Hero’s Journey Script Template
What This Script Is
The problem/solution story script tells a narrative story that can be fiction, nonfiction, or based on a true story. But it is specifically framed to communicate the nature of a problem and then solve that problem for the audience.
When Is Appropriate To Use?
When you’ve got an exciting result, especially if you started from less-than-ideal circumstances this script can be a winner.
Perfect For Which Audience?
The problem/solution script is a great all-purpose outline and can be adapted and successful in most situations: external/internal advertising and medium/low/high awareness.
●External: Advertising out in the “wild jungle” of Google Adwords, YouTube, list rentals, Taboola, Adblade, etc. External ads may target high awareness audiences if they run on specific keywords and have specific ad creative headlines. But external ads often catch medium/low awareness audiences. This style video can adapted well for both.
●Internal: Advertising on your website, your list, with an audience who already knows you. In this case you might expect a high awareness audience who does not need to start with a high-level overview, but can get right down to brass tacks.
●Medium/Low Awareness: If the audience in the advertising space has medium or low awareness, the “problem” first half can be more educational--e.g. informing the audience of a problem they might have but have not noticed or could not describe.
●High Awareness: If the audience in the advertising space has high awareness, the “problem” first half can be more resonant--e.g. simply getting the audience to identify with the problem.
Before You Write Your Story Lead
●Identify your ideal prospect. Talk to them directly… or talk to the ideal versions of themselves if appropriate by casting your character in that role.
●Keep in mind that your target user may not be your target buyer… think about parents buying for their kids, wives buying for their spouses… teachers buying for their students. Speak to the decision maker by casting your character in that role.
●Plan which benefits you want solved or objections you want handled… and set up the problem as the perfect antecedent--meaning that the coming benefits will perfectly fit the problem.
Story Lead Outline
●This is Joe
○Using the rule “clarity trumps persuasion,” don’t be afraid to use direct characterization to describe Joe’s job, his situation, his problem and/or needs
●What’s Joe’s story problem?
○This is where Joe encounters a specific character or situation that prevents him from getting what he wants… working backwards, this section is usually an illustration of the statements in the following section
●What’s the real reason for Joe’s big problem?
○This is where you anticipate the later benefits… by perfectly setting up the problem(s) and reason for the problem(s)
○“The reason why Joe can’t get what he wants is because he needs…”
○“...because he wants…”
○“...because he wants to avoid…”
●Worst case scenario: if left unchecked, what could happen to Joe? He’d lose his job? Lose his company? Be unable to support his family?
○This section should be handled with care… it has a large potential to get preachy, melodramatic, or unbelievable. But when used well, it can be a place to punch the viewer the gut with the real import of the problem
●That’s when Joe discovered the solution
○Introduce the solution.
○How did Joe find out about the solution?
○How did he first start to use the solution?
○How easy and fast is the solution?
●Benefits of the solution
○Show the solution in action
○What problems established earlier did this solution solve?
○What surprise bonus benefit did Joe learn when he began to harness the full power of the solution?
●Now, Joe is back in action
○“state-of-being” benefits
■confident
■gets a raise
■gets the job done right
■works like a smoothly oiled machine
○Emotional, core benefits of the solution
○best when these benefits are specific and related to the earlier “feature” benefits
●If you want to see what Joe did, click the link below
○call to action
○short, low-commitment
○offers instant benefit for complying (free report, free demo, talk to someone live, visit the FAQ page, etc)
See It In Action (Example Script)
This is Mr. Mills. He’s a math teacher at the local high school.
Mr. Mills isn’t cool by most standards. Except for one thing. He drives a classic 1978 muscle car with a shimmering red finish.
Mr. Mills has a dinner date with the cute history teacher down the hall. He wants to pick her up in his muscle car to impress her.
But his car broke down… badly… the morning of his big date. Mr. Mills needs to find a trustworthy mechanic who has the skills to make excellent repairs and fast… but who won’t swindle Mr. Mills with a bunch of phony expenses.
He thought about asking his neighbor for a referral, but as a math teacher Mr. Mills knows that a sample of one won’t give him solid data. (Mr. Mills is nerdy that way.)
Whether his neighbor had a great experience or a terrible experience with a local mechanic, one recommendation is not a track record. To get a confident referral, Mr. Mills needs to ask the entire town who the perfect mechanic for the job is.
He tried going online for reviews, but he quickly realized that the bad mechanics might be on the website writing great reviews about themselves. Or some mechanics might be online slandering their competitors with false reviews. Which reviews are real?
And if Mr. Mills has any complaints after the repairs are performed, what’s Mr. Mills’ going to do? Just write one bad review online? Is that enough?
Mr. Mills can’t afford for his car repairs to be done poorly. Because if the car breaks down again on the way to pick up the cute history teacher, she’ll think he stood her up when he doesn’t make it… and she’ll never speak to him again.
That’s why it’s important that Mr. Mills has the confidence to find a great mechanic fast, who is affordable, and comes recommended by tons of certified and satisfied local reviewers.
The school principal recommended Acme Ratings Inc, the #1 nationwide website for quality, certified local reviews.
Mr. Mills called the live support team and was speaking to a human almost right away. Within five minutes, all his questions were answered, his account was set up, and he was browsing top rated mechanics in his area based on real local customer feedback.
With Acme Ratings Inc., Mr. Mills had access to more than 2 million households’ worth of feedback. Mr. Mills knew that this would give him more confidence than simply asking one neighbor for a recommendation.
And Acme Ratings Inc. offers certified data collection, which prevents companies from simply reviewing themselves. This gives Mr. Mills a major confidence boost that the reviews he finds on the website are real and helpful.
And if anything goes wrong with the mechanic that Mr. Mills chooses, Acme Ratings Inc. has a complaint resolution team that will even intercede.
Now, Mr. Mills is back in action. He found the perfect mechanic. His 1978 muscle car was repaired within hours, its engine running smoothly when Mr. Mills picked it up.
He confidently pulled his car up in front of the cute history teacher’s apartment, ready to show her the town.
If you want to make the same great choice that Mr. Mills made…
Click the link below to start searching for top, household-rated professionals in your area.