A few weeks ago I published the post your business story and most of it applies to origin stories for products services and causes.
I argued why your business story is likely to need less prominence than your personal story. The same applies to origin stories for specific products services and causes. Unless they have some unique origin, the story of you slogging away for months is not likely to be gripping. This is not to say the story should be omitted, it may answer questions potential customers are asking. So, how you write the story and the way you present it is important.
Origin stories for causes are more likely to be interesting and so may need more prominence. Causes need to be promoted to people who are not aware of them and will not gain personal benefit from supporting them. So, a good story may be an excellent way to capture their attention and gain their support.
If you happen to have a good story, the same is true for products and services. Remember the story does not have to be long. A couple of sentences may be all you need to get it across. There’s no problem telling longer stories; a good story will hold your site visitors’ attention. Remember you can use audio or video as well as written copy.
Three Useful Questions
Here are three questions that might help you find an origin story for each product, service or cause. Try writing your answers; take as many words as you need and then edit them and be ruthless!
- What was going on for you at the time you developed your offer? This is an opportunity to describe the background to the story. Were you actively seeking something to offer or were you engaged in something else that led to a happy accident? This is where you can refer to your personal origin story. Don’t dwell on this unless it is really important. You are likely to find, when you write a couple of sentences, they draw you on to the next question.
- What did you notice that showed there was a need for this? This is the problem to which your product, service or cause is a solution. This is important because it is where you capture reader’s attention if they share the problem. You can show you understand the problem because you have experienced it or been close to people who have.
- How did you develop it? Developing a new offer depends on two insights. The first is the problem and the second is the solution. There is often more than one solution to the same problem and so this part of the story is about how you solved the problem. If you are competing with other solutions, your story will help you show why your solution is the best.
Your offer’s origin story may be an important part of your sales funnel. On the awareness ladder, it is at step four, where you differentiate your product service or cause from other solutions in the market.
It’s always interesting to share examples and so if you know any compelling origin stories, share them in the comments.