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I was a nobody 2 months ago:

• 21 followers
• 250 daily impressions
• Receiving no engagement

But then I began telling stories:

• 1672 followers
• 23k daily impressions
• 800+ daily notifications

My 6-step storytelling guide to skip the beginner hell of Twitter growth:
Before we begin, I'd like to share a little backstory on myself (storytelling, right?)

I'm Joshua, I've been creating content for:

12+ years now.

And I hate to brag, but I grew multiple accounts to 10k+

You now might be thinking:

"Hey, perhaps this guy knows a thing or two?"
And that, my friend, is the power of storytelling! 🥂

I could just share my knowledge in the form of a list.

Perhaps even save you some time.

But you wouldn't have a single reason to believe me.

Right?
Think of it like this:

Rare metals are precious.

But without the right tools, they are useless.

Except in our case, the rare metals are your knowledge and the tools are the context (in the form of storytelling)
It took me 7 months to figure this out, but I just explained it to you in..

1 minute?

Man -- I must really be a dumbass then!

Okay, enough joking around now.

Let's get onto the juicy part:
Step 1: Stop posting lists

The tweet below is useless, despite the tips being useful.

So what's wrong with it?

I don't give context to the readers.

It'd be 100x better like:

• I felt unmotivated lately
• Until I found out...
• Doing [x] helps

And hear me out:

Big accounts can use them because they have authority in the form of engagement:

It seems valuable if it gets 500 likes.

But it's surface-level knowledge most of the time.

Fancy way of saying garbage, right? 😆
Step 2: Create a story/idea bank

So we can't simply recycle generic lists from the internet anymore...

AND come up with new & creative ways to tell stories?

That sounds hard 🥴

It is, but that's why I'll show you how to make it easier:
Most experienced content creators have a way to store their ideas.

I do it on Notion with this setup:

• Concept
• Status
• Type
• Topic
• Link
• Engagement %

The great thing about this is that you can easily discover & repurpose your best performing ideas.
Step 3: Make a killer content plan

Back in October, I decided to use the content plan @ItsKieranDrew made.

I say it's one of the main factors of my recent growth.

But why?

Because it has a huge focus on sharing personality, instead of value.

Which is ideal for storytelling.
@ItsKieranDrew I did end up tweaking it a little bit:

• Added daily goodmornings
• Added passion/empathy posts
• Added big/minor milestones

Credit to @thejustinwelsh on that.

Additionally, there's one more spicy take I'd recommend you to use in your content plan:
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh 4: Post vulnerability

Remember how your parents used to say to be careful sharing info online?

This is about to piss them off:

• Share vulnerable details
• Not your adress or bank details
• Real stories, pains, insecurities, etc
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh Now before you raise your pitchforks:

Yes -- this does make you seem like you DON'T know it all.

And it doesn't directly generate growth.

But what it does..

Is generate a fuckton of good-will and relatability with your audience.

Do you want true fans?

This is how.
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh Step 5: Fix your branding

Your content isn't the only place where you're telling a story.

It's also part of effective branding.

And it isn't as vague as it sounds..

I promise! 😉

I'll need a little more space to explain it though.. 👇
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh When people visit your profile, they shouldn't be greeted with:

• Hey this is what I do
• I will do this & this for you
• I like to write about these topics

It's like walking into a restaurant where the host tells about herself instead of the menu 🤣
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh What you should do instead is:

• Show, don't tell -- what you do
• Focus on what makes you unique
• Create a coherent feeling/story

You want people to walk into your restaurant (page) and think:

"Oh damn, this feels like such a cool place, I'll take a seat (follow you)."
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh I know creating a brand story sounds incredibly vague, so here are people who do an excellent job at it:

@sanathemonster
@Jayyanginspires
@LoftedLearning
@thatroblennon
@DanGoldfield
@hayden_flohr
@thesyedhuq
@takezopure
@evielync

What 'story' does their page tell?
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh @sanathemonster @Jayyanginspires @LoftedLearning @thatroblennon @DanGoldfield @hayden_flohr @thesyedhuq @takezopure @evielync Step 6: Be recognizable

I just gave you some killer insights, but there's one piece still needed to complete the puzzle:

A consistent message.

Remember that restaurant?

Imagine if they had a completely different menu next time.

You'd feel confused, right?
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh @sanathemonster @Jayyanginspires @LoftedLearning @thatroblennon @DanGoldfield @hayden_flohr @thesyedhuq @takezopure @evielync Well, the same goes if you constantly change what you're putting out there.

Specifically:

• Your slang
• Your tone of voice
• Your frequently used emojis

I don't say to start using templates, but be mindful to keep being you.
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh @sanathemonster @Jayyanginspires @LoftedLearning @thatroblennon @DanGoldfield @hayden_flohr @thesyedhuq @takezopure @evielync And as a sidenote:

This doesn't mean that you can't change things around anymore.

Iteratation is good!

I changed my bio 109 times before I hit it right.

And you can experiment with your content or profile.

But stay familiar.

People like that.
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh @sanathemonster @Jayyanginspires @LoftedLearning @thatroblennon @DanGoldfield @hayden_flohr @thesyedhuq @takezopure @evielync TLDR:

1: Stop posting lists
2: Create an idea bank
3: Use a personal content plan
4: Share vulnerable moments
5: Fix your branding
6: Be recognizable

Oh, and I'll be using restaurant metaphors for personal branding from now on.

Get used to it 😎
@ItsKieranDrew @thejustinwelsh @sanathemonster @Jayyanginspires @LoftedLearning @thatroblennon @DanGoldfield @hayden_flohr @thesyedhuq @takezopure @evielync Thank you for reading!

If you liked this, I've got 2 requests:

1. Follow me @thejoshuageelen to join the authentic writing gang.

2. Share this thread so other people can also start growing with storytelling.

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