Today we have Melanie Deziel, the founder and chief content officer at StoryFuel, a company that equips marketers, creators, and sales professionals with the skill and strategies that they need to tell better brand stories. Because human beings are storytellers by nature, we connect far better with stories than cold, hard facts, and Melanie helps people to leverage brand narratives to promote their businesses by speaking to people’s emotional side. For her, good content marketing is audience-centered and focuses on their needs and wants, so you should consider content that educates or helps them through a certain process – that’s why good DIY videos get so many views! In this episode, Melanie talks about her background working for large media brands, why she decided to go on her own to pursue entrepreneurship, and the different ways they teach brands about content marketing. She dishes out some tips for finding inspiration and creating captivating brand stories and how they help people to get past their limiting beliefs and start producing the content they have always talked about. Also, be sure to check out her new book The Content Fuel Strategy in which she shares all her expertise and best practices! 

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [01:52] Melanie’s background in journalism and how she got involved in content marketing. 
• [02:24] Hear about the big media companies she worked for, including The Huffington Post.

[03:00] Discovering that going on her own would offer her far more business opportunities.

[03:33] Their focus on educating brands about creating and leveraging content for marketing.  

[04:40] How they make their money through speaking engagements, consulting, coaching, etc.

[05:53] Where most people fall short with content marketing – not putting the audience first.   

[07:12] Why brand stories will always be relevant to the impression we make on others. 

[08:20] Examples of how our everyday experiences can be rich sources of inspiration. 

[09:08] Using process-focused, ‘how to’ content, and other advice for telling better brand stories.

[11:14] The advantages of thinking like a journalist and how to apply it to content marketing. 

[12:56] How ‘content therapy’ helps people conquer their limiting beliefs about creating content. 

[14:08] Melanie talks about The Content Fuel Framework and what readers will get out of it. 

[16:07] Hear how the Inbox When Ready plug-in can help you keep control of your inbox. 

[17:42] How the books Exactly What to Say and How to Be Antiracist changed her life. 

[18:26] The best people to teach you about using Twitter and the entrepreneurial journey.  

 

Resources From The Interview:

 

• Melanie Deziel on LinkedIn
• StoryFuel
• The Content Fuel Framework
• AnswerThePublic
• The Huffington Post
• The New York Times
• They Ask You Answer
• Content Marketing Institute
• Native Advertising Institute
• HubSpot
• Inbox When Ready
• Rand Fishkin on Twitter

Must-read book: Exactly What to Say and How to Be Antiracist 

 

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