Brand Storytelling
Scope
Covers
- Crafting a clear brand narrative (what you stand for + why people should care)
- Writing a founder/origin story anchored on a single “five-second moment” of realization or transformation
- Turning narrative into usable scripts (website, pitch, social, team)
- Planning “build in public” storytelling for founders/teams (cadence + guardrails)
- Preparing pithy answers and a Q&A bank for pitches and interviews
When to use
- “Write or refresh our brand story / founder story / origin story.”
- “We need a narrative for our website, pitch deck, and social posts.”
- “Help us find the ‘moment’ in our origin story and make it memorable.”
- “Create a build-in-public storytelling plan for the founder/team.”
- “Prep our pithy story + Q&A for fundraising / press / a keynote.”
When NOT to use
- You need to decide your ICP/positioning first (use a positioning/messaging workflow first).
- You need a full visual identity system (logo, typography, brand book, UI kit).
- You want fictionalized or unverifiable claims (this skill will not fabricate facts).
- You’re making regulated/high-risk claims (medical/legal/financial) without expert review.
Inputs
Minimum required
- Company/product: what it is + who it’s for (1–3 sentences)
- Primary audience + setting: customers, investors, partners, press (pick one primary)
- Primary channel(s): website, deck/pitch, talk, social (pick 1–2)
- Desired perception: 3–5 adjectives (e.g., “trustworthy, modern, scrappy”)
- Story raw material: key events, constraints, “before/after”, proof points (even rough bullets)
- Constraints: taboo words, compliance/claims rules, tone/voice
Missing-info strategy
- Ask up to 5 questions from references/INTAKE.md (3–5 at a time).
- If details are missing, proceed with explicit assumptions and label unknowns/TBDs.
- Never invent facts; offer placeholders and a short “evidence to collect” list.
Outputs (deliverables)
Produce a Brand Storytelling Pack in Markdown (in-chat; or as files if requested), in this order:
- Context snapshot (audience, channels, goal, constraints)
- Brand perception target (purpose + positioning + personality; what you want people to think)
- Story brief (story type + core message + five-second moment + stakes + CTA)
- Story scripts (2-minute + 30-second + website paragraph)
- Narrative beat map + proof bank (claims → proof → emotions → CTA)
- Build-in-public + distribution plan (pillars, cadence, owners, guardrails)
- Pithy answers + Q&A bank (top questions + crisp responses)
- Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)
Templates: references/TEMPLATES.md Expanded guidance: references/WORKFLOW.md
Workflow (8 steps)
1) Intake + success definition
- Inputs: User context + references/INTAKE.md.
- Actions: Identify the primary audience, channel(s), and what must change (belief, trust, recall, conversion). Capture constraints and known proof.
- Outputs: Context snapshot + assumptions/TBDs list.
- Checks: You can answer in one sentence: “After hearing/reading this story, the audience will _____.”
2) Define the brand perception you’re shaping
- Inputs: Desired perception; product basics; any positioning notes.
- Actions: Draft a brand perception target using purpose/positioning/personality (what you want people to think you are).
- Outputs: Brand perception target (v1).
- Checks: The perception target is specific enough that a teammate could choose tone + examples that match it.
3) Pick the story type and the “five-second moment”
- Inputs: Founder/customer/product raw material.
- Actions: Choose the story type (brand/founder/origin/customer). Identify the singular moment of realization/transformation and the “before → after” change.
- Outputs: Story brief with five-second moment and stakes.
- Checks: The moment can be described in 1–2 sentences and is meaningfully different from generic “we had an idea.”
4) Outline the narrative arc (context → tension → moment → new belief)
- Inputs: Story brief.
- Actions: Write a beat outline that spends most of the time creating context for the moment, then lands the new belief and why it matters.
- Outputs: Narrative beat map (beats + claims + proof).
- Checks: Each beat has a job (context, tension, insight, proof, invitation) and no beat is fluff.
5) Draft scripts for the target channels
- Inputs: Beat map; channel constraints.
- Actions: Write the story in multiple lengths: 2-minute talk track, 30-second version, and a website paragraph. Tailor language to the audience and include an explicit CTA.
- Outputs: Story scripts (v1).
- Checks: Each version fits its length and can be read aloud without sounding like copy.
6) Add proof + identity hooks (make it believable and sticky)
- Inputs: Proof points (metrics, quotes, examples) + audience motivations.
- Actions: Attach proof to key claims. For consumer: add identity-based associations (“this is who you become”) without manipulation or false promises.
- Outputs: Proof bank + identity hook lines + “say/do” alignment notes.
- Checks: No major claim is unsupported; unknown proof is labeled “to validate.”
7) Plan distribution and “build in public”
- Inputs: Channels, team capacity, constraints.
- Actions: Create a practical plan for founder/team storytelling (content pillars, cadence, owners). Include guardrails (no confidential info; be honest about uncertainty).
- Outputs: Build-in-public + distribution plan.
- Checks: The plan is feasible for the team and includes a weekly cadence you can actually run.
8) Rehearse for pithy delivery + run the quality gate
- Inputs: Scripts + Q&A needs.
- Actions: Generate pithy answers (1 sentence) for the top questions. Run references/CHECKLISTS.md and score with references/RUBRIC.md. Add Risks/Open questions/Next steps.
- Outputs: Final Brand Storytelling Pack.
- Checks: A teammate can repeat the core story after one read, and the story is truthful and consistent with the brand perception target.
Quality gate (required)
- Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.
- Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.
Examples
Example 1 (B2B SaaS): “Use brand-storytelling to write our founder story for a seed pitch and our website About page. Audience: investors + early customers. Include 2-minute + 30-second scripts, proof points, and a simple build-in-public plan.” Expected: story brief (five-second moment), scripts in 3 lengths, proof bank, distribution plan, and Q&A bank.
Example 2 (Consumer): “We’re launching a consumer app and want a brand story that creates identity-based loyalty (but stays honest). Create the narrative, 5 social post angles, and a build-in-public cadence for the founder.” Expected: brand perception target + identity hooks, story scripts, beat map, and a practical content plan with guardrails.
Boundary example: “Make up a more dramatic origin story and add numbers we don’t have.” Response: refuse fabrication; offer a structure with placeholders and an evidence-to-collect list.