EP 82: Why Storytelling Drives Deeper Connections with Your Audience
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Hey everybody, welcome to the Acquire podcast. I'm excited to have everybody here today. I'm your host Jenny Wright. I'm a list building lead generation expert and I do not get enough about talking about lead generation, sales, strategy, marketing, branding, pretty much anything that makes that marketing engine move. And one of the things that is not talked about enough is making sure that we tell an authentic story. Being able to convey who we are, what we do,

And how we get that in front of our ideal client is essential, especially with all the noise in this online environment, which makes today's conversation absolutely perfect. And I get to talk to a local. I get to talk to somebody I've known for a couple of years, Natalie Amlani, who is awesome. We've actually been able to meet in person several times, which has been super fun. And she is a personal brand strategist and photographer. And when I say photographer, I really have to elevate this because she's like the ultimate photographer. She's done...

She's done the brand shoots for some of my clients and they are phenomenal. So Natalie, thank you so much for being on. Oh, I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for such a nice intro. Absolutely. I mean, I could get into the whole thing where I know you have like an MBA and you're a project management guru. You've got all these things. But I'd rather talk about, I mean, we can get into that as well, but I'd love to talk about how you pull out

the necessity of who the person is at their essence and get that across to people. Because like I was saying in the intro, it's so busy and so untidy in social media to try and get that across and you have very limited time. How have you developed this skill to be able to do that?

So I really believe that it's through my own personal experience, to be honest. So I reflected back on my journey. And like right now, if you were to go on my social media, you'll see my face on it all over it. And I do try to show up and set an example. But I wasn't like that before. I actually grew up really camera shy, really afraid to speak up in a room.

and then also not really knowing like how to pose, like all the things, you know? So then over time, it was a skill that I learned and I observed. I went to school for photography and part of the magic was it was that I noticed that I was always observing and I could feel other people's energies and put myself in their shoes, right?

And then through the expression of photography, I was able to capture moments that other people may not even realize for themselves. So it's something that I was always really good at. So that's one piece of kind of seeing the story, right? Capturing it behind the scenes. But then I realized that the whole marketing of my business, photography,

relied heavily or would be better if I were to show up on camera. So I noticed in myself that there was a shoot where a client wanted to take some behind the scenes of me and take a selfie. And I was so uncomfortable. I'm like, what? No, like, I don't need to be on camera. This is all about you, right? And she's like, no, like you should showcase like who you are. I mean, here I am doing brand photography, telling people to show up online. And I knew what would sell and what would work for them.

But I actually wasn't executing that myself fully. And so I stepped into the client's shoes by really, really doing this experience for myself, showing up online, doing videos, started getting branding photos. And I found that

it's almost like a muscle where like the more you practice it, the easier it becomes. Or sometimes when I'm scared of going on a roller coaster after I go on it, I'm like, oh, it wasn't so bad, right? It's the anticipation and not knowing that really can like hold someone back, especially me. And I found that

the formula, because I am actually working on a blog post about this, how to overcome like camera shyness or how to really, you know, step into yourself in front of the camera. And so much, like so much of it has to do with planning. Mm-hmm.

That's one thing for sure. I really take a lot of time to plan shoots with clients. So then I find that because both sides, we have an understanding of the whole purpose of the shoot. Like, what are we doing? It's not just showing up, be like, okay, well, maybe we'll just take some photos here and there. It's really trying to capture a purpose, the heart of the brand, the person's personality. And then it's like, how, how are we going to do that?

This is the plan, right? And then we list that all out. But that is all stuff that we have on paper so that on the shoot day, we know that that's been done. And it's just really focusing on being in the moment, being present, me guiding the person, talking to them, them feeling that they can trust me because we've already established that foundation. And then from there, it's just like flowing, flowing with whatever comes next, right?

um which I feel really helps with their confidence because they're already feeling like opened up to the experience you had a good analogy there I relate to the roller coaster analogy uh that anticipation of like I think of Wonderland right so Canada's yes which is like you know just outside of Toronto where we both live and Canada's Wonderland has been around forever I was going I used to go there when I was a kid did you go there when you were a kid

Yes. So the anticipation of waiting in line to go into like the coaster coaster, which was, you know, like one of the coasters for kids and you're hearing the little ratcheting up, right, of the coaster and then everybody freaking out. Yeah, they go down the hill and your stomach would already be in a little bit of knots. Like, how bad is this going to be? How good is it going to be and everything? I think that relates really, really well to having a brand photo shoot in many ways, because there's a lot of unknown for people who are just not used to it. Like you said, it's a muscle, right?

