How to Write a Brand Story: 4 Principles, 5 Steps, and Inspiring Examples

This article was originally published in “Marketer” (opens in a new tab)

In my previous article “Use stories to package facts to attract consumers! Learn content marketing from the case study of BBC StoryWorks”, I mentioned to you the importance of telling a good story. Not only the general public needs to learn to tell stories, but now even companies need to learn this technique.

Because conveying ideas through storytelling can not only be quickly understood and remembered easily, but also can bring huge publicity to the company because it is easy to communicate among people.

Brand stories give people an unpredictable and profound feeling. In fact, this is to tell the company’s brand history through narrative techniques, and clearly inform its mission and values, thereby establishing a relationship with customers. Brand story is not just about company background, but also a strategic tool that can be used to create emotional connections, deepen brand impressions, and establish a unique brand image in the hearts of the public.

Many people think that writing brand stories must have ups and downs or be inherently topical. In fact, this is not the case. A truly moving brand story relies on resonance. This article will first talk about the value of brand stories, then organize the four principles and five steps of writing brand stories, and finally illustrate it with practical examples.

Excellent performance of brand story

According to Skyword’s 2018 content marketing survey (https://skyword.com/skyword-launches-research-content-marketing-practiced-today-examines-highest-performing-marketers-differently/ (opens in a new tab)), only 27% of marketers surveyed said they tell stories to drive marketing. In contrast, a whopping 83% of the most successful content marketers believe storytelling plays a key role in content marketing.

Brand story can be said to be one of the most effective ways for companies to convey their brand image to customers. The reason why brand stories are important is not only because modern consumers like to listen to stories, but also because a brand story that can stand the test of the times can help express the unique value proposition of a company’s sustainable management.

At the same time, it can also let its products speak through storytelling, thus getting rid of traditional promotional slogans; in addition, an internalized and refined brand story can also solve the many doubts hidden in the hearts of all target audiences about the company itself.

Looking back now, some of the brand stories we are familiar with are often related to the founder or founding history of the company. For example, when talking about Nike, a world-renowned sports brand, some people may think of the Blue Ribbon Sporting Goods Company founded by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman in Portland, USA in 1964.

There is simply no comparison between the thorny road ahead when I started my business and the high-spiritedness I have now!

Convey corporate value through brand stories

Through the interpretation of brand stories, we can also accurately convey to the world the value proposition that drives the company forward and the mission of serving the public.

Just like everyone loves stories, if you can create a compelling brand story, your broad target audience will have no trouble remembering what makes your company special. In this way, not only will empathy arise spontaneously, but these potential customers will also continue to pay attention to your company’s developments.

Today, many brand owners know that sharing their brand story is the smartest way to make a real impact and build a genuine connection with their target audience. Not only can stories improve the relationship between your company and your customers, they can also help with sales.

Obviously, no matter which communication media or social platform is used to deliver it, as long as the company can carefully tell a good story, it will help attract the attention of the target customer group and then build a solid and long-term trust relationship.

Today, brand stories are almost everywhere. Whether it is a department store, a coffee shop or a snack bar on the corner, we can see the carefully written brand stories of each company on the official website or flyers within easy reach.

However, a brand story does not just have to be written. In fact, it still needs to be tested to see how much resonance it can get? And, how do customers view brand stories?

Small and medium-sized enterprises need more brand stories

Some people mistakenly believe that only large companies need to pay attention to branding. In fact, for small and medium-sized enterprises, brand stories are particularly important for three main reasons:

First, the competitive advantages of small scale. Small and medium-sized enterprises often do not have the resources and scale of large companies, but a good brand story can become their competitive advantage in the market. Through the dissemination of stories, small and medium-sized enterprises can show their uniqueness and innovative spirit. The practices of Fresh Milk Factory and Green Vine are worthy of reference.

Second, build brand identity. Many SMEs have deep cultural and geographical roots, and brand stories can help them build closer ties with local communities, thereby attracting loyal customers. For example, the social enterprise Babaijin developed the “Taiwan Blue Magpie Tea (opens in a new tab)” brand and deeply integrated it with Pinglin Baozhong Tea.

Third, effective marketing strategies. For SMEs, budgets are often limited. A compelling brand story is a cost-effective marketing tool that can enhance a brand’s visibility and appeal without requiring large investments.

