Inspired by Blake Snyder's Save the Cat, 3 screenwriting rules are presented on how they relate to story-driven content marketing.

1. 3 Essentials to Make
Compelling Story-
driven Content
Inspired by Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!
by Adam Taylor

2. What does story-driven content even mean?
Manya Chylinski defines it as such:
“A story helps you explain what makes your
brand, company, product, or service unique, and
do so in a compelling way.”
Source: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/10/create-powerful-content-marketing-stories/

3. Blake Snyder (1957-2009)
was known as “Hollywood’s
most successful spec
screenwriter”
Trivia
Snyder wrote three
books on screenwriting
including Save the Cat!,
Save the Cat Goes to the
Movies, and Save the
Cat! The Cat Strikes Back
(posthumously)
Source: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0811414/

4. Here are just a few hard and
fast rules Snyder swore by.
(and how they relate to story-driven marketing)

5. 1. Save the Cat
The hero has to do something when we meet him so
that we like him and want him to win.
➔ Likeable
What about your brand do people find
likeable? Show it off, baby!!!
➔ Relatable
Give people a reason to invest
emotionally into your story.
➔ Be Genuine
A little vulnerability goes a long way.

6. 2. Pope in the Pool
Bury your exposition* in a fun or interesting way.
Pope in the Pool is a reference to a script Snyder
read where exposition was delivered while the Pope
was in his secret pope swimming pool looking very
un-popely in a bathing suit.
➔ Keep it light
Don’t let the minutiae of your story (or
backstory) weigh down and detract
from your main story
*Exposition
The backstory or details of
the plot that must be told to
the audience in order for
them to understand what
happens next.

7. 3. Covenant of the Arc
Every single character in you movie must change in
the course of your story.
➔ Structure
Your story needs a beginning, middle and
end.
➔ Conflict
The impetus for change. What struggles
did your brand face to make it what it is
today.
➔ The Arc
Showing the arc in your story makes it
more compelling.

8. If you include these 3 things,
You have the
potential to win the
hearts and minds of
your audience.