Check out Wendy the Snapple lady.

A corporate conglomerate buys Snapple, fires Wendy, and sales plummet. Rehiring Wendy brought sales back to life.

The characters have to be authentic. This makes typical characters difficult, but doesn't rule out finding a Wendy Kaufman story to tell.

Authenticity is tough to craft when creating a character, not too difficult to find. You don't want to have to exhibit Steven King level writing to pull this off.

This thread has been sorta dead for months, but I wanted to bump it up again because I think it gets forgotten. Plus, we've had new members since then and they might benefit from further discussion on the subject.

And on that note, I wanted to add a suggestion with regards to story-telling.

One of the best ways in the world to learn how to tell a story... is to read them. And I'm not talking just novels. I'm talking short stories, mythology, children's lit, religious stories... anything where the tales are simple, short, and leave an impact.

Also, plays, improv theatre, and stand up comics (*cough* Vin and Kevin *cough*)provide an endless source of terrific story-telling examples.

I will personally log onto the Canadian http://watch.comedynetwork.com and watch stand-up comics. They're funny, and often they're great storytellers.

So, do you want to know the most popular story copy that goes wrong for people?

My story copy.

How I quit smoking. How I lost weight. (Perhaps you've already spotted one flaw in this technique).

Aside from forcing the copy off "you," it's weak in credibility. You have one data point -- it's you -- and you're trying to fill up a whole letter with that one example. While most popular, telling your own story is probably why more people no longer write story copy.

Infomercials get this right by putting the creator or developer's story about two-thirds into the pitch. "I'm not just the owner, I'm a client." It's the eating your own dog food angle.

Tell client stories. Or, better yet, tell your story from the point of view of a client.

You want to know where these stories do well? In your ebook or short report. Stories are not just for copy.



Related:

Niche Detective: Don't Burn Down Your House This Thanksgiving make a dramatic point in your story -- using video.