What is a backstory?
A backstory is the story behind the thing you’re talking about in your sales copy or content.
A backstory can be about:
- You
- A business
- A product
- A movement
- A news story
It’s the history behind whatever you’re talking about… the story behind the story.
So, why is a backstory essential?
Backstories are vital because we, as human beings, always want to know the reason why.
Just take a moment to think about a three-year-old with a bad case of why-arrhea. The purpose of the child’s questions is to discover the motivation, purpose, or reason for things.
Asking why is wired into our DNA.
A backstory is important because it offers the answer to ‘why’ questions and fulfills this need we all have.
In your sales copy, it makes people feel comfortable with making a decision or taking the action you want them to take. That’s why the backstory is key to the sales process.
Backstories don’t have to be long, either.
In many situations, a backstory can be just a sentence.
For example:
“Hey! This is Jim. My wife and I love going to Aruba every year because we enjoy relaxing on the beach in the middle of winter. That’s why I’m talking to you from the beach in some of my videos this week.”
This is an example of a simple backstory.
I shared with you the “story” behind why I’ve been going to Aruba every year since 2003.
So, a backstory doesn’t need to be a long, elaborate thing. It just needs to be enough to answer the why questions that people are asking.
Conclusion
People need to understand why you’re telling them what you’re telling them. What’s the story behind everything you’re telling or selling.
A backstory does that perfectly. Here are three steps to getting the right backstory to tell:
- Identify what you want people to do when they read your sales copy.
- Identify the why questions people might have while reading.
- Put a backstory in your copy that answers those why questions.
KEY: Keep it short and focus on offering people the background to paint the picture.