4 Key Takeaways from Donald Miller’s “Building A StoryBrand.” 

There are a lot of marketing strategies out there but what separates good marketing from great (aka EFFECTIVE) marketing isn’t in a secret hack or specific strategy: it’s all about your messaging. 

When your brand story is clear and connects with your audience, that’s when marketing really can do its job. In Building A StoryBrand, Donald Miller aligns the narrative archetype of the hero’s journey – one of the most recognizable and oldest narrative forms –  with said brand story. 

It’s meant for the physical and digital world alike – although Miller often uses the word product, you can swap it out for “offer,” “course,” etc. 

I still recommend reading the book, but here are my main takeaways, if you’d like my cliff notes version:

1: You Need A Hero

(Spoiler alert: it’s not your brand).

In the story of our brand, our customer or client is the hero. 

So no matter what we do, whatever story we tell about our product (and yes, our product must have a story), our customer is the protagonist. That means in all of the messaging and copy, we always focus on THEM. We especially want to highlight their journey before and after their product, and how they’ll feel. 

2: External v.s. Internal solutions

Companies sell solutions to external solutions. That’s kind of an issue since customers buy solutions to INTERNAL problems. 

Internal, in this case, being code for emotional, ie, how it will make them feel. 

For example, at the time of this reading, the trend for denim is moving away from skinny jeans (*everyone weep*) and back towards 90’s style straight-leg jeans (*gasp in horror*). If someone buys a straight leg over a skinny jean, it’s likely not just because it looks better, or even because it’s in style. It’s an emotional journey. When they buy it, they’re imagining what it will say about them – that they’re on top of the trends, that they’re stylish, people should pay attention to them, etc. 

So when it comes to our product, we can’t sell at all. Instead, we need to explain why our product or service is key to feeling a very specific “I’m on top of the world!” sort of way. 

Oh yeah, and side benefits include a solution to that external problem. But that comes later. 

3: Guided Survival

As dramatic as it sounds, your client is fighting for survival, and they need more than help – they need a guide. 

Survival doesn’t necessarily mean just finding food + shelter. It can also look like conserving financial resources, conserving time, building social networks, accumulating resources, gaining status, an innate desire to be generous, and a desire for meaning. 

But let’s be honest – none of us are that self-aware when it comes to our actions for anything, much less buying. So our customers need someone to help them realize there’s a problem… and there’s also a solution. 

Hint: it’s us! We’re the guide! We’re also offering the solution. 

4: Cue The Transformational Montage, ‘cause…

Your client CRAVES a transformation. 

A transformation is the key part in any story —  the moment where the hero leaves their old self behind and steps into their most empowered self. Because ultimately, your client isn’t buying a product or service for the immediate benefits. They’re buying for what happens AFTER the montage and anthem plays — a business that’s leveled up, a better version of themselves, etc.

So before they’re even aware this transformation is possible we have to become obsessed with it. That obsession is what drives our brand storytelling, our messaging, our copy.

Building a brand story can help your business launch from where you are now to where you want to be. Every time you write copy, ask yourself if that copy positions your reader as the hero – and if it’s clear that you’re the guide with the solution.