Build Better Bridges
Why Your Story-Lesson Segue Makes or Breaks Your Message
There's nothing worse than pouring your heart into a personal story, only to watch your readers vanish when you try and pivot into the lesson.
I should know, just look at the tumbleweeds on a lot of my early articles.
The harsh reality is that if your transition is clunky, your point will be buried and your readers will drop off.
That's why you must nail your article segues: the bridge that carries your audience from caring to acting.
How To Master Segues
Let’s break it down with the SALT Formula:
Story → Analogy → Lesson → Tie-in.
Example 1
Story: You share how you missed your daughter’s school play because you were “just finishing one more email.”
Segue (Analogy): “That moment hit me like a punch — how many hours have I traded for tasks that didn’t really matter?”
Lesson: Now you teach a simple method for setting clear time blocks and protecting family time.
Tie-in: “That’s why in Weekday Writer, I show you how to create your best writing in under 30 minutes a day — so you never trade your life for your list.”
Example 2
Story: You talk about the time you blew your whole ad budget chasing a shiny new funnel hack.
Segue (Analogy): “Chasing that funnel felt like buying fancy running shoes when I hadn’t learned to run.”
Lesson: Explain why mastering daily writing reps beats expensive shortcuts.
Tie-in: “Weekday Writer is built for folks like us — no fancy tricks, just daily writing practice that compounds.”
Example 3
Story: You remember sitting in your car, too embarrassed to tell your partner your “big launch” made zero sales.
Segue (Analogy): “That empty PayPal account was my wake-up call — I didn’t have an audience, I had an echo chamber.”
Lesson: Walk through how consistent stories build trust that leads to sales.
Tie-in: “Inside Weekday Writer, you’ll learn how to turn tiny true stories into trust — and trust into income.”
Three Quick Tips for Better Segues
1️⃣ Spot the universal truth. Don’t just tell the story — ask, what pain does this reveal?
2️⃣ Write the segue last. When you’ve nailed the story and the lesson, the link almost writes itself.
3️⃣ Use tension. Good segues feel like a release — “So what’s all this got to do with you?” is my favourite pivot type (but find a creative way to use it without saying the same thing in every article).
Learn To Build Bridges
Next time you share a story, don’t drop your reader in the river. Build them a bridge. Show them why it matters — and where to step next.
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👻 Writing Wraith Ghostwriting
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📧 loz@contentchampion.com