As written for SocialMediaToday
As an inbound marketer, I often write and share about what it means to capture, write, and publish stories. Done correctly, story telling transforms content from marketing to sharing, and merely informing to fascinating. Some of my most successful stories, like the Pinterest Pin That Launched a Company, recount a chain of events that causes extraordinary results on business.
It got me thinking: what about the people who write these stories? The bloggers, copywriters, and marketers out there who fuel content marketing, making it all possible–how does content affect them? One of my clients, eZdia, is a leading creator of compelling, unique content for enterprise businesses. I had them put me in contact with some of their writers to see if I could surface their stories.
Incredibly, here is one of them. An eZdia author who’s life was changed through writing for brands. A true testament that content creation can generate both profound personal, as well as business results.
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Meet Jade, My Happy Writing Baby
Five years ago, anyone who met my husband and I would have attested to the fact that we were a young couple who ‘had it all’. We were both working in jobs we loved, we were in love, and we had just moved into the new home that we had bought together.
But what many who saw us did not know is that we were desperate to have a child together, but still without success. We had been trying for over two years, using every natural method in the book, but still nothing. Tests from the doctors revealed that everything was normal; there was no medical reason why this was happening.
Our frustration about not being able to conceive was taking its toll on our relationship. While I had a demanding job, I still probably spent 70% of my day thinking about babies, fertility, and researching new ways of trying to get pregnant. It had become an obsession.
Realizing that my desire for a child was actually dividing my husband and me instead of bringing us together, I decided that it was time to get a new hobby in order to shift my mind away from babies. I signed up for a night-time creative writing class at the local college.
As it turns out, the class did not take my mind off of babies. They continued coming up again and again in story after story. If there was no baby, its absence was the primary tension of the narrative.
But, in effect, this was exactly what I needed. The creative writing helped me to begin to work through some of my frustrations and helped me to gain some much-needed clarity about my situation.
The class ended, and I left with my portfolio full of—what were for me very emotional—baby stories. I sat down to look through them and realized that over the course of the semester I had really gone on an emotional journey. While my stories in the beginning were full of anger and confusion, towards the end of the term there was evidence of a beginning sense of acceptance and peace.
Recognizing the power of this journey, I continued writing, and my writing had become a form of therapy. It gave me a space where I could begin to think through my conflicting emotions. Writing helped to ease me out of my obsession, and that led to a significant reduction in the level of stress that I was feeling. Quickly, I noticed the positive impact that it had on the rest of my life. Things were easier again with my husband, and the renewed attention that I was able to give to my work led to happier bosses and a more comfortable work environment.
Then something unexpected came of it–writing led me into a whole new vocation: blog writing for brands. My baby stories broadened into things more about the day in the life of a woman and I connected with a content writing service. Brands wanted my stories about women’s issues, the products we use, and our life’s experiences. It turns out, my articles were able to connect with brand readers on a whole new level, and my writing career began.
Much to our joy and surprise, my husband and I discovered that we were pregnant 6 months after the writing class had ended. My doctor thinks that our infertility problems could very well have been due to nothing more than the negative side effects of stress. Thanks to writing, I am overjoyed to be able to introduce you to Jade, my happy little writing baby who turns 4 this month.
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I’m considering making this a content writer’s life stories series. If you like it, let me know! And if you want great story telling for your content marketing campaigns, Jade’s mom and other eZdia writers like her are able to help.
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Writing effective, real-life content brings the business to life in a way. The customers are no longer just seeing a business sign, but real stories from real people. It is a tool that connects businesses with their customers.