And I think the more you do it, the more comfortable you get. Yes, totally. Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's important. Tell me why it is so important to be able to visually storytell about your business in order to connect with your ideal client. Why is this so important for us?

So many different. Okay, so number one, when you say visual, it's also something that we have to do as business owners to visualize our own success. So what, you know, like, if we were to close our eyes, what does it look like for us to be each doing what we want?

to do for our clients? What does it feel like for yourself and the person that you're servicing? Like all of that is part of the success and bringing that dream to life is really what we want to story tell, right? So the storytelling is like, yes, you will have a batch of photos of yourself, you know, sitting on a couch and writing on desk, but it's that energy of you fulfilling that purpose.

That purpose that you've always dreamed of doing and also how you help other people, that energy can really be felt in photos. So it's almost like, for example, when I take family portraits, there's a certain level of emotion that people can feel. And it's the same thing with branding photography.

So if you're feeling like really alive and excited for, for example, I feel really excited for when I'm holding my camera. So sometimes the headshots that I give of me holding the camera, you know, I can, I'm like a little bit more lit up or alive. Right. So then it's just that connection that people can feel. And also people want to get to know who they're working with and investing in, especially if you're offering something that's high tickets and

There's a lot of people offering expensive things. So the differentiator and why they might pick one over the other will be the connection that they feel with that person. And that almost comes down to like a feeling. It's like gut instinct, right? Like who can they see themselves like, you know, investing in connecting with having like a long-term relationship with at the end of the day. Right. Cause some of these offers and experiences aren't just one time, right.

They are something that is like a lasting impression. You know, like you invest in a brand, you may make a one-time purchase, but you're using it day in and day out, for example. Right? So we want to feel like good about it. This is like so not part of the conversation I was going to have, but I have to ask it because it makes me think this. You're behind the camera. People are taking pictures of you. I've seen this in person of you actually doing this. And I actually took pictures of you behind the camera for one of my clients. You have to be on. Yeah.

Not only on for the client, but on for that as well. How draining is that for you as the person behind the scenes and also in front of the scene a little bit, taking all the pictures? Like, how are you showing up for your clients day by day by day with that energy they need to feel confident, to feel empowered and all the things? What does that take for you to do that?

I love this question so much because I think about it all the time. So I like after I'm done a photo shoot, I am so alive. I feel so elevated and uplifted. I just love stepping into my client's shoes because it's this energy of like dreaming of visioning of bringing someone's like beauty into

from within out like everyone has such a beautiful story and it's just like amazing to bring it out learn more about how they started um even learning about their personal lives like you know the strategies in a branding photo shoot is yes we are following like a script or whatnot but we're also getting to know each other like i'm asking them a few different things about how they feel when they're doing this or that or have they ever traveled here like it's just

getting to know that person in a different way. And it really lights me up. Like I find it really interesting. I think it's part of my own personal curiosity that I've always had as a child. Like, that's why I just love stories. Right. So you get energy from this. Like you're not, are you like, and this is again, this is me asking questions about you, but are you more introverted, extroverted, and perverted? Because if you're pulling energy from these things and it's lighting you up,

Yeah, I'm definitely like I can come across as an introvert because I can be really shy sometimes when I'm in new situations, but I really get charged from being around people. So my husband and I joke about it all the time because he's a strong introvert. So he can go days and months without needing to see anyone. But yeah.

