{"id":530519848,"date":"2018-01-05T17:26:20","date_gmt":"2018-01-05T22:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/contently.com\/?p=530519848"},"modified":"2020-03-16T03:21:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-16T07:21:29","slug":"4-elements-great-storytelling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/contently.com\/2018\/01\/05\/4-elements-great-storytelling\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Elements of Great Storytelling, Backed by Neuroscience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Content marketing<\/a> is in a crisis.<\/p>\n

Once you sign up for a few brand newsletters, you get pounded with the same generic how-to articles. How to Use Social Media to Boost Your Small Business. How to Make Your Team More Productive. How to Save Money for Your Kid’s Future. And, most ironically, How to Deal With Email Overload.<\/p>\n

The onslaught of the status quo drives us crazy because, deep down, we all know this strategy doesn’t work. The best stories take risks<\/a>. They suck us in, keep us on the edge of our seats, and illuminate the city of our minds. Need more proof? There’s actually a science to it.<\/p>\n

Recently, I sat down with\u00a0The Big Think<\/a>\u00a0to talk about the lessons Contently co-founder Shane Snow and I cover in our new book,\u00a0The Storytelling Edge: How to Transform Your Business, Stop Screaming into the Void, and Make People Love You<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>It turns out there are four pillars underlying all great stories:\u00a0relatability, novelty, tension, and fluency<\/strong>. You can use these pillars to study everything from Star Wars to Ernest Hemingway to Stephen King.<\/p>\n

Check out the short video below to learn more about these four pillars and how they can make you a better storyteller.<\/p>\n