What is the StoryBrand Framework?

If you’ve ever looked at your website and thought, “People still don’t get what we do,” you’re not alone.

Most buyers don’t leave your site because of your colors or layout. They leave because the message is fuzzy.

As Donald Miller famously says in Building a StoryBrand: “If you confuse, you lose.” People don’t buy from the company with the most clever words. They buy from the company that explains things the clearest.

That’s exactly what the StoryBrand Framework is built to do, and if it's not already, it needs to be part of your website strategy.

What is the StoryBrand Framework?

The StoryBrand Framework was first created and introduced by Donald Miller in his book, Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen.

Originally a writer by trade, Miller developed the idea years ago when he began working in marketing and was looking for an easy, repeatable way to explain what a business does and why buyers should care. 

Instead of putting your company at the center, StoryBrand flips the script:

• Your customer is the hero.

• You are the guide.

• Your product or service is the plan that helps them win.

The framework is based on the “hero’s journey” used in countless books, movies, and myths. But you don’t need to be a screenwriter to use it. StoryBrand gives you a simple, repeatable way to:

• Explain what you do

• Make it clear who it’s for

• Show why it matters

• Call people to take action

StoryBrand pairs naturally with the Endless Customers System™. StoryBrand gives you the clear story and structure for your message, while Endless Customers gives you the day-to-day practice of earning trust through what you publish, how you sell, and how your team communicates. Together, they help you not only say the right things on your website, but also back it up with transparent content, honest sales conversations, and a company culture buyers actually believe.

The 7 Pieces of the StoryBrand Framework

StoryBrand takes the hero’s journey and simplifies it into seven key elements:

1. A character (your customer)

2. Who has a problem

3. And meets a guide (your business)

4. Who gives them a plan

5. And calls them to action

6. That ends in success

7. And helps them avoid failure

Image Source: StoryBrand

Let’s walk through each part and how it applies to your marketing and website.

1. Meet the lead character (the “hero”)

Every story starts with a main character who wants something.

In your marketing, that character is not your company. It’s your buyer.

On your website, ask:

• Who is this page really for?

• What do they want most right now?

  • A homeowner who wants to stop worrying about a big repair
  • A CFO who wants more predictability and less risk
  • A mother who wants confidence that they’re choosing the right partner for their financial services

The clearer you are about what your customer wants, the easier it is for them to recognize themselves on the page and keep reading.

Website tip: Your homepage hero section should answer, in plain language:
“Who do you help?” and “What do you help them achieve?”

2. Hero encounters a problem

Enter the conflict. Every great story has a conflict or problem that is standing in the way of the hero achieving their goal. 

Your customers are trying to solve something. Maybe it's a leaking roof, a payroll problem, poor customer experiences, and so on.

StoryBrand encourages you to name three kinds of problems:

• External: The surface-level issue (e.g., “My roof is leaking.”)

• Internal: How that problem makes them feel (e.g., “I'm frustrated that my family home isn't safe.”)

• Philosophical: The bigger “this shouldn’t be this hard” belief behind it.

When you put those into words, your buyer feels seen, and they’re far more likely to stay with you.

Website tip: Use a short section near the top of your page that clearly states the problem and how it shows up in your customer’s day-to-day life.

3. Hero meets a guide

In a good story, the hero doesn’t figure it out alone. They meet a guide who understands their struggle and knows how to help.

Your business is that guide.

To play that role well, you need two things:

• Empathy: Show that you understand what they’re dealing with.

• Authority: Show that you’re qualified to help (without making it all about you).

This isn’t about bragging. It’s about reassuring your visitor:
“You’re not the first to face this. We’ve helped people like you before, and we can help you too.”

Website tip: A short line like “We know how frustrating it is when your roof is leaking” followed by a simple credibility line (“We’ve helped hundreds of homeowners repair or replace their roof, and feel good about the amount of money they spent”) goes a long way.

4. The guide gives the hero a plan 

Once the hero trusts the guide, they need a clear path forward.

This is where most companies overcomplicate things.

Your buyer doesn’t want a 20-step complicated process. They want a simple, high-level plan that answers:

• What happens first?

• What happens next?

• What does success look like?

StoryBrand recommends a 3–4 step plan that feels easy to start. For example:

1. Schedule a consultation

2. Get a tailored strategy

3. Launch and measure results

Website tip: Turn your plan into a simple visual or numbered list and repeat it across your site. It should feel like, “Oh, I can do that.”

5. The guide calls the hero to take action on the plan

In every great story, the hero is challenged to act.

On your website, this is your call to action (CTA).

If your CTAs are vague, hidden, or competing with each other, people won’t move. They’ll click away instead.

