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The Story Lab
The go-to podcast for business owners and marketers who want to harness the power of storytelling to stand out, connect, and grow their brands using the power of stories.
The Story Lab
What We Can Learn From Taylor's New Heights Appearance Ep 6
Ever wonder how Taylor Swift maintains such a powerful connection with millions of fans? The answer lies in her masterful storytelling abilities—a skill we can all learn from regardless of our field.
This week, I watched a storytelling masterclass unfold when Taylor Swift appeared on Travis and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast. What made her appearance so compelling wasn't celebrity status, but her ability to bring listeners along on emotional journeys. When Taylor described regaining her masters—falling to her knees, unable to catch her breath—we weren't just hearing about a business transaction. We were transported to that moment, feeling her overwhelming emotions as if they were our own.
This transportive quality defines great storytelling. Taylor's genius extends beyond podcasts into her songwriting, where she creates universal moments that feel intensely personal. We all know someone who was "trouble when they walked in" or fits perfectly into that "blank space." Her stories work because they make us feel seen, functioning as mirrors where listeners recognize their own experiences.
The powerful lesson here? Your stories aren't actually about you—they're about your audience. When crafting your narratives, ask: Who is my audience? What will make them feel seen? Which moments from my journey will resonate with them? You don't need millions of fans analyzing your Easter eggs to create meaningful connections. You simply need to share authentic experiences that allow your audience to see themselves in your story.
Ready to transform your storytelling approach? Watch Taylor's New Heights appearance and observe how she masterfully connects. Then apply those techniques to your own content creation. Share who you are as a person, not just what you offer. When your audience feels truly seen and understood, that's when your story becomes the one they remember.
This week I saw a masterclass in storytelling and I wanted to share it with you because this masterclass was so impressive and it came from somebody you might all know.
Speaker 1:So that's what we're talking about on this episode of the Story Lab, where we make your story a story to remember. Now, today we're going to talk about a very well somebody who has made their story a story to remember for a long time. But this week I actually did a presentation on this person called Marketing Like a Showgirl, and I'm going to be talking about Taylor Swift and how she showed up on Travis Kelsey and Jason Kelsey's podcast, the New Heights, and what was so impressive about that. So I'm going to really dive into her storytelling here. So I'm going to really dive into her storytelling here In this podcast episode and throughout her career, she's done a brilliant job telling her story and connecting with her people, because we all feel like we've gone through her life with her.
Speaker 1:Now, there's a few reasons for that, and one of the things that she's able to do is connect us with her story, make us feel like we're being seen in her story, and that's powerful, because when somebody feels seen, their trust is much higher and that's key, so she makes her audience feel seen. But she also tells genuine, real stories that mix her public life with her personal life, with just enough details on the personal life and obviously we see her in her public life, so we feel connected. When we get these little bits of her private life, we feel like we know what's happening and that's done on purpose. She knows what she's doing when she's sharing what she shares. Now, a great example of this is on the new heights podcast.
Speaker 1:She tells the story of regaining her masters and in this story she brings us right along with the on the journey with her. She tells us how her mother and her brother went to go to LA and negotiate this and she didn't have any. She wasn't holding on any hopes, but they called her and they told her how well it went. You know they didn't know which way it would go, but the meeting went well and that brought us up a little bit. We got excited for a moment. And then she talked about how she was waiting to hear back and how long it took, and that it was after the Super Bowl when she finally heard. And we're going on this journey with her, we're following her along and we feel like we're there in that moment. Because that's the amazing thing that stories do Stories will transport you to the moment. We feel like we're actually there.
