The curious content marketer who cares ✨ Partnering with purpose-led small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs to connect through storytelling and collaboration.

My ability to spot a good story is what landed me my first job in journalism. But it was my decade of profiling startups, small businesses, nonprofits and some of San Francisco’s most influential people that taught me how to tell one. 

A move into marketing and another decade dabbling in the creator economy—first with a food blog, then a motherhood magazine—taught me how to use those stories to build communities through content and collaborations.  

Now my mission is to help purpose-driven people and brands build loyal audiences who don't just want what you offer, but love what you stand for.  

Founders and business owners come to me when they need a strategic storyteller and networked creator. 

The results?

1. A clear brand narrative.
2. A simple, sustainable plan and process for consistently sharing that narrative through content across all channels. 
3. A bank of differentiated ideas pulled from stories and experiences to use everywhere. 
4. A shorter sales cycle. 
5. A community of collaborators.
6. An overall less time-consuming (and more enjoyable) way to do content marketing. 

In short: I help you figure out what you need to say and where you need to say it to develop your brand, find a community of collaborators, and connect with the right people.

Because with so much noise and competition, we all need a reason to care—we need to feel a connection. 

If you can do that, not only will you stand out, you will find exactly where you fit in. 

Ready to get started?

Renee Lynn Frojo ✨

I have proof that this is the best (and fastest) way to stand out on LinkedIn. 

First, take a look at all the top accounts. People like:
Justin Welsh
Neil Patel
Lara Acosta

Study them closely. 

Read their advice. Note their content style, structure, and talking points. Create templates from their hooks. 

And then?

Do the complete opposite.



----
Now that I (hopefully) have your attention, I'd like you to know that enrollment for the February cohort of my Short-Form Storytelling for Brand Building workshop is now OPEN. 

In 4 weeks, you'll learn how to not just capture attention, but deeply resonate with your target audience and unlock a world of opportunities online, in-person, and anywhere you want to build trust.

Renee Lynn Frojo

They tell you to tell your story. I show you how. | Brand storytelling, strategy, and training to help you get heard or hired. | Ask about my Short-Form Storytelling Workshop for your community or organization.

If the first week of January is any indicator of how the rest of this year is gonna go, then 2026 is shaping up to be a doozy.

On a globals stage, the leader of the free world just kidnapped another country's president for oil.

More locally, a perfect storm created by the moon’s proximity to the Earth, a rising tide and nonstop winter rains released a monsoon of unprecedented flooding in several cities in and around San Francisco, forcing evacuations of dozens of families—including my very own kids who were supposed to be at their dad's house through the weekend.

So instead of a quiet, focused first day back at work I'm playing the role of host and refugee shelter for my ex-husband, his 120-pound Swiss Bernese Mountain dog, and our two kids while grapling with how the world order is about to change.

While there's nothing quite like starting a fresh new year with exciting news and unexpected events, I'm focusing my attention on the light and opportunity in it all.

Bunking with my ex—which benefits my kids above all else—didn't seem possible to me when we were going through our breakup seven years ago.

Lots of things that are reshaping our relationships with each other and the world  as we know it didn't seem possible seven years ago. A lot has changed. 

And while change is scary and confusing, it's coming for us whether we're ready for it or not. Actually, it's here. We're in it. And I can already sense how it's changing people from what seems like a more grounded place.

Something big has shifted in all of us. I can't articulate it just yet, but I think many of us are tired of moving fast, playing the game and ready to rewrite the rules from a greater sense of self awareness. 

I still think it's going to be a doozy. But a good one.

If you write a newsletter, you know you’re doing it right when the same issue gets both the most replies you’ve ever received and the most unsubscribes. 

That’s what happened with the last issue of A Good Reputation. 

I spoke to my people and shed the rest.

...And I’m only just a little bitter about it.

I keep meeting smart, thoughtful, experienced people who want more visibility to grow their business, and yet everything in them resists hitting publish.

