What Brand Storytelling Actually Means
Brand storytelling isn't about crafting fairy tales for your marketing. It's the practice of understanding how humans use narrative to make sense of their choices, and positioning your brand as a meaningful part of the stories your customers are already telling themselves.
Before I start to waffle on, let me just start with what brand storytelling actually is, because that's why you clicked on this Note.
Brand storytelling is the strategic practice of connecting your brand to the ongoing narratives your customers have about their own lives, values, and aspirations.
But what does that actually mean? Well, that's what the rest of this note is for…
It's about recognising that every purchase decision is actually a story decision. Your customers are constantly choosing which narrative they want to be part of, and which brands get to play supporting roles in their personal story.
Your customers don't want to hear your story. They want you to help them tell theirs better.
So what makes brand storytelling effective? And why does it matter so much for how people connect with brands?
Stories Are How We Make Sense of Everything
As humans, we're constantly narrating our lives, not just experiencing them. What do I mean by this?
We're pattern-seeking creatures. Our brains constantly organise information into narratives to make sense of the world. We don't just experience events, we experience them as part of ongoing stories about ourselves, our relationships, and our place in the world.
Right now, as you read this, your brain is running multiple storylines: "I'm someone who invests time in learning about marketing." "I'm building something that matters." "I make smart decisions about where to spend my attention."
Every decision you make reflects who you are, including every purchase decision. For example, when you choose one gym over another, you're choosing which story you want to be part of. The story of someone who values community and support. The story of someone who prioritises convenience and efficiency. The story of someone who takes fitness seriously and invests in quality.
Every purchase becomes, in some small way, a story decision. And, by choosing certain brands and products, you're choosing them to play supporting roles in your personal narrative.
When someone chooses Notion over Microsoft Office, they're not just picking productivity software. They're choosing the story of someone who thinks differently about work, values flexibility over traditional corporate norms, and probably drinks oat milk lattes.
This is the narrative operating system. And as a brand, this system is what you want to try and hack into.
The Mirror Method
Even though it's called 'Brand' Storytelling, the most important thing you can do is not make your brand the hero of the story.
The best brands understand that the most important story to the customer is the story they tell themselves. These brands recognise that they're just there to act as a mirror and reflect this story back to the customer in a clearer, more vivid, more achievable way.
We’ve all stood in a mirror, that in someway, makes us feel like we look better than usual. It shows you your best angle, the most flattering light. That's what great brand storytelling does. It reflects back the version of yourself you aspire to be.
One of the biggest payment providers in the world, Stripe, does the Mirror Method really well. They could talk about their technical superiority or their impressive client roster, but instead their brand storytelling focuses on telling their customers "you’re not just processing transactions, you're building the future of commerce." Stripe becomes a mirror that shows them a more compelling version of their own story.
The Three Mirrors Framework
The Mirror Method can be broken down into three types:
1. The Identity Mirror
"This is who you really are"
Identity Mirroring focuses on reflecting customers' values and aspirations back to them. Take Revolut (an online banking company), they hold up a mirror that says "You're someone who refuses to accept outdated financial systems, who believes money should work as hard as you do, and who won't pay ridiculous fees just because that's how it's always been done."
The key to doing Identity Mirroring well is not focusing on who your customers are today, but who they want to become in the future.
2. The Possibility Mirror
"This is what you could achieve"
This type of mirroring shows customers a version of their life where their current problems are solved, but not in the traditional "before and after" way. Instead, it's in a way that says to the customer "you're capable of more than you realise."
An brand that uses this type of mirroring is Webflow (a website building software). They reflect back to the customer "You're a creative professional who shouldn't be limited by code. Your ideas deserve to exist in their best form."
3. The Values Mirror
"This is what you stand for"
The Values Mirror reflects customers' beliefs and principles back to them through consistent brand actions and messaging. This goes beyond what you say, it's about what you actually do and how you actually behave as a brand.
Take Monzo. They don't just say they believe banking should be transparent—they show transaction notifications in real-time, break down exactly where your money goes, and refuse to make money from hidden fees. They're reflecting back "You're someone who believes in honesty and transparency, even when it comes to money."
