Last month, I had the pleasure of hosting “Key Components of Brand Storytelling,” a workshop all about the core components necessary to craft a Brand Story for your business. Hosted by the Oak + Pine Society, this workshop was an absolute blast! So, I decided that for this month, I'd write a quick blog post today all about what we discussed that day.

The Components of a Brand Story

I’m all about diving right in when it comes to writing because the only way we can explore our Brand Identity is by doing just that—exploring—or everything will only stay in our heads and never get onto paper! Since writing is the best way to start writing, the workshop had SIX writing breaks. During each of them, attendees followed simple formulas I’d created to describe each component of their story.

Those 6 Components are:

Who—The Hero of your Brand Story (your clients).

What—The services or products you provide to help your Hero.

Where—The location of the Journey your Hero will embark on with you.

 When—The time (mental, emotional, temporal, physical) that the Hero is ready to go on the Journey with you.

Why—The impetus—aka driving force—impelling your Hero to go on this Journey.

How—How your Hero can start the Journey.

What is the Hero's Journey?

I use the Journey to describe all the work you (the Brand Guide) and your client (the Brand Hero) will do together. Whether a one-time transaction or a 6-month project, all the time you spend with your Brand Hero is what makes up the Journey.

And this Journey is important because the Journey transforms your Hero. After all, a journey is difficult, right? Most of us wouldn’t go on a 3-hour hike unless we knew we would get to a beautiful view. We wouldn’t spend hours on something unless we were certain we would get something from it.

That’s where the transformation comes in.

What is the Transformation?

The transformation is the core of your Brand Story because it conveys to your Hero how important your Brand is for them to reach their goals. Every time I think about Transformation, I break it down into four questions:

What will my Hero learn?

What will my Hero do?

What will my Hero feel?

What will my Hero gain?

For example, right on my website, I write, “create authentic content,” because that is something me and my Hero will do together.  In another paragraph, I write, “give business owners more time for themselves, their dreams, and their time at the beach,” to describe one of the many things my Hero will gain from working with me.

Think about what you offer, whether it’s gorgeous jewelry, business coaching, or something else, and answer those 4 questions this way:

After working with me on (your service), my Hero will learn ____ and do ____. My hero will feel ____ and gain ____. Break down the transformation into parts, so you can clearly and consistently convey the Transformation to your Ideal Client.

How can I create my Brand Story?

You can create your Brand Story by sitting down and freewriting about:

Who your Hero is: what do they care about, what do they want and need, and how are they feeling?

What do your services offer them: what does your Brand offer to someone materially, emotionally, or physically?

Where do your services occur: Online? In-person? Via your website?

When your Hero is ready: What events have happened that make your Hero ready to work with you? Did they just start a business or get burnt out at their job?

Why should your Hero go on this Journey: what will they learn, do, feel, and gain from working with you? Why does it matter? How will it make their lives better?

How can your Hero start: How do they start working with you? Is it a phone call or a DM on Instagram? List all the ways your Hero can start working with you and make sure to include at least one in every piece of your marketing.

Or, you can contact me for a complimentary Discovery chat, so we can discuss how to bring your Brand Story to life!