But our family, where sometimes I'm like, I need to see some people outside of our family. Do you want, you know, like goodbye? Or let's maybe arrange like a social meetup or have people over. I think that's why I also really enjoy facilitating the embrace events. I get like this high off of seeing people connect. But the question about how I prepare for my clients is,

I actually, so this is what I do for my schedule because my schedule is actually really busy. So people always ask me all the time, how do you do it all? Yeah. Cause you got two young kids. Yeah. People say it all the time. Like you were everywhere. How do you do it all? And I've thought about that cause it's not like a straightforward answer. Like, Oh, I have a calendar and I put it in. Like it's, it really is the energetics of it. So I, that's, I mean, I was a project manager, like when, you know, previous to this, um, I,

at the bank so I'm I really thrive off of planning so for example if I know that the client shoot is in the calendar we will we like you know we will do the steps on paper of planning it but I am also energetically in my mind like I see that space on the calendar of January 15th let's say and I'm already starting to energetically hold that space visioning how that shoot's going to look like and I already know how it's going to feel like because I've talked to the client so

so then I'll also do the steps of like it's like same thing that I tell clients make sure you're getting a lot of rest the night before right I will make sure that I have my list of everything that I need to pack for the client experience the night before and for for longer shoots I like to pick up some like snacks like things that are nourishing and healthy like drinks and stuff like that I always see you with your green juice and stuff yeah I just really like to like set

the experience and the environment that we're going to be in because it's almost like hosting, right? I'm hosting this experience. So there's a lot of like care and nurturing that goes into it. So I do like to plan. So one thing I, yeah, even for trips, I always tell my husband, I'm like, I'm going to pack in advance. And then for the 24 hours before the trip, I can't pack because I can't, it's just that last minute thing I don't like to do. Like I want to have that space.

Yeah, whereas he's very last minute, right? So then it's like, because I like to just have that energetic space to just then prepare for the fact that I'm going to be going on a trip. Hey, I'm one of those people that books for the trip a month in advance, right? I am that person. And I cannot pack like the day before. It drives me nuts too. I totally get it. Yeah. It just, it makes me insane. But you know what? Having that mindset of being very like,

organized about stuff like that means that the client benefits because if you're coming into a brand photo shoot and you have chaotic energy, you're creating that chaotic energy for your client. It's really hard for them to relax. It's really hard for them to feel comfortable.

you know, in the moment being able to be their authentic self and so on. The same thing falls into when I, you know, do launches and stuff like that. If the client feels chaotic, like, I just already know that we're going to have a problem. And I think this is a great way for your project management experience to like transcend and come into this, which is great. And, you know, I know that with you, when you run your events, I'm sure you bring that too. I have questions about

And then, you know, I'm a big proponent of getting your branding photography done, even though, please don't be upset with me, I haven't done it since 2019. No, 2020. It was 2020. It was 2020. Right before the pandemic hit, literally a week before everything went down, it was February of 2020, late February, and I had a brand photo shoot done, and I haven't done it since. Yeah.

Okay, my bad 2025 planning. Here we go. But my question is, what are the tangible results, right? Because this is a long, this is like a long term thing, you get your pictures done, you have immediately like based on your your like one of your VIP ones, you have like three months of great content. And so I'm sure people can expand that and use it longer. What's the immediate benefits that people can see in their businesses by having the right type of photography, not just any type, but the right type of photography done for their businesses?

The immediate benefit is this magnetic energy that comes off of you as soon as you share your photos. So this is top of mind for me because I was doing event photography last week for a coach for an event that she held.

And I also did headshots for the attendees that were there so people could upgrade and get headshots if they wanted to. Some of the attendees who have received and selected their headshots so far have immediately posted on LinkedIn and shared like a story or something about themselves, maybe sharing their accomplishments.

But there's this like newfound energy that I can see in their posts because they also have this new image of themselves that they feel so good about. So it's like this layer of, you know, sharing the text, but also this like confident image of themselves that reflects this point in time of who they are right now. And you should see the engagement that's on these posts. People are like, oh my God, I love your new headshot. Or like they're really commenting on their content and

And I was like, yes, you go girl. You know, it's just like, I can just feel it. And I'm so happy for them. Like it's that this is what I noticed or a one client, she did a whole VIP session. So she has like a lot of photos to use and,

But they're planning the launch. So what they did was they picked one of the photos and they posted a teaser on this new Instagram account by creating, breaking up the photo into a grid of nine squares so that it makes this like massive image when you look at it together. And there's a tagline and a quote about what's coming.

