Bit of a broad subject line I know.

But I believe here lies the secret to getting what you want in life. In any field or area.

The secret is…

…getting into the heads of other people.

Let’s face it, to achieve or obtain almost anything in life, you need other people.

Or it would be pretty boring anyways.

For as much of an introvert and loner I think of myself, I actually love collaborating and getting things done with others.

And the best way I know to persuade people to give you what you want, is by entering their minds and influencing their thoughts.

I stumbled on an amazing story that speaks to this.

In 1989, game designer Tim Schafer bombed an interview for a job at Lucasfilm, Games Division.

He accidentally mentioned how he used to play a pirated version of one of their games to the interviewer.

So to remedy that, when asked to send in an application, he decided to send make the cover letter special.

He wrote it as a text adventure game.

And he got accepted.

You can see the actual letter and designs here.

What’s great in this story, is how he used his imagination to enter his audience’s minds.

He showed how good of a storyteller/designer he was, without actually doing any programming.

He knew what kind of stories they liked, what they needed to see to say yes, and what kind of nuanced, funny jokes they would resonate with.

It’s a good example of how story can penetrate minds – if you know what your audience needs.

A good story is engaging.

And engagement keeps people nodding along.

Give them a good game to play and they’ll reward you.

How can you step into your audience’s shoes for a bit?

How can you keep them engaged throughout your page?

Need help figuring it out? Get in touch.