Join us on 18 March 2026 for a webinar on how to create more engaging tours, hosted by one of VoiceMap’s most accomplished publishers.
Tom Darbyshire spent decades as an advertising creative director, helping many of the world’s most famous brands tell their stories, in everything from radio spots to Super Bowl commercials. He learned tricks that make even dull things interesting – with limited word counts – and taught those skills to generations of young writers. He was even nominated for a Prime Time Emmy.
His TellBetter tours of New York City are so engaging he routinely has the highest sales of any single publisher on VoiceMap. Listen to this example of the craftsmanship he brings to every story from his tour The Lower East Side: Tenement tales of hardship, hope and humor.
During the webinar, he’ll use the example – along with a few other publishers’ standout locations – to illustrate practical tips anyone can use to craft better scripts.
Here are 15 of Tom’s tips for crafting more engaging tours:
- Make it personal.
- Talk about the people. Not just the place.
- Write screenplays, not encyclopedia entries.
- Actively avoid passive voice.
- Start with action.
- Make an entrance (or an exit).
- Give them something to “get”.
- Put your listener in the moment.
- Make your listener the principal character.
- Tell them a secret.
- Break stories into chapters.
- Talk while you walk.
- Write tight.
- Use multiple voices.
- Use the power of sound.
The webinar is open to anyone, but you need to RSVP here. Once you’ve RSVPed, we’ll send you the session details and a Google Meet link.
Date: 18 March, 2026
Time: 14:00 GMT / 15:00 CET / 10:00 EST / 07:00 PST