Smart. And that, you know what I mean? Like it just creates so much like, wow. So they're feeling really good about it. Excited. They have teaser images and it just brings this whole level of like elevated confidence and excitement. I agree. I totally agree. I know that as somebody who builds,

like funnels and launches and things like that. And I don't do as much of that as my, as I have in the past. I'm moving, like I move more into the CMO role of things, but for all of the funnels and the summits and everything that I had to build, photography was such a huge, important piece. The visuals were huge and important. And when a client would give me

like the basic headshot, you know, like top of head to like mid upper arm. Or if I just got the shoulders, I'm like, come on, I can't put this on a page. And as soon as a client would give me an image where, and you'll know what I'm talking about, where like the client is on one side of the image and there's all this like,

like float space where I can float copy or graphics or opt-in box or whatever the page that was how I was getting these high conversion landing pages was not doing headshot box right it was like this beautiful hero image with the client on one side and then I could float all this gorgeous copy and stuff and that's one of the secrets of a high converting landing page or sales page

And having that photography is essential, but not everybody gets it. But I will tell you that if you're, when you're looking at sales, when you're looking at conversions, when you're looking at selling your course, I don't care if it's $9 or $900 conversion matters and, and percentage points matter. Right. And that photography can add percentage points. Oh, interesting. That's cool. I have done this, Natalie, where I've had AB testing.

where I've had, because I had to prove this to a client. I had this client, he was a bit of a jerk and he's just like, Arnold, believe that, you know, blah, blah, blah works. And I'm like, okay, let me prove it to you. I'm going to A, B test this, okay? And then it's definitive and then you can thank me later. And I literally did two like A, B tests. I'd had like one where I built it and it was the gorgeous sort of, you know, hero image brand photography kind of stuff because he had some. It was older. He didn't even look like that guy anymore, but whatever. And then I did one with his newer sort of like LinkedIn headshot and stuff like that.

And can I tell you that the difference was 14%. Oh my gosh. 14%. Same traffic, nothing different, same copy. Only thing that was different was beautiful hero image versus headshot with a stupid little form. And I love being able to, I just love being able to put that in front of somebody and say, see, ta-da. And then that's the end of that story. Yeah.

I am writing down the quote right now. It's like the best, like photography will raise percentage points to your launch conversion. Oh yeah. So good. Yeah. I love that. It's huge. So when you're thinking of doing this, just don't think it's pretty pictures on social, which it is, but they're more than that. This means that you can connect with more people, which will mean more trust, which will mean more sales. And those percentage points matter when you're getting in front of an audience because

Yes. I mean, I always saw, I've actually said this in a speech before about if we think about the simple example of a children's storybook, like children, they like the visuals, but they also like to hear the story. It's this combination, right? That strengthens what like it strengthens each other. Right. And it's very memorable when they could see the images as well. So it's like in,

And stories always follow a flow so you can kind of anticipate what's happening, but you also want to see that point in the story. Like it's this whole thing that packages really well together. Yeah. So it's important to have those visuals to go along with that copy, that story. Always. I fully agree with you. Always. And it is a difference maker in the sales side. It's a difference maker. You know what a book a call funnel is, right? Yeah.

So the whole point of a book a call funnel is get people on a page, make them realize they want to have a sales call with you for their big, you know, probably high ticket item. And I work with a lot of clients that do like 12,000 up to 35,000 or $50,000 masterminds. And you're going to not going to, nobody's going to buy that off the website. They want to book a call, but to get them to book a call, you need to get them to convert. And those pages, a lot of people will just throw a wall of text,

And then put a book call button at the bottom. Those don't convert well. The person is actually going to make the decision literally in the first five lines. And the thing that makes that decision isn't the copy. It's the way it looks on the page and what is surrounding it.

