Anything really CAN be a good story.

(I have proof!)

The other day, I was running late for my Friday librarian shift in my son’s first grade class.

(Yes, I moonlight as the elementary school librarian. Long story. Subscribe to my newsletter and maybe I’ll tell it one day.)

I had about thirty seconds to grab a book from his shelf before sprinting out the door, so I grabbed one I’d never read before: Bedhead.

Naturally, I couldn’t remember what it was about, but it looked vaguely creepy, and I figured the kids would like it. Kids like weird shit.

The plot, in case you’ve never had the pleasure:

A kid wakes up with messy hair.He tries everything to tame it. He gives up and wears a hat. But oh no — it’s picture day. He has to take the hat off. The hair is so huge it smacks the teacher in the face.

That’s it. That’s the entire plot.

No dragons. No mysteries. No shocking twists.

Just… hair.

And yet, the kids were hanging on every word. Laughing. Gasping. Completely dialed in. Focused like I’ve never seen them before. They even complained when it was over.

Why? Because how the story was told was masterful.

And every one of the storytelling techniques in this book is something you can use in your newsletters, too.

This story — if you can even call it that — literally had NOTHING exciting going on. It was 20 pages about some kid waking up with his curls a little extra messy, wearing a hat, then taking the hat off. The only exciting moment was when the hair bounced into his teacher’s face at the end.

If that isn’t proof that you can turn anything into a worth-reading narrative, I don’t know what is.

(Actually, that’s not true. This newsletter about not knowing what to eat for dinner is ALSO proof of that. But I digress.)

Here are the 5 techniques Bedhead used to keep the kids engaged that YOU can also use for your own newsletter stories to keep your readers engaged:

#1 — Proper Use of Emphasis and Tone

The first thing I noticed in this book while I was reading it aloud was how well the author emphasized specific key phrases and elements to make them stand out.

There were colors, exclamation points galore, bold text, italicized text, caps lock…

And all of these things may seem simple — insignificant, even! — to you (“duh Sara, I know how to use italics and an exclamation point”), but you don’t realize how many people forget to incorporate these extremely necessary elements of emphasis into their copy.

When you’re writing a newsletter (or website copy, or a blog, or a caption…) the only way you’re interacting with your reader is via that sentence on their screen.

There’s no option for them to hear your voice, meaning there’s no way you can be certain they’ll read it the way YOU want them to, unless you appropriately emphasize your words to mimic spoken word.

Notice how in that^ last sentence I capitalized YOU? Now I’m positive that when you read it, you read it in your head louder than the other words.

You also just in-your-head emphasized the word “louder” because I italicized it.

I’m training you on how I want you to read my words. I’m forcing you to be engaged and to interpret my sentence the way I want it interpreted.

Without this level of emphasis, your copy is flat.

How to use this technique in your newsletter: EMPHASIZE. Use italics, bold, underlines, punctuation marks, em dashes (no, they’re not devil-sent from ChatGPT, don’t give your 7th grade English teacher a fucking heart attack pls), emojis, colors, caps lock… make people FEEL your sentence!

#2 — Exaggeration for Humor + Suspense

In Bedhead, a bad hair day gets treated like a full-scale emergency. This exaggeration makes something ordinary feel hilarious and dramatic.

How to use this technique in your newsletter: try taking a mundane situation and cranking up the drama just a bit.

Example: I used this technique in this newsletter I wrote about pulling up to a sketchy gate in a rideshare on the way to the airport.

The full story was: we pulled up to a weird gate. You can see here how I made the story interesting by dramatizing it, without adding or making up any details. It WAS the full story, with drama vibes added (as in: no lying, just dramatizing).

Try saying something like: “I looked like I’d been trapped inside my content calendar for 47 days without light” instead of “I had bags under my eyes.”

#3 — Vivid Specificity

The book doesn’t say “his hair was messy.”

