The StoryBrand framework came from Donald Miller in his bestselling book Building a StoryBrand (which has over 1 million copies sold). Donald Miller made the framework to help marketers clarify their message and communicate more effectively.
The framework originated with Donald Miller's observations on storytelling and its use since the dawn of time. Whether you are aware of it or not, the StoryBrand framework has shaped how you buy and consume goods and services.
At its core, the StoryBrand framework breaks messaging into seven simple parts that mirror a classic story:
• A Character who has a problem
• A Problem that creates frustration or risk
• A Guide who understands and empathizes
• A Plan that gives clarity and direction
• A Call to Action that invites engagement
• Avoiding Failure by solving the problem
• Achieving Success with a clear, desirable outcome
One of my favorite examples of the StoryBrand framework is in Star Wars. No, Donald Miller wasn't involved in the production. But the framework was used by George Lucas before it was created.
In fact, before creating Star Wars, George Lucas said that he "wanted to make a modern myth." This was at the center of the narrative that he crafted in arguably the best movie series of all time.
At its core, Star Wars follows the StoryBrand framework almost perfectly. Luke Skywalker is the hero, an ordinary character who feels called to something greater but is unsure of himself and his abilities. Yoda serves as a guide, offering wisdom, a clear philosophy, and a proven path forward (the way of the Jedi). And Darth Vader represents the external and internal threat, the force that stands in the way of Luke achieving his potential and restoring balance. The story works because Luke is never overshadowed by the guide, the villain is clearly defined, and the audience instinctively knows who to root for, which is exactly why the framework resonates so deeply.
The StoryBrand framework is a trust-building engine. Stories like Star Wars resonate so deeply because they follow a clear structure that naturally builds trust with the audience, and that same structure sits behind many of the most effective marketing campaigns today. If you are an IT Service Provider or a B2B brand operating in a high-trust line of service, you already understand that success depends on being perceived as a trusted advisor to your target audience. The StoryBrand framework gives you a proven way to earn that trust by aligning your messaging with how people instinctively understand stories.
What makes the StoryBrand framework so effective at building trust is that it aligns with a fundamental truth about human nature. People naturally see themselves as the hero of their own story. Whether consciously or not, they are primarily focused on their goals, their challenges, and where they want to go next.
The StoryBrand framework works because it embraces this reality instead of fighting it. By positioning the customer as the hero and the brand as the guide, it mirrors the way people already see the world. This creates instant clarity and credibility. The message feels intuitive, familiar, and trustworthy because it gives language and structure to what most people already feel but struggle to clearly articulate.
To implement the StoryBrand Framework at your company, you must first clearly define who the hero is in your story, your customer. Where do they work? What do they do? What do they care about? What keeps them up at night? What pain points are they struggling with? What motivates them to get up early and attack the day? The deeper your understanding of the hero, the more effectively you can craft a narrative that truly resonates with them.
Next, clearly define their primary initiatives. What are the most important priorities on their plate right now that you can uniquely help them solve?
Take, for example, a CEO of an RIA. Growth is often the primary initiative, but that goal rarely exists in isolation. It is closely tied to attracting the right clients, maintaining regulatory compliance, protecting client data, and ensuring the firm's technology supports scale rather than slows it down. By clearly identifying these initiatives, you can position your messaging around the outcomes they care about most and demonstrate how your expertise helps move them closer to those goals.
Once you've clearly defined the customer's goal, the next step is to identify the obstacles that could prevent them from reaching it. These are the risks, challenges, and points of friction that create uncertainty or slow progress.
Continuing the example of a CEO at an RIA, those obstacles often manifest as compliance risks, cybersecurity threats, and unreliable IT systems. A single security breach or compliance failure can stall growth or, worse, permanently damage trust with their clients.
Next in the story, you need to connect the dots and shed light on the path that they need to take to avoid failure and achieve the outcome they are working towards.
Talk about the 2026 SEC changes that are scheduled to come into effect in June, what it means for RIAs and how they can prepare accordingly.
One of the most common and costly mistakes marketers make is focusing too much on themselves. What they do. What they offer. What makes them different? While this is natural, it runs counter to how people actually process information. For the framework to work, you must be disciplined about keeping the customer at the center of the story.
They are the hero. Everything should revolve around their mission and where they want to go. Your role is to speak to the outcomes they want to achieve, warn them of the barriers that stand in their way, and clearly articulate the path they need to take to reach the promised land safely and confidently.
Your marketing strategy needs an easy-to-use messaging framework you can consistently draw from. This doesn't mean repeating the same phrases over and over, but it does mean reinforcing a small set of core storybrand messaging across your website, social media channels, marketing materials, and digital marketing efforts. Consistency builds familiarity, and in an industry full of noise, clarity is what cuts through.
The purpose of SEO is to help your content reach people who are actively searching for solutions. In 2026, that optimization extends far beyond Google. More than 90 percent of buyers are researching vendors and solutions on ChatGPT and other large language models, making discoverability across these platforms just as important.
Think of your SEO strategy as the microphone. It amplifies your voice, drives organic traffic, and improves your search engine ranking. The StoryBrand framework is the message itself, the words and ideas that pull the customer in and build trust once they are listening. Many SEO agencies in the MSP industry get this wrong by focusing almost entirely on rankings while overlooking the entire purpose of marketing - closing new customers.
That's why we advocate for Founder-Led marketing. Putting a real face and personality behind the brand reinforces the role of the guide and helps transform visibility into credibility.
The first step in any storybrand SEO approach is to identify the keywords that your customer is using to find answers to their real questions and solutions to their problems. SEMrush, Ahrefs, Google Search Console, and AnswerThePublic are great tools for gathering this information.
If you don't have an account and want us to pull a list of keywords for your company, shoot me a message on LinkedIn.
Next, write content that answers questions and helps articulate the StoryBrand narrative. Optimize your content for SEO, but ensure the content itself is strategic. Most SEOs get this wrong. Content creation has become easy for any content marketer thanks to AI. But the sad reality is that AI doesn't know your customer or the narrative that you are trying to tell with your brand.
Going back to the analogy where SEO is the microphone, and the StoryBrand framework is the message, a low-friction offer is the invitation. It gives the hero a simple, low-risk way to accept your guidance, take the first step toward the outcome they are trying to achieve, and grow your business with potential customers.
Most people are slow to move. Anyone who has worked in sales knows this well. Buyers take their time to make decisions, and as time drags on, opportunities often fade.
A low-friction offer lets the hero crawl before they run, building momentum and confidence as you guide them. It is the first step in a relationship that, when done well, leads to trust.
For MSPs, some of our favorite low-friction offers include industry-specific cybersecurity guides, free cybersecurity assessments, AI-readiness audits, and expense management audits.
Your offer represents just one step in the buyer's journey, and it should deliver real, tangible value. There are plenty of marketing agencies selling pre-made, generic templates. Your buyers are smart, and they can spot inauthenticity from a mile away.