Storybrand

StoryBrand BrandScript Builder

Core Philosophy

The StoryBrand framework rests on two insights about how the human brain processes marketing:

1. People seek brands that help them survive and thrive. If your message doesn't connect to something that helps customers eat, drink, find belonging, gain status, save money, find meaning, or accumulate resources, they'll ignore you.
2. People ignore messages that make them burn too many calories. The brain conserves energy. Confusion causes customers to tune out. Clarity wins.

The antidote: use the universal structure of story to organize your message. Story is a "sense-making mechanism" — it filters noise into signal.

The mantra: "If you confuse, you lose."

The SB7 Framework Overview

Every compelling story (and brand message) follows this arc:

A CHARACTER who wants something encounters a PROBLEM before they can get it. At the peak of their despair, a GUIDE steps into their lives, gives them a PLAN, and CALLS THEM TO ACTION. That action helps them avoid FAILURE and ends in a SUCCESS.

The brand is NOT the hero. The customer is the hero. The brand is the guide.

The Grunt Test

Before building a BrandScript, test your current messaging. Could a caveman look at your website and immediately grunt answers to:

1. What do you offer?
2. How will it make my life better?
3. What do I need to do to buy it?

If not, you're losing sales. The BrandScript will fix this.

How to Use This Skill

This skill operates in two modes:

Mode 1: Interactive BrandScript Workshop (default for humans)

Walk the user through all 7 modules conversationally. For each module:

• Explain the principle and why it matters
• Give 2–3 examples from well-known brands
• Ask targeted questions to draw out the user's answers
• Help them draft concise, specific language

Read references/sb7-deep-dive.md for detailed guidance on each module, including examples, common mistakes, and decision criteria.

Mode 2: Rapid BrandScript Generation (for agents or "just do it" requests)

If the user provides enough context about their business, generate a complete draft BrandScript in one pass. Then present it for refinement.

The 7 Modules

For each module, help the user make ONE clear decision. The BrandScript should fit on a single page when complete.

Module 1: Character (The Hero)

Principle: The customer is the hero, not your brand.

Define ONE thing your customer wants as it relates to your brand. This opens a "story gap" — a question the customer wants answered.

Rules:

• Pare down to a SINGLE desire (not 27 things)
• The desire must connect to survival: saving money, saving time, building social networks, gaining status, accumulating resources, finding meaning, or being generous
• Frame it from the customer's perspective

Examples: "A Plan for Your Retirement" (financial advisor), "A Yard That Looks Better Than Your Neighbor's" (landscaper), "A Healthy Start to Your Day" (breakfast bars)

Ask the user: "What is the ONE thing your customer wants as it relates to your brand? If your customer were a hitchhiker and you pulled over, where would you tell them you're going?"

Module 2: Problem

Principle: Companies sell solutions to external problems, but customers buy solutions to internal problems.

Define FOUR things: a villain, an external problem, an internal problem, and a philosophical problem.

Read references/sb7-deep-dive.md → "Module 2" section for detailed guidance on the three levels of problems and how to identify the villain.

Ask the user:

• "What villain does your brand fight against?" (not a person — a root-source force like frustration, complexity, unfairness, wasted time)
• "What's the external/tangible problem you solve?"
• "How does that external problem make your customer FEEL?" (this is the internal problem — frustration, embarrassment, self-doubt, intimidation, overwhelm)
• "Why is it WRONG that your customers have to deal with this?" (the philosophical problem — use "ought" or "shouldn't" language)

Module 3: Guide

Principle: Customers aren't looking for another hero; they're looking for a guide.

Express exactly two things: empathy and authority.

• Empathy: Show you understand how the customer feels. Phrases like "We understand how it feels to..." or "Nobody should have to experience..." or "Like you, we are frustrated by..."
• Authority: Demonstrate competence without bragging. Use: testimonials (3 is ideal), statistics, awards, or logos of clients you've helped.

The balance matters: empathy builds trust first, then authority earns respect. (This maps to Amy Cuddy's research: "Can I trust this person?" then "Can I respect this person?")

Ask the user: "How can you show customers you understand their frustration? And what proof do you have that you can actually help — testimonials, numbers, awards, notable clients?"

Module 4: Plan

Principle: Customers trust a guide who has a plan.

Create one or both:

• Process Plan: 3–6 simple steps showing how to do business with you (pre-purchase, post-purchase, or both). Removes confusion.
• Agreement Plan: A list of commitments you make to alleviate the customer's fears about buying. Removes risk.