It says it was “sticking up, flopping down, curling around and looping the loop.” Those specific details paint a picture, and they give the reader more information, making them more interested (the more they know and the more they can SEE, the more opted in they are to finding out what happens next).

How to use this technique in your newsletter: Swap out your vague phrases for precise, sensory details that make your readers feel the experience.

Try swapping: “I was tired from having so many meetings” for “by 3 o’clock, I’d refilled my bean water twice, yapped my ass off for what felt like 14 hours, and accidentally contracted laryngitis by the end of the 4th meeting.”

You can also do this by adding DETAIL to your subjects.

Instead of saying “water” you can say “my ice-cold 40 oz Owala wasting away at the corner of my desk, longing to be sipped.”

Instead of saying “sweatshirt” you can say “my ratty old Dartmouth sweatshirt I’ve had since ‘Nam.”

Instead of saying “book I was reading” you can say “the smut novel I’m halfway through.”

#4 — Distinct Voice + Expressive Narration

Oliver (the main character and certified messy hair king) has a voice that is dramatic and funny, and the narration reads like someone performing on stage. You can hear his fright about the bad hair day, and you come to recognize his voice.

How to use this technique in your newsletter: stop trying to sound “professional” and just WRITE LIKE YOU WOULD ACTUALLY SAY IT to someone in real life. If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a friend, it does not have a place in your newsletter.

#5 — Pacing That Builds To A Payoff

The story builds step by step — each failed attempt to fix the hair escalates — then ends with a satisfying reveal (picture day!).

How to use this technique in your newsletter: start your email in the middle as if it’s a story, as opposed to starting your newsletter as if it’s just an update.

Example: If you kick off your email with “hey Sara! I’m popping in to say…” — you already lost me. Even if “what you wanted to say” was you getting mauled by a tiger then meeting the Pope then getting recruited to be the next lead on a primetime Shonda Rhimes special that’ll run for 20 seasons.

You lost me before you had me.

If you start with the MIDDLE — “I never knew the mouth of a tiger could fit a 5’4 woman, but there I was” — then I’m locked in, and I’d go anywhere with you.

Your goal is to always (with every line of copy you write, until the last one!) to get them to read the NEXT line.

#6 — Illustration + Text Synergy

The wild, exaggerated illustrations match the text’s energy perfectly in Bedhead. The visuals make the story even funnier.

How to use this technique in your own newsletter: Use visuals (memes, gifs, screenshots, or formatting) to complement your writing and make your punchlines land harder.

Why Story-Based Newsletters Work So Well

Storytelling isn’t just fluff — it’s one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience.

People are wired to remember stories far more than facts, tips, or bullet points. (According to ~science~ they are 22x more likely to remember a story than a fact!)

A good story lights up more areas of the brain, making your message stick long after they’ve closed the email.

Stories also build trust faster than “value bombs” ever could. When you tell a story, you’re giving readers a glimpse of how you think, how you see the world, and what you care about — and that’s what turns subscribers into loyal fans.

On top of that, stories are simply more enjoyable to read. A story-based newsletter is the one people actually look forward to opening. It’s what gets forwarded to a friend. It’s what makes your name stand out in their inbox.

And the best part ISSSS: you don’t need to have lived through some wild, cinematic moment to tell a great story. If Bedhead can turn messy hair into a page-turner, you can absolutely turn your everyday moments into unforgettable newsletters.

Want to get better at storytelling?

Inside my monthly storytelling content subscription, Sara’s Swipe File, I’ll teach you how to tell the kinds of stories your subscribers can’t stop reading — and give you 31 fresh story prompts every single month to make the writing part stupid-simple.

You’ll learn how to take a story in your everyday life (no “but my life is boring” allowed; I’m literally telling you which moments to use!), structure it so readers stay hooked, and tie it back to your offers without sounding like a robot.

👉 Join Sara’s Swipe File to make writing story-based newsletters feel second-nature!

It’s only $31/mo for 31 story ideas and I have a pretty solid hunch that it’ll be the BEST investment you make in your business this year…