| name | story-why-how-what |
| description | Use when crafting a narrative, launch story, product announcement, talk opening, or pitch. Structures communication as Why → How → What so the audience buys into the purpose before evaluating the product. |
Why, How, What
People don't buy what you do — they buy why you do it. Lead with why. Let what follow as proof.
Structure
- Why — your purpose or belief. "We love music."
- How — the approach that brings the why to life. "So we want to put music in your pocket."
- What — the product, service, or action. "The iPod — here are its features and price."
Example
Bad: "Today we are introducing the Zune, a music player for $399. We think it will revolutionize how you consume music."
Good: "We love music. We wish you could bring music with you wherever you go. So we decided we want to put a music player in your pocket. It would need to hold a lot of music, be robust, reliable... so today we're introducing the iPod. 1000 songs in your pocket, 20 minutes of shake memory, several hours of battery — $399."
Related
Maps onto NASA (see nasa-persuasion): Need ≈ Why, Solution ≈ How, Proof ≈ What. Use NASA when the listener can respond (dialogue, sales); WHW when they can't (essays, talks, launches).