Give the plan a name that increases perceived value (e.g., "The Easy Installation Plan," "Our Quality Guarantee").

Ask the user: "What are the 3 simple steps a customer takes to do business with you? And what fears might they have that you could address with a guarantee or promise?"

Module 5: Call to Action

Principle: Customers do not take action unless they are challenged to take action.

Define two types:

• Direct CTA: The "Buy Now" button. Clear, unambiguous, repeated. Examples: "Buy Now," "Schedule a Call," "Register Today." This must be visually prominent — like a proposal in a relationship, not a suggestion.
• Transitional CTA: A softer ask that deepens the relationship. Offers value in exchange for engagement. Examples: free PDF, trial, webinar, email course, samples. This is like saying "Can I take you out for coffee?" instead of proposing marriage.

Every page of your website should have both.

Ask the user: "What's the direct action you want customers to take? And what could you offer for free that would start building the relationship?"

Module 6: Failure (Stakes)

Principle: Every human being is trying to avoid a tragic ending.

Define what the customer stands to LOSE if they don't engage your brand. If nothing is at stake, nobody cares.

Use failure like salt in a recipe: too much and you're fearmongering; too little and the story is bland. Paint a picture of the negative consequences — but don't overdo it.

Ask the user: "What negative outcomes will your customer experience if they DON'T solve this problem? What does the 'tragic ending' look like?"

Module 7: Success

Principle: Never assume people understand how your brand can change their lives. Tell them.

Paint a vivid picture of what life looks like AFTER the customer engages your brand. Close the story gap opened in Module 1.

Three powerful forms of success:

• Winning power or position (status, access, resources)
• Union that makes the hero whole (completeness, reduced anxiety, acceptance)
• Self-realization / transformation (becoming a better version of themselves)

Ask the user: "What does your customer's life look like after they use your product? What's the 'happy ending' you're offering?"

Assembling the BrandScript

After completing all 7 modules, assemble the BrandScript onto a single page. Use this template:

STORYBRAND BRANDSCRIPT: [Brand Name]
═══════════════════════════════════════

CHARACTER (Hero)
  [One-sentence desire]

PROBLEM
  Villain:        [The antagonist force]
  External:       [Tangible problem]
  Internal:       [How it makes them feel]
  Philosophical:  [Why it's wrong — "ought/shouldn't"]

GUIDE (Your Brand)
  Empathy:        [Statement showing you understand]
  Authority:      [Proof of competence]

PLAN
  Process Plan:   [3-step path]
    1. ___
    2. ___
    3. ___
  Agreement Plan: [Key commitments/guarantees]

CALL TO ACTION
  Direct:         [Primary CTA]
  Transitional:   [Relationship-building offer]

FAILURE (Stakes)
  [What happens if they don't act]

SUCCESS
  [Vision of life after engaging your brand]

After the BrandScript: Implementation

Once the BrandScript is complete, it becomes the messaging DNA for everything. For implementation guidance, read references/implementation.md.

Key applications:

• Website: The BrandScript maps directly to wireframe sections. Above the fold: offer + success image + direct CTA. Stakes and plan below.
• One-Liner: A memorizable sentence following: problem + solution + result. (e.g., "Most small business owners struggle to be heard online. Our marketing framework clarifies your message so customers actually listen — and your revenue grows.")
• Email campaigns: Nurture sequences, sales sequences all draw from the BrandScript language.
• Elevator pitch: The BrandScript IS your elevator pitch.
• Company culture: When every employee can articulate the BrandScript, the whole organization aligns.

Common Mistakes to Watch For

1. Making the brand the hero. The customer is always the hero. Your brand is the guide (Yoda, not Luke).
2. Vague desires. "Exhale success" means nothing. "Become everyone's favorite leader" connects to survival.
3. Too many story gaps. One BrandScript = one primary desire. Create sub-BrandScripts for divisions/products.
4. Skipping the internal problem. External problems get companies started. Internal problems get customers to buy. Apple didn't sell computers — they resolved intimidation.
5. No clear CTA. If you don't ask for the sale, you won't get it. The direct CTA should be impossible to miss.
6. No stakes. If there's no cost to inaction, there's no urgency to act.
7. Assuming customers know the happy ending. You must paint the picture explicitly. Never leave the transformation implied.