There are good stories all around us — if only we would put them into the proper context so our audience would find them entertaining and valuable.

Here’s how:

 

1. Pay attention to what is happening 

 

You can’t turn your everyday experiences into riveting and relatable content if you aren’t paying attention to what’s happening – what’s happening to you and what’s happening around you.

 

What gets your blood boiling? 

What inconveniences you? 

What problems do you face – even minor ones – and how do you solve those problems? 

These are the simple little things that, when given the right context, can become valuable content.

 

2. Note these experiences and analyze them

 

If you’re ever going to convert the mundane into the irresistible, you have to be able to remember what the heck is going on. 

When it comes to creating content using the simple everyday occurrences in your life you’ll quickly realize that there are a lot more things happening in your life than you thought – no matter how insignificant they may seem (or used to seem before realizing they could be turned into valuable content). 

 

So be sure to note down your experiences in some way. 

If something makes you emotional, note it. 

If something causes you confusion, note it. 

If you find yourself having to deal with a problem over and over, note it.

Then analyze what it is about those experiences that caused you to note them down. 

 

3. Put the experience into a framework of some kind

What do I mean by framework? 

 

A story, basically.

 

I say “framework” instead of “story” for the simple reason that I don’t want you to think that you have to come up with any grand characters, unexpected plot lines, or elaborate settings to create good content. 

 

Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. And don’t reinvent the wheel. (And don’t be afraid to use a few clichés.)

 

Instead use a simple framework – like PAS: problem, agitation, solution; or AIDA: attention, interest, desire, action – to guide your story along. 

Frameworks work because they have a natural flow to them that keeps readers interested. Rather than over-explaining, or over-complicating your experience, simply put the pieces into the framework. Then, adjust the story if need be.

 

And the beauty is you don’t need to know a thousand different frameworks. 

A framework is like the structure of a building – almost every building you go into is built with a similar structure, but each building can be a completely different experience. 

It’s the same with stories. 

Unless your readers are acutely aware of story structure, they won’t notice that you use a similar framework any more than someone who goes into a building would think to themselves “Haven’t I been in a building that was designed like this one before?” Most people are concerned with other things, like the contents of the story/building.

 

4. The “Golden Rule” of converting everyday experiences into valuable content

Here’s a golden nugget to remember when deciding which experiences to write about – and credit goes to email copywriter John Bejakovic for writing about this gem of a Rich Schefren quote in one of his daily emails: 

 

“What’s most personal is most general.”

 

This is why valuable content can be derived from simple, common, everyday experiences. No matter how insignificant they may seem, you can be sure that you’re not the only person who is dealing with them. But you might be able to convey them in a way that others haven’t done before. 

 

It’s also why you can be more vulnerable than you might think your audience will tolerate. When it comes to building a relationship with your readers, the boundary of “TMPI” (“too much personal information”) is rarely crossed.

 

With practice, you can use these 3 steps (and one “Golden Rule”) to mine almost limitless amounts of entertaining, valuable, audience-and-relationship-building content from your own daily experiences. 

 

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