And it’s usually because they're:

-Out of practice with writing
-Afraid of being judged, misunderstood, or taken out of context
-Spent years doing great work quietly and behind the scenes for someone else
-Don’t want to sound like everyone else on the internet
-Unsure what they can share (especially with client confidentiality)

These solos, founders and job seekers know visibility matters, but they just don’t know how to make it feel safe or sustainable.

So they comment instead of posting, and draft all this content that never sees the light of day.

If this is you, I see you. You’re telling yourself you’ll get to it eventually. 

But the longer you wait, the longer it takes to build the type of visibility that creates real inbound opportunities—from clients and customers coming directly to you to job offers you get to vet.

This is exactly who my February storytelling for brand building cohort is for.

Over four weeks, we focus on:
-Finding your unique point of view 
-Writing in a way that sounds like you
-Building confidence through practice, feedback, and support
-Leaving every session with something you can actually publish

This is not a content creation program. It’s a small, intimate space to learn storytelling for short form.

We focus on how resonance works, how specificity helps others feel seen, and why being understood is what actually builds trust.

The doors close in 5 days. Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gv6sVEK5

In the meantime, I’m going to bully all of my friends into commenting on this post so that it gets some reach.

Want to be funnier and faster on your feet? Me too, my friend. Me too.

Not only does being funny make you more likable and relatable, it also helps release the pressure valve during unstable, chaotic times. (Yes, like the one we’re very much living in.)

So that’s why I decided to kick off my community speaker series with an Improv Masterclass taught by the one and only Amanda Austin. And boy, did she deliver.

In an hour(ish), Amanda gave us the upshot on what it takes to be funny. She led us through a handful of unpredictable, ridiculous games to get over ourselves and unlock a buttload of new ideas for turning our personal experiences into story drafts.

One thing I took away is that all humor comes down to surprise. We laugh because:

1. We can see ourselves in you or the thing, or
2. We can’t relate at all, and what you just told us is totally absurd or novel.

Either way, the element of surprise is the mechanism for the funnies. 

So, if you want to be funnier, start by trying these 3 things:

1. Become a better listener and observer so that you can notice that surprising thing that sticks out (known as the “bright, shiny object” in improv), and build on it.
2. Say “yes and” to all of your dumb ideas. Good, funny ideas start with a lot of imperfect volume. 
3. Let go of your ego and trust the process. Related to number 2, we are our biggest blockers to great ideas. Just start writing that draft without getting attached to where it’s going.

The most profound takeaway for me was that instead of trying to “be funny,” you simply need to be more observant and honest.

It’s the same thing that makes you a better storyteller. 

Funny how that works, ey?



-------------------

If you’re looking for an extremely fun and practical workshop for your community, I highly recommend you GO HIRE Amanda RIGHT NOW. (Sorry to yell.)

And if you want to become a better storyteller and learn from a diverse range of speakers like this, you can join my next group in Short-Form Storytelling for Brand Building. 

Next month, we’re hearing from the CIA’s former head of content (!!!) on how to tell stories about top secret or sensitive stuff. It's going to be fascinating. Enrollment for the February cohort closes in 6 days.

Did the Bay Area just survive a real-life Sharknado?

Last weekend, a perfect storm created by the moon’s proximity to the Earth, a rising tide, and nonstop winter rains released a monsoon of unprecedented flooding in several cities in and around San Francisco, forcing evacuations of dozens of families that live on a lagoon.

As drone footage of the flooding circulated on the internet and group chats, so did this image of a spotted leopard shark swimming around the high school parking lot. 

Possible, I guess, since the lagoon backs into the bay.

Some people (myself included) immediately questioned whether the image was generated by AI, while others jumped in to defend the plausibility of a shark in the neighborhood.

While some obsessively dug to find the truth and set the record straight, others didn’t bother to fact-check or care—they just loved the story.

And that's how the story spread. 

Either because it made for fun dinner conversation or justified a feeling that the world is, in fact, coming to an end.

This is the moment we’re all navigating. It's a moment where we have to trust our instincts and intuition more than our eyes.

Ultimately, where we get our information, how we shape our belief system, and how we build our worldview come down to whom we choose to align with and trust.

So, as brands, business leaders, and creators, how do we get anyone to trust us?