Take Oatly. They don’t just say they believe in sustainability, they openly challenge the dairy industry in their marketing, and consistently choose environmental impact over profit margins. They’re reflecting back “You’re someone who questions the status quo, who believes we can do better for the planet, and who isn’t afraid to choose the alternative that actually makes sense.“
It's very easy to fall into the habit of using all three at once. But for them to be most effective, I'd focus on mastering one and then maybe expanding into the others over time, otherwise your brand storytelling comes across as confusing.
The Common Mistakes Made With Brand Storytelling
A lot of people are unsure about what 'Brand Storytelling' actually is, I was before I did some research into it, so it's not unusual that there are some common mistakes made with it.
Mistake 1: Main Character Syndrome
This is when your brand story starts with "We founded this company because..." and never really moves beyond that. Unfortunately nobody cares about your founding story unless it directly helps them solve their current problem. Your origin story isn't your brand story.
Mistake 2: Feature Storytelling
This happens when you're telling stories about what your product does instead of who your customer becomes. Saying "Our platform integrates with 50+ tools" isn't storytelling. Saying "You're someone who deserves systems that work together seamlessly", that's a story that people engage with more.
Mistake 3: Motivation Mismatch
You're trying to motivate people toward something they don't actually want. Take software brands that bang on about "efficiency" and "productivity." Apart from a few saddos, most people don't wake up excited about being more efficient. They wake up excited about having more time for what matters, feeling less stressed, or building something meaningful.
Making It Actually Work
So you know I'm not talking absolute crap, I've given you some examples below:
Instead of: "We help busy professionals manage their finances" Try: "You're building wealth, not just tracking expenses"
Instead of: "Our platform streamlines your workflow" Try: "You're someone who creates breakthrough work, not someone who gets buried in admin"
Instead of: "We founded this company to solve X problem" Try: "You deserve tools that actually understand how you work"
You'll notice the first approach makes the brand the hero, and the second approach makes your customer the hero with your brand as the trusted guide. Take the second approach.
The Long Game Reality
Something that's one of the most important things to remember about brand storytelling is that it's not a marketing campaign. It's not something you "launch." It's a commitment to consistently reflecting your customers' best stories back to them across every touchpoint, every interaction, every piece of content you create.
Good brand storytelling requires patience and long-term thinking. It takes time to build genuine connections with customers. Your brand needs to become associated with the values, aspirations, and identity that matter to your customers.
It might matter more to you, but your customer's transformation matters more than your company's achievements. Their success story matters more than your origin story. Their future matters more than your features. Because your customers pay the bills and keep your business alive.
Brand storytelling can be one of the most effective things within marketing and branding, because you’re providing more than just a product or service for your customers, you become part of their story. And people love to talk, so they'll tell those stories to anyone who'll listen.
The best brand stories aren't told by brands at all. They're told by customers who found, in that brand, a way to tell their own story better.
Before I start to waffle on, let me just start with what brand storytelling actually is, because that's why you clicked on this Note.
Brand storytelling is the strategic practice of connecting your brand to the ongoing narratives your customers have about their own lives, values, and aspirations.
But what does that actually mean? Well, that's what the rest of this note is for…
It's about recognising that every purchase decision is actually a story decision. Your customers are constantly choosing which narrative they want to be part of, and which brands get to play supporting roles in their personal story.
Your customers don't want to hear your story. They want you to help them tell theirs better.
So what makes brand storytelling effective? And why does it matter so much for how people connect with brands?
Stories Are How We Make Sense of Everything
As humans, we're constantly narrating our lives, not just experiencing them. What do I mean by this?
We're pattern-seeking creatures. Our brains constantly organise information into narratives to make sense of the world. We don't just experience events, we experience them as part of ongoing stories about ourselves, our relationships, and our place in the world.
Right now, as you read this, your brain is running multiple storylines: "I'm someone who invests time in learning about marketing." "I'm building something that matters." "I make smart decisions about where to spend my attention."
Every decision you make reflects who you are, including every purchase decision. For example, when you choose one gym over another, you're choosing which story you want to be part of. The story of someone who values community and support. The story of someone who prioritises convenience and efficiency. The story of someone who takes fitness seriously and invests in quality.
