“Overwhelmed” is a word that does no work. Say this instead

This comes up on my coaching calls all the time, so I’ll say it here too. When we sit down to write social posts (or “content”, which I’m putting in inverted commas on purpose), we all slip into using generic, frankly useless words, and forget what actually works, which is telling a story.

Overwhelmed. Stressed. Tired. Busy. Stuck. Burnt out. We’re all up in our heads, trying to sound like we know what we’re doing, and out they come.

Let’s get real. You scroll straight past generic crap like that, and so will your clients.

Do this next time you’re scrolling

Take a bit more notice of what actually makes you stop. I can pretty much guarantee it isn’t someone spouting predictable, meaningless words at you. It’s when something catches your eye because it’s sharing a specific scenario or a real-life moment. And it speaks to you the way a friend would over coffee, in words you’d say out loud, not words you’d write down.

There’s such a massive difference between the formality we were taught to write with and how we actually talk when we’re having a natter with someone. I’d bet we’re all sick to the back teeth of the perfect, curated content we get on social media. We know it isn’t real, and we’re craving a lot more human reality.

Personally, I love it when someone shares the messy middle of what they’re going through. It isn’t about oversharing or exposing vulnerabilities, it’s about being real.

Glossy, surface-level words like “overwhelmed” wash straight over us, and we become blind to them. A real story, a real moment, is really interesting.

Partly because we’re all completely nosy (I know I am), but mostly because it feels familiar. We feel recognised and validated, and we think “oh, it’s not just me”, because it isn’t some finessed guru thing, it’s more grounded and more like normal life, and we believe it might actually work.

Two reasons “overwhelmed” doesn’t work

It’s too generic to mean anything. Anyone can say they’re overwhelmed, so it’s ten a penny, and no use at all for getting someone’s attention.

It means something different to everyone. Your “overwhelmed” and mine aren’t the same thing, so the reader has to guess which one you mean, and she won’t bother.

How to use storytelling in social media marketing: try this instead

Invite someone into a moment in time, a story, a scenario, something that feels real to her. To get there:

1. Pick one moment. A specific scene, not a theme.
2. Go below the label. What exactly is she going through?
3. Work out when she notices it. Which time of day, which room, which task?
4. Describe how it feels. In the words she’d actually use.

Now you’re thinking, hmm, what the F do you mean by this, Lucy? I get it, but I don’t get it. 😆

Fair enough. Here are three examples:

• A woman sitting in her car in the school car park, five minutes before pick-up, eyes shut, because it’s the only five minutes of quiet she’s had all day.
• A woman eating lunch standing at the kitchen counter, scrolling client emails with one hand and answering a school message with the other.
• A woman opening her laptop, looking at the same half-written sales page she’s looked at for a month, and closing it again.

You can see each of them, and if you’re one of them, you’ve just recognised yourself. No “overwhelmed” needed. Those are stories that make people think “you understand me”.

Let’s figure out your version

Think about how your dream client would describe her situation. For instance if you’re a menopause coach, you might be writing at this level:

“I’m just a bit more tired than usual. It’s probably just the menopause.”

That feels sensible, composed and a bit rehearsed. It’s also a tidied-up version of what you think she’d say. Now ask what she’d tell her closest friend:

“Some nights I’m lying awake at three, and by the time I’ve got dressed for work I’ve already walked into the kitchen twice and forgotten why.”

That’s the one, and it sounds spoken, not written. Say yours out loud as you go, and if it doesn’t sound like something you’d say to a real person’s face, rewrite it.

Insider secret: you already have the words

It’s actually really easy to find these stories once you start listening closely to what the people in your world say to you. Think about the last time you spoke to a potential client, or an actual client. How did she describe her situation? Her exact words beat anything you’d come up with at your desk, because they’re the ones she’ll recognise.

Storytelling in social media marketing works because people want to be connected with you when they feel you actually understand them.

Learning how to do it well, so it comes easily and naturally, is one of the first things we cover in THE RUNWAY, because so much else depends on it. (Haven’t heard of THE RUNWAY? It’s my short group programme where you build the path from someone finding you to becoming a client, starting with your messaging. More details are here.)

I also share a sneak peek, with real tangible, implementable stuff, in my free workshop.