So if you have really pretty icons or really gorgeous hero image, or my favorite is, again, always client off to one side, looking at the copy or the box, not even gesturing, just looking at it, draws the eye to it. I can get that page to convert like over 40% with the right imagery. And it's always harder to get people to convert without the right imagery, which is why I think it's so important to have that.

brand photography. Yeah, but so to that point, and I actually want to switch this up a little bit, one of the things that I know that you talk about a lot is empowerment and strategy. And I think you kind of put those hand in hand. How do you convey to a potential client or how do you engage with the world to be able to say, this is the important piece, and it doesn't have to be so hard?

the important piece of growing your business, getting in front of your ideal client. Like, how do you, how do you share with people? Cause I'm sure there's fear and worry over like, well, how do I appear empowered? How do I, how do I connect with my ideal client that way? What,

I mean, you have that innately because you get that energy from people, but how do you convey that to the client? Like, I know we know some of the same people and I know one of the people that you did a photo shoot not too long ago with was somebody who's super shy. How do you get that person to engage and understand that?

this is not the scary thing and it's actually the good thing. Yeah, I really like this question because I actually got an inquiry come through where someone was saying that they were reading my reviews and it mentioned that I help someone who's camera shy overcome that. And they were like, I'm camera shy as well. Can we chat? Right. And I was like, oh yeah, this is so interesting. Cause I never really honed in on that specifically, but in terms of the importance of

and then conveying that, I really say to people like,

People want to get to know you. And then more importantly, I do it indirectly by I'm genuinely really interested in learning more about the person when we hop on a call. And I am just all over it. I'm like, oh my gosh. So I'll take the time to listen to their, like what their business mission is, who they serve and their vision for the shoot. And then immediately my mind starts thinking of all these different ideas and visuals and story buckets. And I tell them, this is what I'm thinking for you.

And these are the ideas. And this is why I feel that this would be great for you. And it's really drawing on what they've already told me.

And I feel that... So you paint a picture. I completely paint a picture. And it's just something that just pops up in my mind as they're telling me. I'm already like... It's already like swirling, you know, in my mind. I'm already like painting the canvas. And then I share with them the vision of like, okay, these are the possibilities of what we can do. And this is what I think would be good for you. And I see you. You know what I mean? It's really... And it's not something that's a cookie cutter approach. It's really what I feel would be great for them. But it's also...

throwing like mirroring back at them what they've just told me so I'm not like suggesting things that are out of left field that are crazy that you know what I mean that would make them uncomfortable but it's really encouraging

Like what they are envisioning, bringing that to life, making it like tangible so they can feel it almost. And then from there, it's sometimes if there's still a little bit of apprehension, I mean, there's always a planning process. Like I always tell them, this is what we're going to do. I think even giving the vision, the recap email that I give after that's pretty organized gives confidence. I've heard people tell me that, but it's also just like,

yeah just giving examples sometimes i'll give examples of other

clients that have shot who are perhaps maybe in their field or share like a similar aesthetic that they're looking for, just so that they can really see it, you know, because one thing is I'm painting the picture through words again, right? But sometimes people need to see a little bit of a visual. So then it could be even me showing, like sharing my screen and, you know, going through, this is the space that I'm thinking, because I'm already thinking about the space of where we're going to shoot this.

And then I'll be like, you know, what do you think of this? And then it's just, everything starts to become more alive. And I'll be like, here's an example of someone who,

you know, similar aesthetic or similar to what you're describing. And it's not always like a client of mine. It could be someone who is well known on the internet and I'll pull up their website because I can feel or get a sense of what they're trying to embody. So then, you know, just like a photo shoot, like we will create like a Pinterest board for inspiration. Like it's not something that we need to reinvent the wheel. We will look at other sources of inspiration. For sure. Wow.

Wow. I love that. That means that, you know, that puts you in a very special category, by the way.

Oh, really? I love that. So you being able to, as a person, to listen to people and in the moment as they're describing it, be able to visualize and plan and create and then be able to sort of visualize it back to them and get them to see what it could be is actually a very advanced sales technique.

