“I felt empty from inside…. I prayed to Allah to guide me.… then I found out about the respected leader of Tehrik-e Taliban [of] Pakistan….I met Mullah Fazlullah Khurasani…and gave him pledge of allegiance….Allah saved me.” This excerpt from a lengthy and detailed account of how a female fighter joined Tehrik-e Taliban of Pakistan (TTP) featured in Sunat-e Khola is rather a common theme among various jihadi groups (e.g. Afghan Taliban, TTP, ISIS, and Al Qaeda). While much is written about different terrorist groups, there is a paucity of systematic comparative analyses of the role personal stories/testimonies play in propaganda and recruitment strategies. Personal stories of average jihadists can be an effective way of garnering recruits. By focusing on personal stories featured in jihadi magazines, this research brings into light (1) differences in propaganda strategies of various groups and (2) what these stories tell us about the targeted audience of each group. The research employs the Information, Motivation, and Behaviour (IMB) model of behavior change to conduct qualitative analysis of Al Sommod, Azan, Dabiq, Inspire, Rumiyah, Ihyaye Khilafat, and Sunate Khola magazines. Our research demonstrates that there is a significant difference between the groups’ focus on “psychological and motivational appeals” as recruitment strategies.