If social media feels like a drag — or it isn’t working as fast as it needs to — I want you to hear this:
Your content probably isn’t underperforming because you don’t post enough.
It’s underperforming because you’re not telling stories.
You’re stating facts.
And facts don’t move people.
Facts don’t build trust.
Stories do.
In this episode, I’m handing you something I wish somebody had handed me years ago: a dead-simple storytelling framework called SPARK.
You can use it for a reel, a caption, an email, or even a podcast episode.
If you’re tired of posting into the void — tired of “five tips for better gut health” getting twelve likes from your mom and your business bestie — this one’s for you.
In This Episode, We Cover:
- Why “post more” doesn’t fix underperforming content
- Why facts educate but stories connect
- What people actually buy from a coach (hint: it’s belief)
- Why Google, ChatGPT, and freebies can’t replace your story
- Permission to stop calling storytelling “oversharing”
- The SPARK method: Situation, Problem, Action, Result, Key takeaway
- How specificity makes people feel seen — not just informed
- Naming the real problem underneath the surface problem
- How to show a result people can actually picture
- Using SPARK for reels (hook, middle, CTA)
- Turning client testimonials into stories people finish reading
- Why one post should carry one SPARK — not your whole biography
- How storytelling rewrites your relationship to your own story
A Message I Want You to Hear
A lot of coaches avoid storytelling because it feels exposing.
It feels like too much.
You’ve been trained — by school, by corporate jobs, by the one client who made a snide comment once — to keep it professional, polished, and informational.
But people don’t buy information.
Information is everywhere.
Google has it.
ChatGPT has it.
Your competitor’s freebie has it.
What people buy is belief.
Belief that you understand them.
Belief that transformation is possible.
Belief that you’re the one who can guide them there.
And belief isn’t built with bullet points.
It’s built with story.
So I want you to let go of the idea that sharing your story is oversharing.
It’s not oversharing.
It’s strategy.
Why Your Content Underperforms
Here’s the truth I keep hearing from clients:
Social media feels like a drag.
Or it’s not converting as fast as it needs to.
So they post more tips.
More carousels.
More “value.”
And still feel like they’re posting into the void.
The problem usually isn’t volume.
It’s that the content sells facts instead of telling stories.
Facts can educate.
Stories make someone stop scrolling, screenshot the post, and send it to a friend.
If your content isn’t landing, ask yourself:
Am I informing people — or am I helping them feel understood?
The SPARK Method
I’m giving you a five-part framework called SPARK.
You can use it for a reel, a caption, an email, or even a podcast.
Grab a pen.
**S is for Situation.**
Start by painting the before picture — where you were, or where your client was, before the transformation.
Be specific.
Not, “I used to feel tired.”
Try, “I was setting three alarms just to convince myself to get out of bed, and I still hit snooze on all of them.”
Specificity is what makes people feel seen — not just informed.
**P is for Problem.**
Name the real problem.
Not the surface-level one.
The surface problem might be “I wasn’t sleeping.”
The real problem underneath is often something like, “I didn’t believe I deserved rest until I earned it.”
That’s the line that makes somebody screenshot your post.
**A is for Action.**
What did you actually do?
This is where you get to be the expert without sounding like a lecture.
Walk them through the turning point — the one decision, the one conversation, the one framework that changed things.
**R is for Result.**
Show the after.
Again: specific, not vague.
Not, “I feel so much better now.”
Try, “Six months later, I wake up before my alarm and I don’t hate my life at 6:00 AM anymore.”
Give people something they can picture.
**K is for Key takeaway.**
This is the bridge back to your audience.
This is where you turn your story into their possibility.
One line.
Something like: “If you’re setting three alarms too, this isn’t a discipline problem — it’s a self-worth problem, and that’s fixable.”
Situation. Problem. Action. Result. Key takeaway.
SPARK.
That’s the framework.
How to Actually Use SPARK
A framework you don’t use is just a cute acronym.
First, use SPARK for your reels.
Situation and Problem are your hook — the first three seconds.
Action and Result carry the middle.
Key takeaway is your caption or your call to action.
Second, use it for client stories — not just your own.
Same structure: Situation, Problem, Action, Result, Key takeaway.
This is how you turn a testimonial into a story people actually read all the way through instead of skimming past.
Third — and this is the part people skip:
Don’t try to tell the whole story in one post.
One post. One SPARK.
You have hundreds of these stories in your life and in your client work.
Stop trying to cram your whole biography into a single caption.
Zoom in.
You can also turn a bigger transformation into a series:
My client’s transformation — one SPARK at a time.
Storytelling Is Stepping Into Your Power
Storytelling isn’t a content tactic bolted onto your marketing.
It’s an act of stepping into your power.
Every time you tell the truth about where you started, you’re doing two things at once:
You’re building trust with your audience.
And you’re rewriting your own relationship to your story.
I know how easy it is to over-apologize for taking up space.
To soften your story until it’s polished and safe and forgettable.
I want you to notice that instinct — and do the opposite.
Tell it specific.
Tell it honest.
Tell it like it happened.
That’s what makes people stop scrolling.
Not perfection.
True.
Your Action Step
Take one story — yours or a client’s — and run it through SPARK this week.
Situation.
Problem.
Action.
Result.
Key takeaway.
Post it.
Then come back and notice how it landed.
Don’t try to tell everything.
One post. One SPARK.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need more tips lists.
You need stories that build belief.
Your depth, your turning points, and your honest “before” pictures are not liabilities.
They’re the reason someone will trust you with their transformation.
Keep showing up.
Tell it specific.
Tell it honest.
Your message matters.
Resources
Website: https://rachelafeldman.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelafeldman
Done-for-you offers for health coaches: https://yourhealthcoachbiz.com
Need help building your low-ticket or high-ticket coaching offer?
Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.
Looking for one-on-one business coaching support?
Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman
