Why Your Posts Are Really a Bid for Connection: How to Turn That Into Clients, Community, and Collabs
Most creators chase engagement. The real win? Making people feel something that sticks.
The other day I was in a meeting with a few teammates when someone dropped a phrase I haven’t been able to shake since.
“A bid for connection.”
It hit me immediately. Because whether we realize it or not, that’s exactly what we’re doing every time we post something online. Every story, every reel, every tweet, every “look at this” or “listen to me” is really just a bid for connection.
And that’s not a bad thing.
In fact, it’s one of the most human things we do on the internet. We’re not just posting for engagement. We’re posting because we want to be seen, understood, or affirmed. And when we stop treating content like a numbers game and start treating it like a relationship, everything shifts.
That’s why I want to talk about storytelling.
Because whether you’re a micro creator, a startup founder, a small business owner, or a coach trying to figure out how to grow, storytelling is one of the most underutilized strategies to actually make people care.
Not the “let me tell you my entire life story” kind. But the kind that makes someone lean in. The kind that sparks a feeling or paints a picture. The kind that makes someone say, “Ooh… this is for me.” You don’t need a massive following. You need a message that resonates.
And stories? They do exactly that.
Let’s break down how to use storytelling to increase your value and build a community that sticks with you, even when the algorithm doesn’t.
Why Storytelling Works (Especially for Smaller Creators)
Here’s the thing. Storytelling isn’t just for novelists or marketers. It’s how people connect, remember things, and decide what to care about. And when you’re not already famous or sitting on a million followers, storytelling is actually one of your greatest advantages.
Think about the accounts you follow or some of your favorite creators. It’s probably not just because their content is beautiful or perfectly curated. It’s because they’ve pulled you in with a story. A perspective. A certain rhythm that makes you feel like you know them. Or at the very least, it makes you feel like they see you.
That’s what makes storytelling powerful.
It gives your brand a heartbeat. It builds trust before someone even clicks “buy,” “subscribe,” or “book a call.” Storytelling is what turns casual scrollers into real supporters. People start rooting for you. They remember you. And that’s what opens the door for everything else.
And if you want to take this a step further, consider letting someone else be part of the storytelling too. Maybe that looks like featuring a short voice note from someone who's used your product, sharing a quote from a client, or inviting someone to guest write a section of your next post. Storytelling gets even stronger when it becomes shared.
What Storytelling Actually Looks Like
Let’s clear something up. When I say “storytelling,” I’m not talking about writing a dramatic novel in your captions or sharing your entire life story every time you post. (Although we all enjoy that type of storytelling too.) Storytelling can be subtle. Simple. Even short.
Here’s what that could look like in practice:
If you’re a coach who’s already shared the professional story that led to your calling, try going deeper. Share a specific moment when you knew things had to change. Or reflect on a client breakthrough that reminded you why you do this. Or even what you’re still figuring out now as a coach because that honesty, that’s what people relate to.
If you’re a small biz owner posting about product updates and launches, try showing us the pivot. Take us into the moment you decided to change directions or almost quit. Share a quick behind-the-scenes from a team member or a voice note from an early user. Or better yet, collaborate on a co-authored post with someone who’s building alongside you. The stuff that feels small to you might be exactly what earns someone’s trust.
And if you’re a micro-creator recapping your events and sharing the vision behind them, take it a step further. Let someone who attended share how it impacted them. Or spotlight someone in your community through a story post or a Substack guest feature. Show us what it really takes to bring these events to life. Reflect on how your showing up fully and sharing more deeply since you started because that’s the kind of story that keeps people invested.
Storytelling isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being real. And real is what makes people care. These are all stories and they don’t have to be perfectly polished or profound to work. What matters most is that they’re real and relatable because that’s what people are drawn to. The goal here isn’t to impress. It’s to connect. That’s what makes people stop scrolling, lean in, and stay a while.
And here’s something else I’ve realized while thinking about some of the people closest to me, and honestly, some of you reading this right now. Most of the first few clients, customers, or opportunities you received probably didn’t come because you had the best offer or the biggest following. They came from people who trusted you.
Not just your product. Not just your content. You. That says a lot about how trust is built. People don’t always buy what you’re selling. They buy into the who and the why behind it. They connect with the story behind the idea. The moment. The message. The reason. The person.
So if you’re not sure where to start, or how to grow, or what to say next, ask yourself this:
What’s something I’ve experienced that helps explain why I do what I do?
That’s where the story starts.
Here’s What I Want You to Think About
If you’re a micro creator, a coach, a small biz owner or founder, fairly new podcaster, or just someone trying to make meaningful content online, here’s the truth. You don’t need a viral moment. You need a few real ones.
You already have everything you need to start showing up with more clarity, more value, and more you. Your story is the thing that builds trust, makes people feel seen, and gives them a reason to come back.
And if you’re thinking, “I’ve already shared my story and nothing happened,” I get it. That can feel discouraging. But sometimes it’s not about sharing a different story. It’s about telling the same one in a new way. With more intention. With more truth. With more of the parts you’ve been scared to say out loud.
You don’t need a new strategy. You need to practice letting people in. Not all at once. Not all the time. But enough for them to understand what you care about and why it matters.
And if you’ve been sitting on a story you haven’t told because you didn’t think it mattered, this is your sign. Someone out there needs to hear it from you.
Let them in. Bring others along. Feature someone in your next post. Collaborate on a series. Add a backlink to a creator you admire. Do a guest spot in a newsletter or invite someone to yours. All of that is storytelling too. And all of it builds connection.
Let your story do the rest.
In Perspective,
Jey