From Claims to Fairytales: How to Write for Different Audiences | Chantal Roberts | 597

Leveraging Thought Leadership

How do you turn technical expertise into a story that captures everyone’s attention? Today, host Bill Sherman sits down with Chantal Roberts, an insurance expert and professor at The Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York., to discuss her unique journey as an author of two distinct books. One caters to insurance professionals, and the other takes a creative approach to educate the general public. Chantal’s first book, The Art of Adjusting, targets mid-career insurance adjusters, offering them insights into the unwritten rules of claims handling. With remote work reducing informal knowledge-sharing, she aimed to bridge that gap. This book also strengthened her credentials as an expert witness in insurance litigation. Her second book, Once Upon a Claim: Fairytales to Protect Your Assets, was a complete pivot. Inspired by her experience teaching, Chantal decided to use fairy tales like Rapunzel and Goldilocks to explain complex insurance concepts to consumers. The goal? To help people understand the claims process better and avoid feeling blindsided. Chantal shares how her passion led her to write in ways that even surprised her. She also discusses her grassroots marketing efforts, sending postcards to agents as a way to spread the word about her second book—ensuring it doesn’t get lost in the spam folder. If you’re wondering how to write for different audiences without losing your authentic voice, Chantal’s journey is full of insights. Three Key Takeaways: • Tailor your message to the audience: Chantal’s books serve two very different audiences—insurance professionals and general consumers—requiring her to adjust both her tone and content to suit their needs. • Passion drives engagement: If you don’t love what you’re writing, neither will your readers. Chantal’s pivot from a technical rewrite to storytelling with fairy tales made her second book more engaging and enjoyable for everyone. • Creative marketing matters: Chantal’s approach to promoting Once Upon a Claim through physical postcards demonstrates the power of thinking outside the box to avoid digital clutter and create a personal touch. Chantal uses a different approach to finding her audience, but are you still using mass market techniques with your niche audience? If so, this article by Thought Leadership Leverage found and CEO Peter Winick might be helpful.