Four Principles of Brand Story

Now when it comes to Brand Story (opens in a new tab), everyone understands its importance. But if you ask how to create a wonderful brand story, I believe everyone will still discuss it one after another and disagree. Of course, I agree that it is not easy to create a recognizable brand story.

In other words, I think an ideal brand story should at least include the following features. Below, I will explain these four principles one by one.

Real, vivid, and approachable

Indeed, everyone likes to hear stories. However, the point of writing a brand story is not to glorify your company - you must know that just saying good things about your company will not win the favor or recognition of the majority of your customer base. What’s more, today’s consumers are very smart and even search online.

Therefore, if you just write some reports that are beneficial to your company, you will often not be able to win the public’s trust. Even if a discerning consumer is deceived for the first time, he will soon find out! Therefore, the first principle of writing brand stories is to draw materials from real (opens in a new tab) events and communicate them in an approachable way.

Pictures and texts, simple and easy to remember

We all know that communication is crucial, but did you know that it is also closely related to body language, tone of voice, and actual word spoken? The focus of a brand story that can be recited often does not lie in how touching the plot is, but that it must first be understood, remembered, and willing to be shared.

Of course, this does not mean that the content is not important, but that we need to operate at the emotional level so that people can remember rational and emotional things.

In addition, you may have heard the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words (opens in a new tab)”. If you can make good use of the image narrative mode when telling your brand story, you will naturally receive better communication effects. After all, images are absorbed more quickly and easily than words, so you can also use them to convey your company’s brand story.

Be unique and should not be too lengthy

The prerequisite for telling a good brand story is that in addition to the authenticity of the story itself, it also needs to be distinctive and unique so that it will not be confused. Embedding your company’s unique value proposition within your brand story can better demonstrate your vision, aspirations, and connect with your target audience.

In addition, when telling brand stories, please follow the principle of being easy to understand. In addition to trying to avoid using difficult or professional words, you should also be careful not to talk endlessly.

After all, the general public may not be interested in understanding the development history of your company or the ins and outs of its growth. More importantly, everyone may not have relevant background knowledge. If you use too unfamiliar terms when introducing the history of your brand, it will put people off and may have the opposite effect.

Bring positive energy and make people have positive associations

Another important point is that many companies regard brand stories as a means of public relations, so they only focus on marketing and piling up gorgeous words. This is actually a pity! In fact, your brand story should be an extension of your company’s core values, just like Disney creates a unique story for each of its products or movies.

Stories create memory points

The advantage of doing this is not only to help you remember and differentiate yourself from competitors, but also to allow the masses to have positive associations.

For example, when thinking of “Toy Story”, many people will immediately think of this dialogue: “As more and more people leave you, the more and more important those who remain become.” (As more and more people leave you, the more and more important those who remain become.)

And the famous saying in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”: “Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.” (Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.) is still moving when I think of it. Think about it carefully, isn’t this the positive energy that Disney has brought to everyone for a long time?

How to Write a Brand Story: Five Steps

After mastering the four major principles, let’s talk about actually writing. The following five steps can help your brand or product tell a story that makes people excited, willing to share it, and even transform it into trust and purchasing action.

Step 1: Not about how awesome we are, but why this is important to you

Many companies start with the company’s development history or award-winning records. This information may be important, but the real beginning of the story should be something that the other party will care about.

For example, if you are in the health food industry, don’t say “Our products contain 12 kinds of amino acids” at the beginning. Say, “Have you ever been so tired in the morning that you are too lazy to open the cap of a vitamin bottle?” Such a beginning will make the audience immediately identify and nod in agreement.

The first step in building a brand story is to find the entry point that resonates with your customers: is it a stress, a desire, or a minor annoyance in life? Or is it a need that has never been well treated? You have to start with the person’s life, not with an introduction to your company.

Step 2: Start with the problem, not the product features

The book “Please start telling your story (opens in a new tab)” reminds us that the reason why stories are attractive is that they have conflicts and twists. This principle also applies to brand storytelling.

For example, Dyson vacuum cleaners never say “how fast our motor rotates per second.” Instead, they say “Have you ever vacuumed the floor and opened the vacuum cleaner to find it was full of dust?” They start from the inconveniences of life and then bring out solutions and breakthroughs, making people naturally believe: This product was made for me.

