Harnessing Cinderella’s Story Arc

Tips for applying to your marketing

Hi friend,

How are you? I hope you’re doing well.

Today I’d like to talk about that secret hope we all carry at different stages in our career and personal lives.

What I’m talking about is the human propensity to hope that someone influential - it could be a top brand, major media outlet, or investor - will notice the great work you’re doing and whisk you out of your daily anonymous grind.

If you think about it the whole premise of social media with the quest after that tidal viral wave that will catapult you to fame and fortune - is squarely built on it.

Everybody has a fair chance. It all boils down to the power of your story.

In psychology, there are many terms to describe this phenomenon; from Rescue Fantasy to Validation Seeking - all centered around the belief that only external important figures can confirm your worth and abilities.

Not that I advocate you should wait for luck to notice you.

You should aim to build your self-worth based on the value you create, conviction, and hard work.

The more you do, the more chances to solidify your brand notoriety.

True, it takes time and patience - a scarce commodity in today’s “get rich quick” schemes and Top 30 Under 30 lists :)

Having said all that, I totally get the enticing sweet siren call of potentially being plucked out of the blue and shortcutting the long and winding journey.

Sound familiar?

Yes, you’re right! In storytelling, the obvious example is the Cinderella story arc:

The graph you see above is part of author Kurt Vonnegut’s five-story types. It lays out the bad and good events that happen to Cinderella as the story progresses.

Let’s talk about why this arc works and how you can apply it to your marketing.