A few ideas in this week's issue of A Good Reputation Newsletter.

Now, you tell me: Real or not?

Storytelling for Underestimated Founders | Startup Founder Mentor with Techstars & gener8tor

I move ideas from your brain into someone else's using a 100K+ year-old technology.

I'm a storyteller.

Founders, executives, and coaches by the 100s have trusted me to help them be heard, understood, trusted, and remembered.

Sometimes they hire me directly to interview them & build the story myself.
Others join my Storybuilding courses to learn to do it for themselves.

Either way...they see results.

I'm not a copywriter.
I'm not a ghostwriter.
I'm a story specialist. 
I build short, impactful stories that hold attention long enough to get to YES!

It's easier and faster than you think. In a free 15-min call, we can change your business.
Doubtful?  Check out my top recommendation below.

How did I become a storyteller?

I’ve done some crazy stuff. I’ve flown fighter aircraft. I’ve negotiated hundreds of times with the Russian military to ensure we didn’t shoot at each other (unless that is what we intended to do). I’ve lived in Central Asia where making friends meant I ate more sheep brains and eyeballs and drank more vodka and fermented mare’s milk than I care to remember.

I’ve been a speechwriter for the most senior officials in the US Air Force. I also took out the trash, swept the floors, and “embraced the suck” with everyone else.

I’ve spent a lot of time studying…to get an undergraduate degree, to be a pilot, to get a Master’s degree in International Relations, and to work towards a PhD in International Development—until I realized fighting the bureaucracy was not how I wanted to spend my life.

Now, I help people move their ideas to create the impact they dream of.

Let's chat: Dan@buildthestory.com

Dan Manning

I took a risk. Could I develop a world-class AI for Decision Makers workshop, without giving up storytelling?

I haven't posted as much here on LinkedIn over the past month or so, but I've been working.

A few years ago, before:
• ChatGPT
• Nano Banana
• I ruthlessly focused on storytelling
I built an AI for Decision Makers workshop.

Years later, people still quote parts of it back to me.
People enjoyed it.
But, I was too early.
I was teaching AI literacy to people who didn't use AI.

Eventually, I gave up.
My focus shifted to storytelling and teaching storytellers.
I've done over 900 stories since then.
I've written a book on startup pitch storytelling.
I've helped 100s of people build stories that work.

But, when Daniel Gomez and Hallie J. Stern asked me to teach my course at a conference of National Security practitioners, I couldn't say no.

But, the AI world of today isn't what it was a few years ago.
Everyone believes humans in the loop will save us.

But...
What does it mean to be a responsible human in the loop?

So, I dove back into the research:
• How are decisions being made with AI?
• How will Agentic AI increase the challenge?
• When does confirmation bias drive us?
• When does automation bias rule?

I wanted to do a workshop with no buzzwords, no hype, no fear, just first-principles thinking and instant usefulness.

That doesn't just happen.
It took some time locked in my office thinking.

But, in the end, it worked.
The most common feedback I received after delivering it this week: "The best I've ever seen."

The next most common was "let's chat to see if we can work together".

And, story was all over it.
I included elements of 20 different stories.
I built in 8 short, but powerful exercises.
One attendee: "It was a slap in the face...in the best way"

I loved it.
But, it's a risk.
Most people here know me as a storyteller.
And I am.
I love it.
I'm good at it.
And, it's the best way to communicate with humans.

So, think of this as "applied storytelling".
I'll be doing more of it soon.

I hope you'll make space in your brain to think of me as a storyteller...but not only.

If anyone is interested, I'm glad to share what I learned:
• About how people make decisions with AI
• The shift I see in AI consumers
• Building a near-real time graphic recorder with AI

Helping Founders Tell Stories to Drive Action | Startup Mentor with Techstars & gener8tor | Millions Sold, Millions Raised, Millions Spent With Stories

Solopreneur creators ask me why their good content isn't being seen. I start at the beginning.

The problem is in the 'HOOK'.

First, the IDEA of the hook.
'Hooking' the people you want to serve
...the people you want to trust you
...the people you want a relationship with
is a miserable way to think about it.

