When my son, Zac was little, you could ask him anything about superheroes or Star Wars and he’d know the answer.

For instance, you could ask, who’s Darth Vader?

“He was Luke Skywalker’s dad, who turned bad and got melted in a volcano so he has to wear a helmet to breathe.”

Or why is Batman so powerful?

“The joker killed his mum and dad, so he used all their money to build a fighting suit so he could get the baddies.”

Or why can Superman fly?

“Because he came from another planet in outer space where he was normal, but on earth he is much stronger and has lots of powers.”

What’s brilliant about these fictional characters is that they have such powerful origin stories.

Really simple ones that stick in the mind, just like famous myths and legends of old.

Zac knew them from about 5 years old onwards – and even though I barely watched any of these films or cartoons, I seemed to pick up the plots just from him!

That’s the power of these origin stories – they get across everything you need to know about a character in a very economic and memorable way.

These kinds of story are important for you as a course creator, too.

The quickest way to gain the trust of a stranger

When a potential customer arrives at your sales page or website, they probably don’t know anything about you.

They have no feelings for you, either way.

Certainly, at this point they probably don’t trust you yet.

So you need to get across a few things very quickly:

• WHO you are
• WHY you have created a course
• WHAT your course aims to achieve.

And one of the best ways to do this is through a story.

This is because stories tap directly into emotions, and it’s emotions that your prospective customer will base their decisions upon, not logic.

Now, I don’t mean that you need to write an autobiography that details everything you’ve done in your life.

I just mean a paragraph or two that really captures what you’re about.

Think of it like something an 8-year old child would remember – and retell – as easily as the origin story of Superman or Darth Vader.

With a story you can bypass the need to list a bunch of qualifications, accolades and fancy job titles in order to ‘prove’ your worth.

Instead, it instantly shows that you are a genuine human being, with knowledge and experience that could help them.

In a matter of a few hundred words, a story can…

• Explain your purpose
• Illustrate your values and beliefs
• Show that you are a genuine person
• Prove that you’ve ‘been there’ when it comes to their problem or goal.

It’s not only about establishing trust…

Without a story, you are just one of the potentially many other similar courses out there.

But with a story behind your course, it becomes totally unique.

For example, one of the stories I’ve told in my own promotions is about how I started my home business when Zac was born prematurely.

With all the worry and disruption that caused – I decided not to go back to my previous job. Instead, I decided to create my own courses, newsletters and subscription services.

Juggling the demands of a new start-up AND a new-born baby was quite a challenge.

But I managed to snatch 30 minutes whenever Zac had his morning and afternoon naps, working from a desk in our cramped sitting room with a baby in a bouncer at my feet.

This story quickly paints a picture of how I – like many women – had to start a new business alongside other commitments.

It’s the origin story of my publishing company…

It says far more about me than, for instance, a list of job titles I’ve had, or how much my last course earned me.

So my question is…

“What’s your story?”

First, you have to dig deep into your history.

Write a few sentences that explain each of the following, where applicable (you don’t need to answer all of them).

• What is your background?
• Was there a particular experience, problem or goal that you had when you were younger that led to where you are now?
• What first gave you the idea to set up your business, or create your first product?
• What challenges did you overcome?
• What result did you achieve?
• What drives you today? What’s your purpose or ultimate goal?

Once you have written down the above, you have the raw material for your story.

Now think about the format…

See if your origin story fits one of these classic formulas or ‘hooks’:

• Battling a common enemy – From David and Goliath to the Gruffalo to Luke Skywalker in combat with Darth Vader, we love stories about people going up against more powerful enemies.
• Rebirth – Have you gone through an experience that has transformed your life in some way? It could be a journey, experience, health problem, personal tragedy or spiritual revelation.
• Quest – Are you on a mission to achieve a specific goal for society or a certain group of people?
• Evangelical – Are you trying to champion a cause or spread a message?
• Rags to Riches – Have you pulled yourself out of disadvantaged circumstances? It could be poverty, poor education, a deprived upbringing, illness, depression, shyness, disability…
• Obsession – Have you become so obsessed with something that it has driven you to create your business or service?

Once you have some notes and your chosen story ‘hook’, you need to tighten the copy into something you could add to an ‘about me’ page or a sales letter.

Cut away the least important bits and get it down to its essentials – aim for 200-500 words max.

To help you, here are some tips:

• Use simple language that a 10 year old would understand -this will give it clarity and memorability
• Choose emotive, expressive words that trigger emotions.
• Paint a picture in words that sets the scene (think about my story about Zac in his bouncer).
• Bear in mind the reader. This story is about showing them how you can deliver what you promise and help improve their lives.
• Don’t boast or show-off. Yes, this story is supposed to boost your credibility but blowing your own trumpet too much will put people off.

No matter what stage you’re at with your course creation, it’s worth thinking about your story now, as it will give you a clear idea of why you are doing this, and what you want to achieve.

As part of my Course Creation Academy, I can also help you turn your story into an effective About Me Page.

I’ll also give you templates and examples to make it really simple. In fact that’s what I do throughout the academy – I give you step-by-step guides and templates to make it.

To learn more about creating your first course join my free online course creation workshop by clicking here (find a time that works for you)