marketing-storybrand

name

marketing-storybrand

description

Use when clarifying brand, product, landing page, email, ad, sales, or website messaging with a StoryBrand-style customer narrative. Helps turn unclear copy into simple customer-centered messaging, one-liners, calls to action, lead magnets, drip campaigns, testimonials, and internal mission narratives. Do not use for generic literary story analysis, fiction writing, brand voice work that does not involve customer conversion or organizational alignment, or word-of-mouth/referral mechanics (that's marketing-contagious). Prefer the marketing hub when the marketing path is unclear; use this skill only for its specific framework.

Marketing / StoryBrand

Skill for turning noisy marketing into a clear customer story.

Source attribution

Source: Donald Miller, Building a StoryBrand (2017, HarperCollins Leadership).

This skill distills Miller's StoryBrand framework into reusable agent guidance. Do not quote the book or reproduce its examples at length.

Core rule

The customer is the protagonist. The brand is the guide.

Write as if the customer is trying to get somewhere, something blocks them, and the brand helps them move forward. Cut anything that does not help the customer answer:

1. What is being offered?
2. How will it make my life better?
3. What do I do next?

If those answers are not obvious within a few seconds, the message is too vague.

Message map

Create or audit messaging with these seven slots:

1. Customer. Name the specific buyer or user and what they want. Use plain language they would recognize.
2. Problem. State the external problem, the internal frustration, and the fairness or values issue when it matters.
3. Guide. Position the brand with empathy and authority. Empathy says "we understand this." Authority proves "we can help."
4. Plan. Give a short path forward. Usually 3 steps. Make buying or starting feel low-risk.
5. Call to action. Use a clear direct CTA for buyers and a lighter transitional CTA for interested but unready prospects.
6. Failure. Name the cost of inaction, but use it lightly. Too much fear makes the copy feel manipulative.
7. Success. Show the better life after the customer acts. Make the outcome concrete.

Copy workflow

1. Identify the customer segment. If there are multiple segments, make a separate message map for each one.
2. Draft each message-map slot in short phrases before writing polished copy.
3. Choose one primary message. Do not explain every capability at once.
4. Write the page, email, or ad from the message map.
5. Remove company-centered filler, insider terms, history, vague values, and feature lists that do not connect to a customer outcome.
6. Test the draft against the three clarity questions.

One-liner formula

Use this when someone asks "what do you do?" or when a page needs a compact explanation.

We help [customer] who struggle with [problem] by [plan/mechanism] so they can [successful outcome].

Keep editing until a real prospect understands it without extra explanation. Good one-liners identify the customer, name the problem, hint at the plan, and show success.

Website audit

For a homepage or landing page, check these in order:

• The above-the-fold section states the offer in plain words.
• The primary CTA appears early and repeats with consistent wording.
• A secondary CTA offers a lower-commitment next step, such as a guide, demo, checklist, or webinar.
• Images show customer success or the product helping a person, not generic offices, buildings, abstractions, or team vanity shots.
• Revenue streams or audience paths are separated into clear choices instead of mixed together.
• Copy is short. Use bullets and brief sections. Put long explanations behind links or lower on the page.
• Every major section maps back to the customer, problem, plan, CTA, stakes, or success.

Lead generator

Use a lead generator when prospects are not ready to buy but would trade contact information for real value.

Good formats:

• Downloadable guide or checklist.
• Short email course or webinar.
• Demo, free trial, or sample.
• Live event, workshop, or office-hours session.

The lead generator should solve a narrow problem, prove authority, and naturally lead to the paid offer. Avoid "newsletter signup" language unless the newsletter itself has a specific, valuable promise.

Email sequence

For a basic nurture campaign:

1. Deliver the lead generator immediately.
2. Send useful guidance that helps the customer make progress.
3. Name the customer's problem and the cost of letting it linger.
4. Show a customer transformation or credible proof.
5. Make a direct offer with a clear CTA.

Keep each email focused on one idea. Repeat the same core message instead of introducing new angles every time.

Testimonials and proof

Prefer transformation stories over praise. Ask:

• What problem were you facing before?
• What frustration did that create?
• What changed after using the product or service?
• What does life or work look like now?

Use the customer's before-and-after language in marketing. Do not bury proof in generic claims such as "great service" or "high quality."

Internal mission use

For internal alignment, create a second message map where employees are the customer and leadership is the guide. Connect daily work to customer success. Repeat the story in onboarding, all-hands, planning, training, and performance conversations.

An internal mission narrative should help every team member answer:

1. Who do we help?
2. What problem do they face?
3. What role do I play in helping them win?

Red flags

• The brand is the hero.
• The first screen explains company history, awards, process, or values instead of the customer's problem.
• The CTA is hidden, vague, inconsistent, or only appears once.
• The copy uses insider language customers would not use.
• The page asks customers to choose from too many unrelated offers.
• The desired outcome is abstract, such as "growth", "transformation", or "peace of mind", without concrete proof.
• The message relies only on features and never names the internal frustration those features resolve.
• The brand tries to scare the customer without offering a clear path forward.

Output formats

When asked to create messaging, return:

## Message map
- Customer:
- Problem:
- Guide:
- Plan:
- Direct CTA:
- Transitional CTA:
- Failure:
- Success:

## One-liner

## Draft copy

## Clarity check
- What is offered:
- How life gets better:
- Next step:

When reviewing existing copy, lead with the highest-impact clarity problems, then provide a tighter rewrite.