How to Tell a Brand Story That Actually Resonates
In the world of branding, the concept of storytelling gets a lot of airtime. But for something mentioned so often, it’s surprisingly misunderstood.
When most people think of brand storytelling, they think of copywriting—a few sentences strung together, stamped as “the brand story.” But real brand storytelling is deeper. It’s about shaping perception. It’s about translating your business strategy into something felt, something real, something your audience can see themselves in.
Creating resonance is key for brand stories. In today’s market, where people have infinite options and minimal attention, the brand that wins is the one that makes people feel something real.
So let’s talk about what makes a brand story stick.
Stories have to have a marked change
The most powerful brand stories aren’t polished and perfect. They’re the ones rooted in a monumental shift—a moment when something needed to change, and it did. This inflection point is what pulls people in and helps them connect beyond a transaction. Whether it’s a founder journey, a product evolution, or an industry disruption, brand storytelling requires movement.
Start with these prompts:
What belief or behavior changed?
What tension existed before the resolution?
What does this story reveal about what we stand for?
If there’s no change, there’s no story. Just a summary.
🔗 Related: Brand Building: What It Means and How to Do It
Vulnerability Isn’t Just for Personal Brands
For founders, creators, and even institutions, vulnerability is often what gives your brand personality. Vulnerability doesn’t need to be emotional, but it should carry emotional weight.
This could look like:
Admitting what didn’t work before a pivot
Sharing an unpopular but deeply held belief
Highlighting moments of real uncertainty before success
Brand trust is built when people feel like they’re getting something honest. The strongest campaigns show a peek into humanity, showing not just the polished result, but the path it took to get there.
Align Your Message to a Core Human Experience
The strongest brand stories aren’t about the brand. They tie back to something bigger, something human.
Nine times out of ten, they’re mapped their brand story to a core human experience, either positive or negative. That’s why stories grounded in concepts like safety, belonging, esteem, purpose (Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, anyone?) will resonate far beyond surface-level copywriting.
These brand stories connect at a gut level. That’s the difference between a brand campaign that gets scrolled past and one that gets remembered.
As you evaluate your story, ask:
What human experience is this addressing?
Is the story solving for relevance or creating resonance?
How will the audience see themselves in it?
Campaigns grounded in emotional truths tend to outperform even the best creative that lacks substance.
🔗 Related: 30 Essential Elements of Value to Build Brand Loyalty
Every Story Needs a Clear Takeaway
If you can’t articulate your story's main point or key moral in a single sentence, your audience won’t be able to either. It won’t stick in their memory if they can't articulate it. Powerful brand stories don’t need to be profound. They need to be clear and give your audience something to hold on to, whether that is inspiration, information, or connection. Every story you tell is a brick in the house of brand perception.
When in doubt, ask:
What did this moment teach us?
Why are we sharing it now?
What behavior, feeling, or action are we trying to invite?
Don’t bury the lead. Deliver the lesson.
The Work Behind the Words
The irony of good brand storytelling is that when done well, it feels effortless. Like you’re hearing directly from a friend over coffee. Maintaining the balance of intention and editing with authenticity and clarity is what good branding is all about.
It needs to mean something to you before it can mean something to your audience. If you are planning a new campaign, revamping your website, or simply trying to connect more deeply with your audience, start by asking: “What’s the story that only we can tell? What makes it worth telling?”