So you have to ask yourself: It’s not what features the product has, but what pain points does it solve for users? Only by reframing your brand story from the user’s perspective can you truly impress people.

Step 3: Not stacking information, but constructing situations

In internal corporate presentations, marketing activities and even recruitment advertisements, it is common to see complicated specifications, service content or flow charts. But these materials will not make people remember you because they lack pictures, feelings and memory points.

Instead of saying “We are an ESG sustainability consulting firm,” it would be better to start like this: “We once received a call at 3 a.m., which was the voice of a client who was about to collapse due to a sudden environmental audit. We sorted out contingency measures within three hours, assisted in on-site response, and saved the company from paying a huge fine.”

You see, this is the story: there is time, emotion, action, and twists. And the most important thing is: it allows people to see what you do, not hear who you say you are. Every company, no matter what industry it is in, actually has such a story fragment. As long as you start recording, organizing, and refining these fragments, you can weave them into the most moving paragraphs of your brand story.

Step 4: Let go of perfection and talk about real struggles and choices

Many people worry: “If I say that our company has made wrong decisions, will it have a bad image?” In fact, it’s just the opposite. Rather than singing the same praises, what builds trust more is the process in which you are willing to admit your mistakes, adjust your course, and move forward more firmly.

When you are willing to say, “We have also fallen, but we have learned something from it,” that sincerity is more convincing than any marketing rhetoric.

Step 5: Tell the world the way you tell it to one person.

The last key skill is to adjust the tone. When many professionals write brand stories, their tone will unconsciously become like writing official documents. But a truly influential statement should be spoken in a colloquial manner, like speaking to a friend.

Imagine that instead of writing a brand profile, you are chatting face-to-face with a potential customer or partner. This tone is not only more natural, but also closer to the mainstream context of modern brand marketing and human resources communication.

Action list before and after writing

A successful brand story needs to be conveyed through various channels. Whether posting messages on social media, official websites, or through advertising, the story should be concise and clear, able to arouse emotions, and resonate with the target audience. Before and after you write your story, check this checklist:

1. In-depth inventory of the company’s brand: Detailed analysis of the brand’s mission, vision and values to make the target audience feel.
2. Understand the company’s target audience: Research the needs and preferences of target audience (opens in a new tab) and cater to their needs.
3. Create engaging stories: Combine brand characteristics and audience needs to write authentic and engaging stories.
4. Multi-channel communication: spread the company’s brand story in a consistent style on various media.
5. Continuous updating and adjustment: As the company’s brand spreads and the market expands, it must keep pace with the times and constantly adjust and enrich the brand story.

Brand story example: Warby Parker started with a lost pair of glasses

Take the well-known fashion glasses brand Warby Parker (opens in a new tab) in the United States as an example. High-priced glasses often make people hesitate and hesitate to buy them. Warby Parker’s brand story begins by solving a problem that many people encounter: one of their founders was inspired by losing his expensive glasses and decided to create an eyewear brand that provided fashion, high quality, and affordable prices.

Warby Parker communicates this story through its official website, social media and physical stores, and their “buy one, give one” program is also deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, which means that for every pair of glasses purchased, they will donate a pair to someone in need. It not only builds an emotional connection with customers, but also demonstrates corporate social responsibility, making Warby Parker stand out in a highly competitive market.

Think about the cases of Apple and Starbucks. When the company’s brand story resonates with the target audience, then the brand is more than just a name. It will become an experience and memory, leaving an indelible impression in the minds of consumers.

Conclusion: Well said, everyone is willing to listen.

It is true that it is not easy to write a brand story that will last through the ages. It requires deep brand understanding, audience insights, and creative expression.

When you start from the perspective of the audience and transform the function of a product into a story situation, when you dare to speak out about the struggles and choices in human nature, when you put down the flowery rhetoric and speak in a sincere tone - you will find that no matter which industry you are in or which brand you represent, as long as you speak well, everyone is willing to listen.

I also believe that in addition to continuing to polish your products and services and listening more to your target audience, if you can master the above four principles and five steps, you will have the opportunity to write a wonderful brand story!