It was 1992, and I was 16 years old.
I was about to discover an incredible secret, one that would launch my career and prove to be a catalyst for every ounce of success I’ve ever achieved.
At that moment, however, I simply felt like a fool.
Urban Cowboy that I was, I couldn’t find the Target Center, an enormous sports arena located in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves were holding a special sportswriting clinic for aspiring high school journalists, and I was missing it.
Late, sweaty and out of breath, I finally found the arena and attended the clinic, which culminated with a special writing contest put on by the Minnesota High School Newspaper Association.
After touring the arena and locker rooms, meeting with local sportswriters and learning about how they covered the team and the challenges and rewards of the job, we were all asked to write a story about the event and what we learned.
It was a big deal: The winning writer would have his or her work featured as the cover story on an issue of Timberwolves Tonight Magazine, along with getting free tickets to a few games and other honors.
After the event ended, I found a payphone (remember, it was 1992) and called my father at home.
“Uh, dad, I can’t remember where I parked the car downtown,” I told him. “Can you pick me up outside Target Center?”
He did, and we spent the next hour or so driving in and out of parking ramps around downtown Minneapolis, looking for the car I’d parked in a panic before tearing through the city streets looking for the Target Center.
The next day, I sat down to write my story.
Here’s how I started it:
As an aspiring journalist, I have often heard that the life of a beat writer can be a tough one.
My suspicions were not confirmed, however, until the day of the Minnesota Timberwolves sportswriting clinic. That day, I found myself lost in downtown Minneapolis, unable to find the enormous Target Center.
I knew then that my life as a prospective sportswriter was not starting out too well. Luckily, I found a police officer, and after I told him my plight, he somewhat amusedly pointed me in the right direction.
After about eight blocks at top speed, I panted into the Target Center, just in time to begin the clinic. Just as abruptly as my unscheduled tour of Minneapolis ended, my other tour began.
This was to be a journey into the life of sportswriters, and how they went about covering an NBA team.
I went on in the article to describe what I learned at the clinic, and then finished my story with this:
Most days for a sportswriter are pretty similar, and one of the most important parts of covering a team is establishing and maintaining an open relationship between the two sides.
But in my opinion, the most important thing sportswriters need to know when covering an NBA team is this: They need to be able to find the arena on their own, instead of following their father’s directions.
A few weeks later, I got a phone call from the Timberwolves.
I’d won the contest.
My father forgot all about my parking woes (and cheap shots about his skill in providing driving directions) and proudly took me to the first of several games we got free tickets to.
As we walked into the Target Center, my father spotted a vendor hawking copies of that evening’s Timberwolves Tonight Magazine.
My story was on the cover, and my dad broke into a huge smile.
“Hey buddy, wanna buy your kid a program?” the vendor asked my dad as we approached.
“Indeed I do!” my dad told the vendor. “In fact, my son wrote the article that’s featured on the cover!”
The vendor looked over at me.
“No kidding?” he said. “That’s great, kid.”
He turned back to my dad.
“That’ll be five bucks, buddy.”
The Secret Behind Content That Converts
As we sat in our seats that night and watched the game, I realized that content was the reason I was sitting inside an NBA arena for free.
Content was the reason my dad was telling everyone who had a game program, “Hey! My son wrote the article you’re reading!”
Content was why I was the envy of all my high school buddies.
Even more important (and even as a 16 year old) I knew the reason I won was because of how I’d put my personality into my content.
In later years, I’d come up with a term to capture what I’d discovered: Infotainment.
People want information, yes, but they also want to be entertained while consuming that information.
Information + Entertainment = Infotainment.
So, how do you entertain people online?
The same way we’ve entertained people for thousands of years – telling great stories.
The Timberwolves Tonight Magazine story above illustrates a powerful concept I’ve come up with for crafting compelling LinkedIn content:
Personal Story + Business Lesson = Compelling Content
There’s nothing more interesting, inspiring or entertaining to us than a good story, right?
It’s why you love movies, books and music so much.