Every purchase becomes, in some small way, a story decision. And, by choosing certain brands and products, you're choosing them to play supporting roles in your personal narrative.
When someone chooses Notion over Microsoft Office, they're not just picking productivity software. They're choosing the story of someone who thinks differently about work, values flexibility over traditional corporate norms, and probably drinks oat milk lattes.
This is the narrative operating system. And as a brand, this system is what you want to try and hack into.
The Mirror Method
Even though it's called 'Brand' Storytelling, the most important thing you can do is not make your brand the hero of the story.
The best brands understand that the most important story to the customer is the story they tell themselves. These brands recognise that they're just there to act as a mirror and reflect this story back to the customer in a clearer, more vivid, more achievable way.
We’ve all stood in a mirror, that in someway, makes us feel like we look better than usual. It shows you your best angle, the most flattering light. That's what great brand storytelling does. It reflects back the version of yourself you aspire to be.
One of the biggest payment providers in the world, Stripe, does the Mirror Method really well. They could talk about their technical superiority or their impressive client roster, but instead their brand storytelling focuses on telling their customers "you’re not just processing transactions, you're building the future of commerce." Stripe becomes a mirror that shows them a more compelling version of their own story.
The Three Mirrors Framework
The Mirror Method can be broken down into three types:
1. The Identity Mirror
"This is who you really are"
Identity Mirroring focuses on reflecting customers' values and aspirations back to them. Take Revolut (an online banking company), they hold up a mirror that says "You're someone who refuses to accept outdated financial systems, who believes money should work as hard as you do, and who won't pay ridiculous fees just because that's how it's always been done."
The key to doing Identity Mirroring well is not focusing on who your customers are today, but who they want to become in the future.
2. The Possibility Mirror
"This is what you could achieve"
This type of mirroring shows customers a version of their life where their current problems are solved, but not in the traditional "before and after" way. Instead, it's in a way that says to the customer "you're capable of more than you realise."
An brand that uses this type of mirroring is Webflow (a website building software). They reflect back to the customer "You're a creative professional who shouldn't be limited by code. Your ideas deserve to exist in their best form."
3. The Values Mirror
"This is what you stand for"
The Values Mirror reflects customers' beliefs and principles back to them through consistent brand actions and messaging. This goes beyond what you say, it's about what you actually do and how you actually behave as a brand.
Take Monzo. They don't just say they believe banking should be transparent—they show transaction notifications in real-time, break down exactly where your money goes, and refuse to make money from hidden fees. They're reflecting back "You're someone who believes in honesty and transparency, even when it comes to money."
Take Oatly. They don’t just say they believe in sustainability, they openly challenge the dairy industry in their marketing, and consistently choose environmental impact over profit margins. They’re reflecting back “You’re someone who questions the status quo, who believes we can do better for the planet, and who isn’t afraid to choose the alternative that actually makes sense.“
It's very easy to fall into the habit of using all three at once. But for them to be most effective, I'd focus on mastering one and then maybe expanding into the others over time, otherwise your brand storytelling comes across as confusing.
The Common Mistakes Made With Brand Storytelling
A lot of people are unsure about what 'Brand Storytelling' actually is, I was before I did some research into it, so it's not unusual that there are some common mistakes made with it.
Mistake 1: Main Character Syndrome
This is when your brand story starts with "We founded this company because..." and never really moves beyond that. Unfortunately nobody cares about your founding story unless it directly helps them solve their current problem. Your origin story isn't your brand story.
Mistake 2: Feature Storytelling
This happens when you're telling stories about what your product does instead of who your customer becomes. Saying "Our platform integrates with 50+ tools" isn't storytelling. Saying "You're someone who deserves systems that work together seamlessly", that's a story that people engage with more.
Mistake 3: Motivation Mismatch
You're trying to motivate people toward something they don't actually want. Take software brands that bang on about "efficiency" and "productivity." Apart from a few saddos, most people don't wake up excited about being more efficient. They wake up excited about having more time for what matters, feeling less stressed, or building something meaningful.
