How to Sell With Story in Your Travel Business

Have you ever met a celebrity?

Did your hands go all sweaty, your tongue twist up into a pretzel, your eyes glaze over like a Krispy Kreme donut?

Recently, I did (and yes, I probably looked a little crazed when I met him).

Well—I met a copywriting celebrity. Which means you’ve probably never heard of him 🙂

His name is Parris Lampropoulos, and he is a VERY big deal in the copywriting world. He’s made his clients millions (upon millions, upon millions) of dollars.

And earlier this year, at a copy conference in Brooklyn, I got to learn his million dollar copywriting secret (one that I think travel agents can use, too):

Always start with story.

In fact, Parris shared a super easy copy formula with us.

It goes like this:

Story > Reason > Data

So, to suck in your readers, you start with a story. Then you segue into your argument, the reason why your story unfolded the way it did. Finally, you share the data and hard facts that back up your reasoning.

Why structure your marketing this way?

Because we make decisions based on our emotions (that’s why stories sell).

And then we rationalize our decisions with logic (that’s why you need the hard facts—the “proof”).

So how can you use this copywriting formula in your travel business?

Well, it’s a great way to structure your web copy (like your about page) and your blog posts.

I’ll give you an example. Let’s say you wanted to write a blog post about the importance of travel insurance.

You could start by talking about why you recommend travel insurance (the reason).

Or you could start by sharing stats on how much money travel insurance has saved travelers (the data).

But travel insurance is a dry topic—you’re going to bore a LOT of your readers if you start out your post this way.

Instead, start with a STORY. Like: that one time your client refused to purchase travel insurance, so when he tripped and broke his arm on the cobblestone streets of Paris, it resulted in thousands of dollars in medical bills. And if the pain wasn’t bad enough, the confusion of navigating a foreign hospital—without speaking a lick of French—almost did him in. He had to cancel the rest of his trip, and he got ZERO refunds. Ouch.

(You can use an example from your own life, an example from your clients, or an example that a fellow travel agent shared with you—and if all else fails, do some googling and find an example shared in another article online).

Now you have your reader’s attention. Suddenly the dry topic of travel insurance becomes tangible, and dramatic. It’s not a $200 policy on the line—it’s someone’s health, happiness, and bank account. 

See the difference starting with story makes?

Bonus: It’s a lot more fun to write stories! That’s what I call a win-win 🙂

Use this story secret to see if you can make it into the million dollar travel agent club (a.k.a cracking a million dollars in sales).