I don’t like StoryBrand

This is probably going to make me super unpopular, but that doesn't matter. I don’t like StoryBrand. I just don’t. I have worked with clients who have been through the StoryBrand messaging process and then I’ve redone their messaging and rewritten their websites. The reason I don’t like StoryBrand is because it doesn’t go far enough. It's a good start to get business people thinking in the right way, and give a nice, reassuring framework, but I find it doesn't really deliver what a business needs.

Things StoryBrand is really good at:

• The idea of story

  Introducing people to the concept of narrative (aka story) as a delivery mechanism for ideas. We’ve been telling each other stories since we lived in caves and told them around a fire. Our brains love a story because they combine a nice, familiar structure, often with the dopamine-firing novelty of a twist. So getting business people to start thinking in a narrative structure, rather than bullet points - is genius.

• Putting your audience at the center

  Ultimately in business, we are trying to sell something to someone. And that person cares more about themselves than they care about us. So if we businesses can show that we understand our target audience and care about them, it’s easier to sell to them. Cynical maybe, but true. Let’s not kid ourselves about how capitalism works.

• Giving you a framework

  Storybrand has a great, catchy 7-step framework that guides businesses through thinking from the client’s perspective - lovely stuff!

Where StoryBrand doesn’t go far enough

• Working out what makes you unique

  When people are making a decision between you and another provider of the same services/product, they want to know WHY YOU? And the StoryBrand messaging I’ve seen hasn’t done this very well. Because at this point in the customer journey clients DO care about clear positioning because it makes it easier to make a decision. So working out your unique value proposition is important.

• Not everyone is a guide

  Not every brand is Yoda. Some companies are there to inspire, some are there to help someone rebel. There are lots of brand archetypes and lumping every company into the “guide” camp is falling short.

• It doesn't give you a personality

  If you need someone to create a visual identity for your company, (logo, color palette, website design, etc), StoryBrand won't result in a brand personality that will help you stand out. Graphic designers can't give you a great look without a personality.

• It results in lookalike messaging

  Ultimately, my biggest problem with StoryBrand is that the websites I’ve worked on that were written by a StoryBrand person all look and sound the same. Like any template, it produces something templated. StoryBrand encourages plug-and-play language that often strips brands of nuance. And that’s fine for a lot of companies, but it’s not how my clients and I roll.

Why people like StoryBrand

For clients, it’s a known quantity. In a time where everything feels like it’s shifting under us, the reassurance of working with a known quantity is strong. Everyone loves a certification because it makes the person seem professionally qualified in a weird and fuzzy marketing discipline.

I get that for brand strategists the StoryBrand package gives you a handy cheat sheet for your craft. It gets you in business faster.

StoryBrand is a start, but you need more

StoryBrand has its place in the branding world and it works for lots of people. But if you want to stand out, really stand out in a future of AI-sameness, Storybrand isn’t it. Basically, it's a tool, not the whole solution. For early-stage businesses or marketing beginners, it can be a strong starting point. But for nuanced, competitive positioning and brand-building, it’s simply not enough.

If you’ve used StoryBrand, that's great. You’ve already started thinking like a communicator. Now it’s time to level up.