Making It Actually Work
So you know I'm not talking absolute crap, I've given you some examples below:
Instead of: "We help busy professionals manage their finances" Try: "You're building wealth, not just tracking expenses"
Instead of: "Our platform streamlines your workflow" Try: "You're someone who creates breakthrough work, not someone who gets buried in admin"
Instead of: "We founded this company to solve X problem" Try: "You deserve tools that actually understand how you work"
You'll notice the first approach makes the brand the hero, and the second approach makes your customer the hero with your brand as the trusted guide. Take the second approach.
The Long Game Reality
Something that's one of the most important things to remember about brand storytelling is that it's not a marketing campaign. It's not something you "launch." It's a commitment to consistently reflecting your customers' best stories back to them across every touchpoint, every interaction, every piece of content you create.
Good brand storytelling requires patience and long-term thinking. It takes time to build genuine connections with customers. Your brand needs to become associated with the values, aspirations, and identity that matter to your customers.
It might matter more to you, but your customer's transformation matters more than your company's achievements. Their success story matters more than your origin story. Their future matters more than your features. Because your customers pay the bills and keep your business alive.
Brand storytelling can be one of the most effective things within marketing and branding, because you’re providing more than just a product or service for your customers, you become part of their story. And people love to talk, so they'll tell those stories to anyone who'll listen.
The best brand stories aren't told by brands at all. They're told by customers who found, in that brand, a way to tell their own story better.
Before I start to waffle on, let me just start with what brand storytelling actually is, because that's why you clicked on this Note.
Brand storytelling is the strategic practice of connecting your brand to the ongoing narratives your customers have about their own lives, values, and aspirations.
But what does that actually mean? Well, that's what the rest of this note is for…
It's about recognising that every purchase decision is actually a story decision. Your customers are constantly choosing which narrative they want to be part of, and which brands get to play supporting roles in their personal story.
Your customers don't want to hear your story. They want you to help them tell theirs better.
So what makes brand storytelling effective? And why does it matter so much for how people connect with brands?
Stories Are How We Make Sense of Everything
As humans, we're constantly narrating our lives, not just experiencing them. What do I mean by this?
We're pattern-seeking creatures. Our brains constantly organise information into narratives to make sense of the world. We don't just experience events, we experience them as part of ongoing stories about ourselves, our relationships, and our place in the world.
Right now, as you read this, your brain is running multiple storylines: "I'm someone who invests time in learning about marketing." "I'm building something that matters." "I make smart decisions about where to spend my attention."
Every decision you make reflects who you are, including every purchase decision. For example, when you choose one gym over another, you're choosing which story you want to be part of. The story of someone who values community and support. The story of someone who prioritises convenience and efficiency. The story of someone who takes fitness seriously and invests in quality.
Every purchase becomes, in some small way, a story decision. And, by choosing certain brands and products, you're choosing them to play supporting roles in your personal narrative.
When someone chooses Notion over Microsoft Office, they're not just picking productivity software. They're choosing the story of someone who thinks differently about work, values flexibility over traditional corporate norms, and probably drinks oat milk lattes.
This is the narrative operating system. And as a brand, this system is what you want to try and hack into.
The Mirror Method
Even though it's called 'Brand' Storytelling, the most important thing you can do is not make your brand the hero of the story.
The best brands understand that the most important story to the customer is the story they tell themselves. These brands recognise that they're just there to act as a mirror and reflect this story back to the customer in a clearer, more vivid, more achievable way.
We’ve all stood in a mirror, that in someway, makes us feel like we look better than usual. It shows you your best angle, the most flattering light. That's what great brand storytelling does. It reflects back the version of yourself you aspire to be.
One of the biggest payment providers in the world, Stripe, does the Mirror Method really well. They could talk about their technical superiority or their impressive client roster, but instead their brand storytelling focuses on telling their customers "you’re not just processing transactions, you're building the future of commerce." Stripe becomes a mirror that shows them a more compelling version of their own story.