Hooks trick fish into thinking something is valuable.
Then pulls them from their home
...to a place they don't want to be
...and can't breathe.
It's uncomfortable (at best).

Instead, I started thinking about the idea of a fuse.

This quick 🎠explains what a fuse is
...and how to write one that makes your next customer WANT to read the post you've worked hard to write.

Does it work?
You're reading this one, aren't you. 😊

Have you found a type of fuse that works for you?

------------------
Hi, I'm Dan.
I'm a Storyteller.
I'm also a Storyteacher.

Next month will being the 4th year of my Storytelling Apprenticeship. It's not for beginners.

If you want to go deep into stories that actually move people, ideas, and action, let's chat.

HOW to make people WANT to read your posts (1)

I use AI coding tools often...but I didn't realize I was in the top 1% globally. Do I have a problem?  

Yesterday, I started a new project on Lovable for a client.
(It's a quick, custom AI-aided tool for resolving incidents.)

I noticed Lovable added a "Your 2025" wrapup.
I was surprised.

In 2025, I created 1.8 million lines of code for my projects.
They estimate it's equal to 60K+ hours of manual coding. 

And, by traffic to my projects, I'm also a "top creator".

FWIW, I'm also more polite when communicating to our AI overlords than 99% of users.

(Lucky for me they ignored my occasional expletive-laden rants when the bot wouldn't listen.)

What did I build?
Volola.app : a spoken word audio platform
StoryTeacher.app : tool that helps build & improve stories

I've paid for software development before.
Paying to have someone build StoryTeacher would have cost me between $100K (off-shore) to $500K in the US.

I also built a few private projects:
• An agent that finds news and new research for me each morning on AI, storytelling, and decision-making
• A game pitting LLMs against each other for testing
• A date-night game for me and my wife
• A simulation to test AI Agent coordination 

I also recently started using Replit to build some agents I'll use to add to my AI for Decision Makers workshop.

So, what have I learned:
• It's not possible (yet) for a non-coder to go from idea to production/revenue-ready app just with these tools.

• But, someone with a basic knowledge of programming, databases, and systems-thinking can. 

• I don't "vibe-code". I build a mini-Production Requirements Document for each project before I give it to the tool. A little thinking before saves time (and credits).

• I'm convinced we'll have far fewer SaaS products in a few years. I can build something custom, pay once, and use forever.

So, that's my experience, what's yours?
Have you tried these tools yet?

If you want some help getting started, just ask.

---------------------
Hi, I'm Dan.
I'm a Storyteller.

Storytelling is one of humanities oldest inventions.
But, I think it can be made better by the newest as well.

I read "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" each year on MLK day. It is a master class in connecting a message to stories already in your audience's mind.

In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr wrote letter in response to criticism from Southern clergymen who thought his direct action campaign was ill-timed.

In the 9-page letter, he uses story-based persuasion tuned precisely to his audience to make his points.

He knew the stories these clergymen knew.
He understood the stories and 'heroes' they valued.
He knew the villains they abhorred.

He attached his story to the ones already playing in their minds, hearts, and psyche.

Because they already knew the stories, he didn't have to re-tell them...he just needed to call them to mind.

He referenced stories about:
• 8th Century prophets
• Apostle Paul
• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
• Early Christians facing lions
• Socrates
• Jesus
• Martin Luther
• Abraham Lincoln
• Thomas Jefferson
• Rosa Parks
• Founding of America

Then he also told several 'new' short stories:
• Attempts to negotiate in Birmingham
• Telling his daughter she couldn't go to Funtown
• Inhumane treatment of Black citizens

His letter was 9 pages long when printed.
But, it contains a library of stories.

By referencing stories already in his audience's mind, he connected his message to them.

He silently asks: 
"Do you want to be like these heroes?"
"What do you want the story of YOU to be?"

Here's the stark truth.
People are going to connect whatever you are saying to SOME story playing in their brain.

We manage new information by saying:
"This is like That."

Whether your audience connects your story to one beneficial to you is a major factor in your success.

You can either hope they make a favorable connection.
OR
You remind them of the 'right' stories.

