All stories needs a beginning, middle and end. Any form of written communication, from blog posts to email copy to stories, should have those three pieces.

If you’re wondering what to actually write about in the beginning, middle and end, this post by Nick Usbourne outlines the three elements:

1. The challenge.

2. The struggle.

3. The resolution.

If, for example, you sell a weight loss product, the challenge is losing a certain number of pounds. The struggle would be the difficulties you faced in losing weight and finding an effective weight loss method. The resolution would be the solution that finally worked.

Quite often a story will be missing one of these three elements. Usually it’s the case where the story is all middle and missing a beginning or ending.

Be sure to use recent stories too. People long for authenticity and respond better if they know you’re a real human being. If you’re a size two with a successful weight loss product, don’t be afraid to write the occasional story that talks about a current struggle. Don’t always rehash the story about how you lost 50 pounds five years ago and kept it off.

Keep in mind a good ending/resolution will cause a beginning in the reader. You’ve done your work in delivering your story. Now it’s up to the reader to take the message and run with it, and, in the case of a selling story, purchase your product. Your story will create a new story within the reader.

A lot of people like to hate on Walmart. Just like a lot of online entrepreneurs diss marketing “gurus.”

Here’s a fact about Walmart that isn’t widely circulated: according to reason.tv, a 2008 study revealed that the states with more Walmarts have more small businesses.

The small businesses that go out of business when Walmart comes to town are replaced by small businesses that do a better job of appealing to customers.

The small mom and pop shops have to keep their stores clean, treat their customers as they are their only customer, and offer the best possible prices. Then they can hold their own against Walmart.

Every online niche has Walmart equivalents.

You can either hate on their practices, crappy products, or whatever. You can give up and close up shop.

Or you can stand out by providing superior customer service and products in ways the big guys can’t.

These “gurus” are actually making it easier for you to succeed, not harder.