And, since the biggest advantage you have in today’s marketplace is YOU, the best thing you can do is tell your story!
How To Create Compelling Content
You don’t have to come up with epic tales, either.
It can be as simple as a trip to the garbage dump.
When we moved homes a few years back, we were left, as many often are, with a ton of garbage.
That necessitated a trip to the local dump, where, of course, I ended up hauling our load in on the hottest day of the summer.
As I stood under a scorching sun, humidity as thick as a heavy wool blanket, flies buzzing around me, enduring smells so foul that I wished God had never given humans noses, I had an idea.
Content!
The “personal story” of course, was my trip to the dump.
The “business lesson” would be this: Mindset.
Much like a trip to the garbage dump, our thoughts can sometimes start to “smell” bad. And “stinking thinking” can be quite detrimental to both your personal and professional success.
So, in this instance, I created a podcast episode, LinkedIn article, email and more around my trip to the garbage dump.
It’s a classic example of the “Personal Story + Business Lesson = Content” formula.
The fact that I can still remember this example years later (as opposed to so many other random tips and insights I’ve shared in my content) shows the staying power of stories in our brains.
Why You MUST Tell Great Stories
Humans encode information in story form, and stories have shown time and again to be the most powerful form of inspiration, motivation and entertainment in human existence.
Think about your time in school as a kid.
What do you remember? The facts and figures and formulas you were forced to remember and regurgitate for tests?
Or the stories?
I remember a 7th grade teacher, Mr. Maroney, who taught us history through stories instead of statistics.
For instance, during a unit about the Vietnam War, he brought in a local Vietnam Veteran to tell us his story of serving there.
The veteran told us about being on a mission with his platoon and literally getting blown up, flying through the air and landing in a tree, knocked unconscious.
He told us about coming home, and how anti-war protesters here in the U.S. spit on him, cursed at him and urinated on his luggage as he waited for it.
That’s a story that’s stuck with since 1987, when I first heard it.
Putting Your Personality Into Your Content
We live in an era where anyone can “fake” anything online.
It’s easy to present a perfect, polished image of your #blessed life, complete with perfectly behaved, well-dressed kids winning every game and trophy, everyone always smiling in every image, and never-ending wins in business and life.
Today alone, the dog peed on the carpet, we ran out of toilet paper, I had to deal with an unhappy client and I look like a homeless psycho, unshaven and unkempt after several days of living in my office while battling covid and isolating from the rest of our family.
How come people don’t post days like that on social media?
Now, the key here is not to turn your online content into an episode or Oprah and fill it with drama and dysfunction.
Nor is it about documenting everything you do in great detail.
Instead, it’s about finding a way to be real, authentic and transparent without oversharing or being creepy. Doing that makes you relatable to your ideal prospects online.
No matter what industry or niche you’re in, don’t overlook or ignore this reality: Being approachable is immensely important if you want to attract clients online.
I’m routinely shocked that successful business owners want to work with a guy who, as I type this, is wearing a gray t-shirt my teenage son gave me that reads as follows:
World’s Best Farter (I Mean Father!)
🤣
If you present such a perfect, polished image of yourself online, acting as if you’ve never had a bad day, never failed at anything in your entire life, never had your toddler throw a tantrum in the middle of a crowded restaurant, people will feel like they can’t relate and go elsewhere.
Now, I get it – it feels scary to let your guard down, but being your true, authentic self does something incredible – it attracts your ideal clients while repelling those who would be a nightmare to work with.
We humans are communal creatures – we crave community and companionship, and we’re always looking for a group where we feel like we can be accepted as we are and “fit in” with everyone else.
This is true in high school … and business!
Since every service under the sun is now a commodity that you can find online, there are infinite choices available for prospects to choose from.
Assuming the quality of a service is the same, the choice will come down to connection.
If, through consuming your online content, a prospect feels a connection to you, they will give you their time, attention, interest and money.
Best of all, you don’t have to pretend or present a false self online.
Just be yourself – everyone else is taken!
Most important of all, get your own directions to local NBA arenas! 🤣
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