Welcome to the Control the Narrative: How to Use Publicity to Boost Your Brand mini-series, where I give you my five strongest tips for taking control of the stories told about your brand through the media.

Emotions are a huge part of what makes us human. For better or for worse, they motivate an incredible amount of what we do–and can even be the spark behind entire movements. So, it’s only natural that one of my most important lessons to clients is teaching them how to lean into emotions to drive their audience to action.

Turning your message into an emotional, inspiring story explicitly geared towards your target audience requires making the message about them and their possibilities. It’s about highlighting what transformation you can bring about in their lives, business or personal, and getting them excited about it.

When I explain the power of emotions, I often hear two hesitations: “But how can I be emotional without being cheesy?” and “I don’t want to manipulate people!” I understand where these concerns are coming from–and they are exactly why coming from a real, sincere place is key to pulling off an emotional message.

Highlight a Real Transformation

In my Media Mastery mini-series, I spoke about the importance of making your messages audience-centric. That couldn’t be more important than when crafting a powerfully emotional story.

The key here is to think about what real transformation you help your audience achieve. What is the before and after? To give you an example, in my business, I help people go from “best-kept secret” to “go-to expert” by leveraging publicity and the media. You can start top-level at first.

Once you know the basics, think about the emotions that are underneath. How do people feel before you help them achieve their transformation? How about after their transformation?

To use my business as an example again, typically, brand-new clients will tell me that they feel frustrated, underappreciated, overlooked, and like they can’t get ahead. After we work together, they feel validated, important, appreciated, and in control.

Think about the before and after for your ideal clients. Lean into your customer avatar to get into their shoes. If you have customers or previous clients, you can even reach out to them to ask them directly how they felt before and after.

Once you know your transformation–top-level and emotional–you can tell that story in all of your messaging. Since you’re being genuine about the transformation and letting the emotion flow from there, you’ll never be cheesy or manipulative.

Include a Specific Call to Action

Our goal is not just to create an emotional response–we also want to drive action. And the best way to drive action is to ask your audience to do something. It’s as simple as that.

Once you stir up all these feelings, be direct about how you want them to use that emotion. Tell them to set up an appointment. Suggest they check out your website. Encourage them to pick up the phone and order now. Help guide them where you want them to go.

Using emotion to inspire action in your audience is a two-step process: first, you lean into the transformation your clients will undergo, and then you give them something specific to do. Try brainstorming the most effective ways you can express this transformation to your audience, and you’ll be well on your way to using emotions to inspire action.

Want to become a master of the media and learn how to really engage your audience? Check out The Ultimate Media Mastery Program, where you’ll learn to take command of your narrative and build the business of your dreams!