Speaker 1:She transports us to this moment when her phone rings and her phone rings and she gets the news and upon receiving this news, she falls to her knees. Now I've never had to get my masters back. I've never written an entire career of content and had it ripped from me. I don't know what she's feeling, but in that moment when she tells the story and she falls to her knees and she can't get up and she can't catch her breath, and it's overwhelming. Everybody's had that moment. Everybody's had that phone call. That tool brought us right there. We felt like we were there with her and when we found out that she'd gotten her master's back, we all celebrated because it felt like we got our master's back and that that there is the magic of storytelling. And she did that by bringing us along on this journey from the moment it happened. But in this podcast she took us from not knowing to finding out, to knowing that she got it, to celebrating and how it feels now, how she feels now that she regained those masters, how she feels now that she has full possession of her work. And it was an emotional journey and she used all the tools she had, she used her body language, she used the way that she told the story. She sped it up, she slowed it down, she talked a little bit louder, she talked a little bit quieter. She had moments of almost having a breakdown because it's still emotional. She brought us on that journey with her and that's the beauty of storytelling.
Speaker 1:Now, if you haven't seen the New Heights podcast one, I recommend you watch all two hours of it. It is very good. But if you don't know what I'm talking about in this story, think about how and why you connect with Taylor Swift in general If you do most of it. Most of her fans connect because there's a story that speaks to the specific moment they remember. The way that she tells stories in her songs connects with people because they get it, she gets them. They've been in that moment that she's talking about in her song, that she's singing about in her song. We all know the person that we knew they were trouble when they walked in. We know that person. We know the person that we knew they were trouble when they walked in. We know that person. We know the person that you know the blank space for it's a very descriptive person. We know and we all have that person. That's why her songs connect, because there's that relatability, just like falling to her knees in her songs. There's relatability and that's storytelling. Like falling to her knees In her songs. There's relatability and that's storytelling. She shares all the key details from her point of view. We understand what she's feeling like and we can identify in that moment because we feel that way. It works with her songs, it works with her stories. It's why the podcast was so powerful.
Speaker 1:So how does this work for you? Because you're not Taylor Swift, right, you don't have millions of fans, you don't have people that are clowning over whatever Easter eggs you've left, but your story can still be as powerful, compelling, relatable as Taylor Swift's. You need to tap in to your audience. Who is your audience? What will make them feel seen? What can you talk about that's relatable and comfortable and emotional enough that they will see you, that they will understand you, because it's not just that it's Taylor Swift, it's that she describes moments that we get. So what moments in your business, in your life, in your journey, can you describe but use them as a mirror. Your stories aren't about you. Your story's about your audience. So how does your audience fit into your story that you're telling? How do they fit there? How are they gonna feel seen and heard? Because when they feel seen and heard, that's when you get booked. That's the big difference. Your audience needs to feel seen and heard, just like Taylor's audience feels seen and heard. We see ourselves in her content, in her songs, in what she's putting out there in the podcast interview.
Speaker 1:How do you set yourself up so that your audience sees themselves in your story, in what you share, in the everyday life that you experience publicly and privately? Bring them in. Don't just show them what you have to offer on your product. Show them who you are as a person, because that's where they're going to connect. They're going to connect with the person that you are, the way that you make them feel and the fact that they feel seen and I've said it 15 times in this episode they feel seen. So hopefully that gave you a little insight. I want you to go watch the New Heights podcast and watch how she masterfully tells her story and then take some of what you can learn from that and apply it to yourself. It doesn't have to be your masters, it can be anything. Make it relatable, make your audience see themselves in it, and that's how you get seen on social media. That's how you do it, without worrying about going viral. That's how you do it by being yourself, sharing your story and connecting with your audience because they feel seen, they understand you, they've been through it. So that's another episode of the Story Lab.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining and I look forward to seeing you guys on the next episode. If you haven't already, please do me a favor, run over to your favorite podcasting platform seeing you guys on the next episode. If you haven't already, please do me a favor, run over to your favorite podcasting platform. Give us a rating, let me know that you love this episode or you hated this episode. Whatever you want, really, um, if you hated it, send me a message first, um, but, and write a review. Give me a few stars, make a comment on Spotify. Whatever you want to do, I just want to hear from you and I want to hear what I can do better to serve you and make sure that your story is the one they remember. I'll see you next time. Take care, make your story, the one they remember, the truth that ignites the reason they stay. This is your time, the brighter than ever. You've got something to say.
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