Your Favourite Creator's Cringe Mountain

And how to have people hang off your every word

Author

Erica Mallett
March 10, 2024

Hey Climbers. This week —

  • ✨ How to become magnetic in your storytelling

  • ⛰️ Learn to secure brand deals as a creator inside Cringe Mountain Academy

  • 🤔 Your favourite creator’s Cringe Mountain

Magnetic storytelling in your content

Why do some people, when they tell a story, just draw us in?

They could be talking about their infected hangnail - gross - but we’re still hanging off their every word. How?

There’s one quality that all the best storytellers in the world have, and it’s also the easiest tweak to make in your content.

Specificity.

When you’re telling a story, be specific.

Use little blocks of sensory detail to pull people into your world.

The details are what people remember.

The details are what people relate to.

The details are what make people feel.

For example,

❌ Instead of saying “he pulled up in his car”.

✅ Say “he pulled up in a 1993 Toyota with a dinged up door and a service station air freshener hanging from his rear view mirror that had long lost its smell”

❌ Instead of saying “my husband is a little pedantic”

✅ Say “my husband is the type of person to count the grapes in the bag”

With one tiny tweak, you can build a rich, relatable world for your audience to live in with you.

It’s the trick every comedian uses (eg. from 0.40)

And you can, too.

So before telling a story, close your eyes. Take yourself back to a moment. What did it look like? Feel like? Smell like? Taste like? Sound like?

Paint a vivd picture and you’ll have people hanging off your every word.

Exclusive Q&A for CMA students: secure brand deals as a creator

The live call inside Cringe Mountain Academy this week will be with influencer marketing expert Ali Grant, the CEO of Digital Dept.

Ali has helped countless creators build, grow and monetise their platforms.

In this exclusive session, Ali will answer CMA students’ questions on how to secure brand deals, master the art of monetisation, and position yourself for exciting collaborations with global companies.

Cringe Mountain Academy is the 90 day program helping creators start & grow their iconic community online.

So join the waitlist below within the next 24 hours for your chance to sign up before the live session.

Your favourite creator’s Cringe Mountain

This week, I have a challenge for you.

Go to your favourite creator’s TikTok, IG or Youtube and watch their most recent video.

Then, scroll far, far back in their feed.

I’m talking, like, as far back as it goes.

Work that finger!

And I want you to notice the difference between where they are today with their content, and where they started.

This is one of my favourite activities. It reminds me that people aren’t readymade successes.

They detach outcome from output, show up every day, and eventually become the type of creator that can be somebody’s favourite.

Creative inspo of the week

Two things this week:

  1. I am obsessed with this song. Currently trying to pace the listens so I don’t get sick of it, and;

  2. This campaign “For all life’s twists and turns” from SwissLife that reminds us of the power of clever, sharp copywriting

Credit: SwissLife Via Good Ads Matter

Credit: SwissLife Via Good Ads Matter

That’s all for now.

Til next time,

Keep climbin’!

Erica