Make your story a new link in their existing story chain, and you'll concentrate your story power.

Think of your business or a cause that matters to you,
What existing stories could you connect to?

-------------------------
Hi, I'm Dan.
I'm a Storyteller.
Even beaten, isolated, and locked in a jail cell, no one can steal our stories...we're still telling his today.

If you're beginning to learn about storytelling, the basics are good enough. But, I don't teach beginners.

The Apprentices who join my Storybuilding Apprenticeship aren't looking for tired advice:
• Just tell your origin story
• The cUStoMeR is tHe hERo
• Use emotion in your story
• Start a post with [Storytime] so people know it's a story

The Apprentices I teach are:
• Journalists looking to move past pure facts
• Entrepreneurs who know storytelling is a key skill
• People tired of being ignored and overlooked
• "Good" storytellers who want to be great

I'm privileged to work with real pros.
And, they push me to deliver.

I go deep into understanding the science, and turn evidence-based research into practical advice.

This 2025 study looked at the research around Narrative Transportation (that feeling of being immersed in a story).

I decided to compare it's findings to what I teach.
Results; What I teach works...and is aligned with science.

What's holding you back from telling more immersive stories?

----------------
Hi, I'm Dan.
I'm a Storyteller.
I'm also a Storyteacher.

The next cohort kicks off in February.
The first new Apprentices have already joined.
If you want to check it out, just ask.
If I don't think it's right for you, I'll let you know.
I want your success more than I want your cash.

Meta-analysis of Narrative Persuasion

The doctor told my father not to make any decisions for 24 hours...Founder-Me: That would be awesome!

My Dad had a minor medical procedure.
He was mildly sedated...nothing too serious.
But, the Doc gave him a free pass on making decisions.

YES!  It sounds like paradise to my entrepreneur mind.

I am a student of human decision-making.
As a fighter-pilot, I had to make fast decisions.
As an officer approving air strikes, I had to make slow ones.
As an entrepreneur, I have to do both.

But, for entrepreneurs, deciding to act isn't enough.
There is almost nothing I can do alone.

But, getting others on-board isn't automatic.
They have to make a choice...a decision.
And DECIDING IS WORK.

I can be more successful if I make deciding easier.

I've learned to build research from Kahneman and Cialdini into the business stories I build for clients.

Not to be manipulative.
Not to "trick" into making the decision I want.
Not to "get them into this car today".

But, to give them what they need to make a choice.
To avoid distractions.
To simplify.
To make it easy.

If I attract the right people, they'll choose me.

But, even if they choose NOT to work with me, I've helped them make a decision and move forward.

When I teach Founders & Execs writers how to use storytelling to move people to action, I refer to Cialdini.

He's the world's leading expert on influence and best-selling author of how-to books on persuasion.

This little carousel breaks down how to use his 7 principles in storytelling.

I've used them in the 800+ stories I've written in the past 3 years...and taught 100+ others how to use them too.

Which do you think is the hardest for you to use in your work?

--------------------
Hi, I'm Dan.
I'm a Storyteller.
...and an Influencer,
 but not one who does unboxing or 'haul' videos.

Check out my Cialdini Ethical Influence Practitioner badge...it's proof. 🤣
Follow me here to never miss out.

Storytelling and Cialdini's Principles

Which is more powerful? Truth or Story.
We are finding out.

When most people talk about storytelling they focus on how to say things better...and that's where it stops.

They miss the deeper reason stories matter.
Stories shape our beliefs.
Beliefs shape our behavior.
Behavior reveals to the world who we are.

You can compel someone
...or millions of someones...by force.

But,
It's expensive.
Dirty.
A constant fight.

Force controls bodies.
Beliefs control behavior.
Stories control belief.

The way we interpret history, advertising, politics, and every human we meet is shaped by the stories we believe.

If you want to change minds, change the story.
If you want to control behavior, control the story.

This is why I work in story.
Not to sell things, though I've done lots of that.
Not to help people get hired, though I do that.
Not to be a great speaker, though I do that too.
But, to teach good people to use story.
Because there are plenty who use it for evil.