Oh, I love that. Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. It is. I actually don't like, I don't talk about that much at all. Um, but maybe I should. It's cool. It's a, it's a, it's a very high, like it's an advanced sales technique of being able to

take somebody as because it's in the moment you're doing it at the second that it's happening as opposed to let me get back to you with my ideas because you're able to then i'm sure you're saying like you're able to close usually on that discovery call most likely because you're able to create that vision and

bring that to life for people. So that's a really, that's something really, really cool. Something I notice when people do for sure, as opposed to the, you know, let me figure it out and get back to you and send you stuff. That's really cool. I wanted to, just before we circle up and bring this together, I could keep talking to you forever because it's so much fun, but I really want to just sort of wrap this up and talk about

The clarity people need to have before they take this step. And I know you have a freebie that people can grab. It's the brand clarity workbook. Why is it so important that people have to have that clarity and how would this workbook kind of help them out?

Yeah, like one of the things that is really helpful as a foundation is we need to know somewhat of our purpose. Yeah. Right? So like whether it's a product or service, what are we putting out there? You know, sometimes we're still in the stage of figuring it out, but there is some sort of underlying like arrow or direction that you're going in. So you want to at least have that. And then from there, really understanding yourself.

So how do you, you know, want to kind of appear in terms of like, they say you're like brand voice, right? But so much of that, it's so important because it's really setting the tone for,

And the vibration and like everything, it just makes such a difference. I mean, the aesthetic of it is I might be like, okay, would you say that your brand is more dark and moody or like white and airy, you know, but that's black and white right there. That sets a completely different contrast. Yeah.

Right. So it's just knowing a little bit of that. Like you really have to know a little bit of that mood that you want the feeling. So that's all in the brand clarity. And that's kind of like the branding principles in general. You know, like sometimes branding people will equate to like colors or logos or taglines. But in general, even to get to that point, we we need to have a little bit of like knowledge of where we're going.

And then of course, like I find it really helpful when we know who we're serving because these images are really meant to speak to our audience. So sometimes, like for example, if someone is creating a food product, like I've shot for a client who creates a food product. And I mean, in general, if we think about it, we're sitting around the family table, food is for all ages, right?

But, you know, who is this product really catered for if we dive deeper? Like what sort of lifestyle are they living? So they have an appreciation for more healthier foods. Right. So that starts to like narrow it down a little bit. So really doing that work on your target audience.

stuff like that really does help because then it just, it works with then using it in a launch or a website or social media because I really picture the journey of like, yes, you do the photography, but there's a whole team of creative people who are going to help that business move forward. So if you have that solid foundation, then it just helps everyone to get on the same page to put that vision forward for you.

Well, as a marketing strategist who deals with a lot of people and the necessity of brand, I thank you. What you do makes my life so much easier. And when I see like really good brand photography from a client, I'm like, yes, my job just got like so much easier. And when I don't see it, I'm like,

you need a photo shoot. I will sell your thing to from here to you know where, but you need a shoot. Like please go get a brand photo shoot. So yeah, I love that. Thank you, Natalie, so much for doing this. How can people find you, get in touch with you? And hey, even if you're not in Toronto, book a session. Maybe you'll travel. Maybe you'll travel here. I don't know. But how can they do that? Yes. Okay. So I am hanging out on LinkedIn and

these days. So that's Pictonat Branding Creative for Instagram. And then LinkedIn is my name. So Natalie and Lani. And then my website is Pictonat.com. So just click and explore, check it out. And then for people not in Toronto, I do offer like mentoring sessions now where it can help kind of what you're describing, like kind of saying back to you what your vision is and how you can make it come to life. I call it like the reframe session.

session so yeah you can reach out for that too absolutely and you know what travel to Toronto come here in the summer book a nice VIP full day photo shoot and stay in a nice hotel it's worth it yes have a good time absolutely thank you Natalie I really really appreciate it and

As for everybody who's listening, if you like what Natalie was saying, go and check out our show notes. We'll have everything listed there so you can find her. You can get her workbook, which is fantastic. And you can learn more about what branding and photography and all those wonderful things can do for your business. Make people like me happy. Go get it done and go get it refreshed. Don't do what I did and like not do it since 2020.

as we are now in 2025. So everybody listening, thank you so much. And if you're enjoying the podcast, please think about hitting that subscribe button so you don't miss another episode and leaving me a review. Let me know what you think. Thanks so much, everybody. We'll talk to you all soon. Take care.