Brand, web & content

How do I structure a message so customers care (story / framework)?

The short answer

Make the customer the hero and your product the guide that helps them win, that's the StoryBrand framework in one line. Frame it as: they have a problem, you have a plan, here's the success they'll get. People buy the transformation, not the feature list.

Go deeper, your way

2 hand-picked resources, 1 link-checked. Pick how you want to dig in.

📖 Book
✓ Link checked Paid Intermediate

Why we picked it The best-known framework for structuring a message as a story where the customer is the hero, practical templates you can apply to your site and pitch.

Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

From Amazon / HarperCollins Leadership by Donald Miller Book (~240 pages)

  • Make the customer the hero and your product the guide
  • Frame it: they have a problem, you have a plan, here's the win
  • People buy the transformation, not the feature list
Open amazon.com
📖 Book
Paid Intermediate

Why we picked it The best book on positioning against competitors by understanding the alternatives customers actually consider. Directly turns competitive research into a market advantage.

Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It

From aprildunford.com by April Dunford ~200 pages

  • Your real competition is often the status quo, not another product
  • Start positioning from the competitive alternatives your buyers consider
  • Differentiated value comes from your unique capabilities vs those alternatives
  • Choose the market frame that makes your strengths obvious
Open aprildunford.com

People also ask

How do I write copy that explains what my product does clearly? Say what it is in the plain words your customer would use, not corporate abstractions like 'empowering synergies'. Lead with the concrete benefit, ... Beginner 2 resources → What are the rules of good marketing copy? Harry Dry's three: make it visual (words people can picture), make it falsifiable (specific claims a competitor couldn't copy-paste), and make it u... Beginner 2 resources → How do I write a headline / value proposition that grabs attention? A great headline states the specific outcome for a specific person, clear beats catchy. Julian Shapiro's advice: make the header fully descriptive ... Intermediate 1 resource → How do I find the exact words my customers use to describe their problem? Mine their language directly, sales calls, support tickets, reviews of competitors, Reddit and community threads. Then feed their phrases back into... Intermediate 2 resources → How do I learn copywriting quickly without a marketing background? Study before/after rewrites of real landing pages, you learn faster from watching a pro fix bad copy than from theory. Harry Dry's Marketing Exampl... Beginner 2 resources → How do I write the copy for my landing page hero section when I have three different types of customers using my product? Pick one. A hero that talks to three people talks to no one, so lead with the segment that pays fastest or hurts most, and let the rest find themse... Intermediate 3 resources →

Also in D2C

The same ground, over in Build your online store, our D2C track.

Also in How Founders Use AI

How founders actually use AI for this, over in Content Creation.

eChai Partner Brands