to take a peek at what conservation programs in the U.S. are doing.
I imagined how I would feel if I were one of the rescuers. I thought: how could I help? What was going on in their minds? Why do they care?
It got me thinking about the power of storytelling. How much impact would stories have if it were about the local homeless or trauma survivors?
Would people have as much empathy for other people who are suffering from chronic pain as they have for Toa?
The power of storytelling galvanizes people to take action or at least to be more aware, like in my case.
So even if you’re a hardcore science fan, you still need to include stories in some of your blogs. It doesn’t mean that you should completely ignore or discuss old or outdated narratives.
You can use them as a way to describe how thought processes and science have changed. It’s a part of the story of being human.
As historian Heather Cox Richardson said, “Our history and the way we tell our history says who we are as a country. And it also says who can be part of that country. Some people can’t be read out of our history.”
We can extrapolate this thought with how you can share your story and the narratives behind why we experience pain. So here are five ways you can brainstorm to share your story.
1. Why are you in practice? What’s your story?
Many practitioners tend to focus on the what and how they do things, like their manual therapy techniques or amenities they offer. They would list their qualifications, education, and certifications they hold.
While these are nice, there are lots of other practitioners and clinics that offer the same things. These things don’t let people know why they should choose your services over someone else’s when they have the same or similar backgrounds as you do.
People tend to care more about how you treat them than your titles.
So what makes you different?
Telling people why you started your practice lets your audience know your values. It will attract people who share such values and build a connection.
You’re not just writing your history; you also want to make emotional and intellectual connections, something that your audience should relate to. And people tend to remember and share emotional events.
When people know, like, and trust you, they’re more likely to hire you or refer you.
2. Story conflicts and resolutions.
Tying back to the “why,” your story should have a conflict. Perhaps something happened to you earlier in life that made you want to help people in pain.
Or perhaps you witnessed an event that motivated you to change your job and do something that’s more meaningful to you and others around you.
For example, you might recall a time at the gym when you have been observing a personal trainer gradually helped a client regain her strength and independence with exercise.
This made you want to go back to school for a different career, and you chose physical therapy.
After you graduated and passed your exams, you built your own practice so you can help others to live better independently with less suffering.
Don’t just talk about your success stories in your journey. Share your struggles, failures, and uncertainties.
People like authenticity and you’ll likely attract people who align with your values.
A resolution to your story doesn’t have to be a happy ending. It could be an ongoing struggle that you’re still facing. You may have closure in the future, and this gives your audience some hope and optimism about what you’re facing.
3. Pick a story perspective.
How you write your story’s point-of-view can affect how your audience feels about your story. This can be in first-person, second-person, or third-person.
Which one you use depends on what your story is about and what you’re trying to do.
You can use the first-person perspective for anecdotes when you give an example about a topic.
For example, if you’re writing about an ankle sprain you once had but you didn’t feel any pain until hours later, then you should use first-person.
EX: “After my run one day, I noticed that my right ankle was throbbing and swollen. There was no pain at first, but gradually my ankle pain intensified as I rested. And I thought, ‘Why was there no pain when I had twisted my ankle?’”
You can use the second-person perspective to “draw” your audience into an experience that you’re describing. You also need to understand your audience’s experience so that you don’t guess at what they might feel and think.
The “you” perspective also shows that you empathize with your audience should you share similar experiences with their struggles.
EX: “You may be frustrated after hopping from one doctor to another for your low back pain. Getting a referral could even take forever. But when you come to ABC Therapy, you don’t have to hop around anymore. Here’s why.”
The third-person perspective (he, she, they) could be used as a case study in your content. For example, you can use a real or imaginary person as a character in your story to explain your topic.
EX: “My patient Laura had her spine scanned with an MRI recently and found several lesions in her lumbar spine. However, she has no back pain and can bend and twist without pain or symptoms. So it’s possible to have ‘abnormalities’ in the spine without pain.”
If you’re using a real person and that person is a patient, make sure that you have their permission before sharing their story.
4. Do a short video about your story.
Some people like to see and hear you to get to know you better. Even if you are camera-shy or think that you don’t have a “voice” for video, just try it. Keep your video short, like about one to two minutes long.
You can use video to emphasize your written story. Try to avoid using the talking head format.
Try standing, moving a little bit around your practice, and demonstrating how you interact with your patients or clients. You might even demonstrate a little bit about what you do.
If you do a talking head format, put yourself in a way that is a little off-center. If you have a video-making program, you can use video, text, or image inserts to go along with your story.
Videos can also be part of republishing or repurposing your existing content.
For example, if you have a main content about low back pain and one of the snippets of that content has a story about one of your patient’s successful recover, you can include a video to repurpose and enhance that particular content.
5. Get story feedback from your audience.
Having a fresh pair of eyes can help spot errors and reframe ideas that you didn’t notice before.
Get a trusted colleague, family member, partner, or friend to read your draft.
How does it make them feel? Does it resonate with what you’re already doing with them? Do they feel indifferent after they read your story?
Another option is to hire a professional editor. A freelance editor who
If your story doesn’t make them feel anything, you need to change how you present your story.
If they like it, ask them why. Perhaps there are some storytelling elements that you should keep.
Remember that building content is a long-term game. There are no shortcuts and it will be challenging at first.
Not only will you be building value in what you do, you’ll be making yourself easier to find on the Internet than your competitors.
Don’t get too hooked up with the details of your story. You can always go back and flesh them out later if needed.
The most important thing is to let people know who you are.
“We need those stories in order to be humans, to have your humanity. One of the key aspects of being part of a society is having a story.” ~ Heather Cox Richardson.
So start your story today: the sooner you start making your content, the more time you’ll have to cultivate an audience.
Do you need help to get started? Let’s see what we can do. Contact me at nick@thenickng.com.