Does Your Brand Story Feel Superficial?

There is one common challenge I find people face when trying to write a brand story that captures their journey, their essence and values, and makes a meaningful impact on their audience.
And there are two reasons for this. Either they aren’t digging deep enough because they don’t think there’s an interesting enough story there. OR they’re only scratching the surface because they are afraid to dig deeper or aren’t sure how deep to dig.

Let me just say, there is always an interesting story to dig up and I love sitting with clients, continuing to ask questions until we’ve finally dug up the diamond in their story. And when we do get to that diamond, it’s like a hallelujah moment ✨
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So today, we’re going to talk about how to dig out the diamond in your story, even when it feels like there is nothing but boring brown dirt.
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Story time...

Let me tell you the story of a client who came to me needing to capture their brand story in a way that would help her team understand the significance of the business’s history, values, who they are at their core, and where they're going.


Why did she need her team to understand this?


Because they needed to be able to capture the brand’s essence when communicating with clients and potential clients.


It was about nailing their brand voice and identity.


And to do that, they needed to understand the foundation on which this empire was built.


The founder of this business is an incredible and inspiring woman, so I was surprised when I sat down with her to hear that the way she even came to having this business and her initial goals and vision really weren’t anything special.


There was no real vision. There wasn't a bigger picture goal except to grow it.


There was nothing sexy, interesting, or exciting about the story she was telling.


But I knew if I dug deeper, I would find the diamond in the rough. I mean, such a fascinating woman could not have such a boring story.


Sure enough, the more I dug and even asked other team members what they know, I found the little gems that ultimately led us to the real story–the story that was going to capture an audience’s attention, create an emotional connection, and make people go “Yes. This is why we want to work with this business. This is why we want to buy from them.”


But this isn't about being sparkly for sparkly's sake.

I want to be clear on something though. Getting to the diamond in a story isn’t about making anything up or spinning a story to be more interesting.


It’s about uncovering the underlying sparkle that maybe the person doesn’t even know is there.


I sometimes hear from others, "but there's no great mission or desire for positive impact here other than to sell the product."


That doesn't matter. You don’t have to be “mission-driven” to have an interesting story for people to care about.


Sometimes I find that mission-driven brands, including coaches and consultants, lean heavily into their mission and drive for that, but they don’t actually give us any substance to emotionally attach to when talking about their story and reason for why they’re doing what they’re doing.


So just having a "greater purpose" doesn't make your story interesting.


What you need is to be relatable to your audience. You need to make that deeper emotional connection by giving them something specific they can grasp on to.


I think that my years of working with other writers and producers in the entertainment industry have taught me how to uncover the gem in each person’s story, because...


As I wrote about in a previous blog, there are really only 6 stories in the whole world.


And I've seen and heard the same stories pitched to me over and over, but only when there was truly a unique perspective, and unique angle would a story stand out.


So what's your perspective?

What's the specific story with then the greater story that you want to tell?


Sometimes this requires getting more vulnerable than we may be comfortable with or than we’re used to. And you can do this without oversharing very personal details that you’d prefer to keep private.


(I’ll save finding the balance for another newsletter.)


How exactly do you dig deeper to find the diamond in your story?

Consider these questions:

• Keep asking yourself why this matters until you can't answer that question anymore.
• Ask why in different ways.
• Are you connecting with your audience on a deeper level that moves them beyond “yes, I like what you’re saying” to “you really see and hear me.”
• Are your values clear in your brand story?
• Is what makes you unique clear in your story?
• What are the little details in your story that make your story feel real, personal, and relatable? Get specific.
• Does your story focus on a very specific part/angle of your bigger picture story.

Consider this - oftentimes when we watch a movie or TV series abut a person's life, we focus in on a certain part of their life, because there's something specific we want to show and communicate. 

For example, consider the 2014 film, Theory of Everything, about Stephen Hawking. There are a multitude of angles the writers could've taken to tell Stephen Hawking's story, but this story really focuses on Stephen Hawking's relationship with Jane Wilde.

It's a very specific lens, and that's what you need to consider when telling your story.


Getting your brand story right is so important, because it’s necessary for both internal and external communication. But also, it’s something you’re going to communicate a lot in different ways.


You’re not going to repeat your brand story verbatim every time, but you’ll weave in parts of it throughout your messaging and communications.


Because this is what emotionally connects you to your ideal clients...and to talent.
It's what makes you memorable, sets a foundation out of which your values, vision, and mission grow, and it


So…have you found the diamond in your story?


If you’re not sure, or know that you haven’t…schedule a virtual tea with me for a free 30-minute consult and strategy session 🍵🍵
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Stay curious,
Justine🎈