I go deeper into the links between story and belief in my Substack. You can check it out here:
https://lnkd.in/eT6EpbFC

Doctor: "Mr. Manning, I have your test results here..."
[Pause]
Me: "Sorry, Doc, your 8 seconds are up, gotta go."

Of course, this never happened.

Yet, if you believe the bunk 'science' you see online, it makes sense. "wE haVe thE aTteNtiOn of a GolDfiSh!" 

The same people who say this will then excuse themselves to binge a SEASON of their favorite show on Netflix.

We will gladly give our attention to things that interest us.

But, here's what matters to anyone who needs someone else's attention to sell, lead, persuade, or teach:
NOTHING,
[I'll say it again for effect]
NOTHING
is more interesting to us than 
ourselves and the pain we feel.

If you're talking to me about me, you have my attention.
AND my interest.

Attention is cheap.
A buzzing phone or barking dog can grab attention.

But interest is what brings me back.
Interest is what makes everything else a 'distraction'.

When I help an entrepreneur build a sales story for their business, we lead with a statement to grab attention.
But we can't stop there.
A buzzing phone or barking dog is imminent.
We have to quickly convert attention into interest.

How? We talk about the PAIN they feel.

If I'm talking about the pain you feel, a circus train of clowns and elephants in tutus won't distract you.

I'm giving away my secrets, but this is what is missing with 95% of content on LinkedIn.

Everyone is aiming for attention.
But, interest is where it's at.

What pain is most 'interesting' to the audience you are trying to get to hear your message?

-------------
Hi, I'm Dan.
I'm a Storyteller.
I'm also a Storyteacher.
I help good people share complicated ideas using story.

It seems "out-of-bounds" for a storyteller to be teaching about AI--until you see what you're missing.

A few years ago, I read an article by two computer scientists that changed the way I think--not about AI, but about story.

They were working in the '90s trying to build AI systems.
They wanted to understand human memory.
Then, they wanted to build that in a computer.

The mental model they came to was this:
Everything we know is stored in our memory as a story. 

When we answer a question...
When we imagine the future...
When we solve a problem...
When we decide to hug or harm...
We reference the stories we believe.

This is THE most powerful storytelling lesson I've learned.
Stories don't only explain the past.
We use stories to interpret the present.
And we use stories to predict the future.

So, when I updated my AI for Decision Makers workshop teaching people how to be responsible humans in the loop, I thought about how story intersects with AI.

I created a chart mapping out the methods humans use to solve problems
...and I compared it to the ways AI solves them.
(The methods are the same. We built AI in our image.)

Then I saw the pattern.
On the left of the chart are, what I call, closed problems.

These are problems solved by data that already exists ...we're using stories of the past to interpret the present.

On the right are open problems.
These are problems where no data exists.

These are problems where we use stories of the past to predict the future. 

The future is a data point that doesn't exist, yet.

But, then I noticed something interesting.
When humans use AI to help make decisions, we have biases...but different biases rule in different areas of the chart.

On the left, humans fall for confirmation bias more often.
If the AI reports what we already believe, it's BRILLIANT!
If it disagrees with us, it's TRASH! 

On the right of the chart, humans fall for automation bias.

If we don't have the stories to accurately predict the future,
(or we're under stress or social pressure)
we blindly accept what the AI tells us.

After digging deep in my own brain and trying to make sense of it all, here's what I've come to:

We believe the solution to AI failures, hallucinations, and behavior we don't understand is to put a human in the loop.

But, if we are honest, 
most humans aren't ready to be in the loop.

Being a responsible human-in-the-loop requires:
• Understanding faulty human thinking
• Understanding how AI actually works
• Understanding how the AI you are working with was trained
• Understanding the twin threat of confirmation & automation bias
• The patience to sit through 1000s of good decisions...and to still be able and willing to speak up when the 1 decision is wrong

Stories shape our beliefs.
Believes determine our behavior.
AI can confirm our false beliefs.
AI can refute what we know to be true.
The only way to protect ourselves from better AI is to become a better thinking human.

taplio

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Renee Lynn Frojo ✨

Dan Manning

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The Battle

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