The Three Mirrors Framework
The Mirror Method can be broken down into three types:
1. The Identity Mirror
"This is who you really are"
Identity Mirroring focuses on reflecting customers' values and aspirations back to them. Take Revolut (an online banking company), they hold up a mirror that says "You're someone who refuses to accept outdated financial systems, who believes money should work as hard as you do, and who won't pay ridiculous fees just because that's how it's always been done."
The key to doing Identity Mirroring well is not focusing on who your customers are today, but who they want to become in the future.
2. The Possibility Mirror
"This is what you could achieve"
This type of mirroring shows customers a version of their life where their current problems are solved, but not in the traditional "before and after" way. Instead, it's in a way that says to the customer "you're capable of more than you realise."
An brand that uses this type of mirroring is Webflow (a website building software). They reflect back to the customer "You're a creative professional who shouldn't be limited by code. Your ideas deserve to exist in their best form."
3. The Values Mirror
"This is what you stand for"
The Values Mirror reflects customers' beliefs and principles back to them through consistent brand actions and messaging. This goes beyond what you say, it's about what you actually do and how you actually behave as a brand.
Take Monzo. They don't just say they believe banking should be transparent—they show transaction notifications in real-time, break down exactly where your money goes, and refuse to make money from hidden fees. They're reflecting back "You're someone who believes in honesty and transparency, even when it comes to money."
Take Oatly. They don’t just say they believe in sustainability, they openly challenge the dairy industry in their marketing, and consistently choose environmental impact over profit margins. They’re reflecting back “You’re someone who questions the status quo, who believes we can do better for the planet, and who isn’t afraid to choose the alternative that actually makes sense.“
It's very easy to fall into the habit of using all three at once. But for them to be most effective, I'd focus on mastering one and then maybe expanding into the others over time, otherwise your brand storytelling comes across as confusing.
The Common Mistakes Made With Brand Storytelling
A lot of people are unsure about what 'Brand Storytelling' actually is, I was before I did some research into it, so it's not unusual that there are some common mistakes made with it.
Mistake 1: Main Character Syndrome
This is when your brand story starts with "We founded this company because..." and never really moves beyond that. Unfortunately nobody cares about your founding story unless it directly helps them solve their current problem. Your origin story isn't your brand story.
Mistake 2: Feature Storytelling
This happens when you're telling stories about what your product does instead of who your customer becomes. Saying "Our platform integrates with 50+ tools" isn't storytelling. Saying "You're someone who deserves systems that work together seamlessly", that's a story that people engage with more.
Mistake 3: Motivation Mismatch
You're trying to motivate people toward something they don't actually want. Take software brands that bang on about "efficiency" and "productivity." Apart from a few saddos, most people don't wake up excited about being more efficient. They wake up excited about having more time for what matters, feeling less stressed, or building something meaningful.
Making It Actually Work
So you know I'm not talking absolute crap, I've given you some examples below:
Instead of: "We help busy professionals manage their finances" Try: "You're building wealth, not just tracking expenses"
Instead of: "Our platform streamlines your workflow" Try: "You're someone who creates breakthrough work, not someone who gets buried in admin"
Instead of: "We founded this company to solve X problem" Try: "You deserve tools that actually understand how you work"
You'll notice the first approach makes the brand the hero, and the second approach makes your customer the hero with your brand as the trusted guide. Take the second approach.
The Long Game Reality
Something that's one of the most important things to remember about brand storytelling is that it's not a marketing campaign. It's not something you "launch." It's a commitment to consistently reflecting your customers' best stories back to them across every touchpoint, every interaction, every piece of content you create.
Good brand storytelling requires patience and long-term thinking. It takes time to build genuine connections with customers. Your brand needs to become associated with the values, aspirations, and identity that matter to your customers.
It might matter more to you, but your customer's transformation matters more than your company's achievements. Their success story matters more than your origin story. Their future matters more than your features. Because your customers pay the bills and keep your business alive.
Brand storytelling can be one of the most effective things within marketing and branding, because you’re providing more than just a product or service for your customers, you become part of their story. And people love to talk, so they'll tell those stories to anyone who'll listen.
The best brand stories aren't told by brands at all. They're told by customers who found, in that brand, a way to tell their own story better.