Welcome to Issue 29 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about how to use storytelling to grow your brand and get buy-in for your big ideas. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.)

***Sending a few days late due to a bad taco situation. Don't worry—I am well again. I'll be back to my regularly scheduled Friday programming next week. Enjoy!***

Hello Reader,

I’m in the middle seat at the back of the plane on my way down to Mexico City, sandwiched between my guy and a reserved lone traveler, with just enough rows between us and the bathroom to keep me from questioning my life choices.
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I lived in Mexico until I was 8, and this trip has become a semi-annual pilgrimage to reconnect with a place that feels like a distant second home.
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As the pilot’s voice crackles over the intercom, I prepare myself for the usual monotone script—destination (in case we forgot), flight time, weather. Instead, he says:
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“This is going to be the best flight of your life.”
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I look up from my phone, where I've been sucked into catching up on emails. Oh yeah?
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Then, after a perfectly timed pause, he adds—
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“Just kidding! Who says that? No one says that. It should be a fine flight, but I just want everyone to lighten up. If I made you smile, share that smile with a neighbor—it costs nothing and will make this whole experience better for all of us.”
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This pilot assumes we’re all likely on edge because of the flurry of recent news around flipped planes and near misses.
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(He’s right.)
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And considering my position in the middle seat near the bathroom, I can safely say I’ve had more enjoyable flying experiences.
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But that unexpected announcement—delivered with a sprinkle of personality—was enough to make this one pretty good. Pleasant, even.
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And, most importantly: Memorable.

How the pilot began his announcement not only caught my attention, it kept it.

It also shaped my behavior and experience of the whole flight—maybe even my experience of United Airlines as a brand. (Maybe.)

That, friends, is the power of a good and captivating start.

Whether you're giving a speech, writing a newsletter, introducing yourself on a podcast, meeting someone at a networking event, or writing a social media post, a good start isn't just about grabbing attention. It's about shaping the experience that follows.

A Good Lesson

As a young journalist, I was taught that nothing mattered more than a strong headline and opening lead. Because if you can't capture the reader's attention at the top, you've lost them.

Copywriters are taught the same thing. Rule #1, according to the Adweek Copy Writing Handbook is this: The sole purpose of the first sentence is to get you to read the second sentence. (While there are so many issues with this resource, this rule still stands.)

So, before I ever learned how to structure an article or craft a narrative, I learned how to start. That is, how to hook a reader and make them stay.

But I also learned something that many brands, leaders, online business owners, and copywriters have forgotten:

A strong opening isn’t just about grabbing attention—it’s about making a promise.

The headline and lead should act as a guide, setting the reader’s expectations for what they will learn or understand.

Break that promise, and all you have is clickbait.

I learned this, mind you, before the TikTokification of everything shortened our attention spans. Or before iPhones scattered our focus with an endless stream of texts, emails, and notifications.

Now, even when you have a captive audience in a meeting or on a plane, you're contending with pings in your audience's pocket.

We've become so desperate to win attention through all these distractions that we've resorted to yelling at people.
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How many times have you seen people start with: "Stop doing this thing!" "You're doing it wrong if..." "This mistake is costing you!"

I don't know about you, but I'm like yeesh—stop yelling at me.

Not only that, but half the time the content doesn't deliver on the thing that hooks you.

All that's to say is that now, in addition to creating more of an attention problem, we’ve eroded trust by doing and saying anything to get it.

So, if you're creating something, it's never been more critical to remember that every moment of attention is a decision—a gift, even, that your audience is giving you.

And, as good people building good brands, we have to reward that decision by meeting the expectations we set at the start.

If you want to use stories to build a good reputation, you can't do it with tricks or empty promises in your hook.

You have to start with something that earns and deserves attention.

A Good Takeaway

While many things have changed since my days in journalism, the core principles of a good start haven’t. A great beginning does two things:

1. It creates contrast – It sets up where the story is going, often by starting with the opposite of the ending, and makes the beginning feel inevitable.

(Ex. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I once was afraid but now I'm courageous.)

2. It builds curiosity — It creates an open loop that makes you want—no, NEED—to learn more to close that loop.

Essentially, it creates tension.

Tension is what makes us pay attention. It’s why we can’t stop watching when a show ends on a cliffhanger, or why a question feels unbearable until we hear the answer.

It's an open loop that our monkey brains need to close to feel relief.

I love how author and speaker Katherine Morgan Schafler puts it:

(I think she might have been talking about sex in this quote, but the point still stands.)

Tension—whether in the form of contrast or curiosity—demands resolution.

And it doesn't have to be dramatic. It can be playful, like the pilot’s joke. He created tension by piquing my curiosity and setting up the contrast.

Here are some actionable ways to make your stories start strong and create that tension:

• Start in the action – Skip the backstory. Drop the audience right into a moment that matters and get as close to the end as possible. (“I’m in the middle seat at the back of the plane on my way down to Mexico City...”) This brings your audience directly into your experience and creates a visual in their mind. It syncs your brains.
• Break the pattern – If people expect one thing, give them another. Subvert expectations. (“This is going to be the best flight of your life… Just kidding!”)
• Create curiosity – Open with something that makes people lean in and wonder, where is this going? (Why is this the best flight of my life? Why is this middle-seat experience so memorable?)
• Make it personal – The best way to transfer an idea from your head into someone else's is to connect. A good start often invites them into an experience, rather than just stating a fact. And if it's something you experienced or your audience can see themselves in, even better.

All that said, it's important to note that a great start often doesn’t come first.

Most good storytellers—and good creators—write their middles and endings before they refine their opening. And that's because a strong beginning sometimes feels inevitable only after you know where you're going.

After I think I've nailed my start, I go back and analyze it for content, tone, humor, and connectivity to the story before deciding to go with it.

Ultimately, a good start should be an invitation to stay that sets something in motion—an expectation, a contrast, or a question.

It's not about being flashy, tricky, or loud. (Let's stop yelling?)

And if you get stuck, search for the heart of your story first. The right start often reveals itself once you're clear on your takeaway.

And when it does? I hope you make it count.

A Few Good Resources

1. My storytelling friend, Alyx, has a free masterclass on nailing your messaging. She's a great storyteller, good peoples, and has an awesome Australian accent.
2. I've partnered up with Graphy and the lovely and talented Patrice Poltzer, a former producer at the Today Show, to give a free masterclass on personal storytelling next week.
3. ​Amy Webb, a futurist known as the "Taylor Swift of SXSW" is one of the most influential founders and thought leaders I think we should all be following right now as we prepare for the tech revolution that's in motion. Her reports will blow your mind.

Hope you have a good one,
Renee