You need:

• A primary (“direct”) CTA – the main step that leads to sales (e.g., “Schedule a Call,” “Request a Quote”).

• A secondary (“transitional”) CTA – a lower-commitment option for people who aren’t ready yet (e.g., “Download the Guide,” “Watch the journey of a past customer”).

Website tip: Choose one primary CTA and repeat it in your menu, hero, and key sections. Don’t make visitors guess what to do next.

6. The plan ends in success

When people buy products or services, they really are buying a better version of themselves or their business.

You need to paint a clear picture of what success looks like if they follow your plan:

• What will improve?

• What will they gain?

• How will their daily life or business feel different?

Website tip: Use a “When you work with us…” section to spell out 3–5 specific wins your customers can expect.

7. … And helps them avoid failure

Every story has something at stake. Make sure your customer knows what's at stake for them.

If there’s no risk in doing nothing, there’s no urgency to act.

You don’t need doom and gloom. You simply need to answer:

• What happens if they don’t solve this?

• What will it cost them in time, money, reputation, or sanity?

When people understand both the upside of success and the downside of inaction, your message feels real.

Website tip: A short line like “Without a clear message, visitors get confused and go straight to your competitors” is often enough.

Benefits of the StoryBrand Framework

People love stories — it's backed by science. 

As explained by Harvard Business:

 “Scientists are discovering that chemicals like cortisol, dopamine and oxytocin are released in the brain when we’re told a story. … If we are trying to make a point stick, cortisol assists with our formulating memories. Dopamine, which helps regulate our emotional responses, keeps us engaged. [And] when it comes to creating deeper connections with others, oxytocin is associated with empathy, an important element in building, deepening or maintaining good relationships.”

Stories, when told well, elicit emotions and the emotions make it easier for people to not only understand a message but the experience of having those emotions make them more likely to remember it. 

When you effectively tell your brand’s story using the StoryBrand Framework, you make your unique value much easier to grasp and remember for potential buyers.

You make it easier for them, your “heroes,” to understand what you offer can help them overcome a particular pain or challenge they’re experiencing and see a positive change. It makes them want to buy from you because they actually see your value. They see how you can make their story a happy one. 

It’s also important to note that this approach makes sure you’re keeping the focus on your customer. At the end of the day, customers don’t care about your interests; they only want to know about the value you can offer them. This story is about their success, not yours.

See the StoryBrand Framework in action

Now that we understand the pieces of the framework and its benefits, let’s take a look at an example of what it looks like when executed.

Allstate Insurance

Building a StoryBrand cites several great examples of the framework in action. One of the best (and most engaging) they highlight is Allstate Insurance.

Image Source: StoryBrand

In Allstate’s marketing, the hero is always a potential customer. Their problem is mayhem in life, cleverly personified by the character of Mayhem hilariously portrayed by actor Dean Winters. Enter Allstate (often personified by the comforting Dennis Haysbert) as the guide.

He presents a plan, Allstate’s “Value Plan,” and calls them to the action of “getting a quote” by showing them what will happen if they let “Mayhem” take over their lives (failure). 

In the end, they find success in living a happy, more carefree life. 

Frequently Asked Questions About the StoryBrand Framework

What are the 7 elements of the StoryBrand Framework?

The StoryBrand Framework is built around seven core elements that show up in most clear, compelling stories. In simple terms, they are:

1. A character – your customer, who wants something.

2. Who has a problem – with external, internal, and philosophical layers (what’s happening, how it feels, and why it matters).

3. Who meets a guide – your brand, positioned as the experienced helper, not the hero.

4. Who gives them a plan – a simple path that breaks through confusion and shows what to do next.

5. And calls them to action – a clear invitation to move, rather than hoping they take a step on their own.

6. Which leads to success – a picture of how life or business improves if they follow the plan.

7. And helps them avoid failure – an honest view of what’s at stake if they do nothing.

When you build your messaging around these seven pieces, it becomes much easier for customers to understand their role, your role, and why your offer matters.

Why is storytelling important for businesses?

Storytelling matters because it’s how people naturally make sense of the world. A clear story gives your buyer a simple path to follow: there’s a person, a problem, a guide, and a way forward. When your message fits that kind of structure, it’s easier for people to:

• Pay attention

• Understand what you’re saying

• Remember you later

• Know what to do next

On the flip side, if your marketing is scattered or overly clever, customers have to work too hard to figure it out. Most won’t. They’ll just move on. Using storytelling principles helps you organize your message so buyers can immediately see, “This is for me, here’s what it solves, and here’s how to get started.”

What does it mean that “your brand is not the hero of the story”?

When we say your brand is not the hero, we mean your customer should be at the center of the story—not your company. In practical terms, that means your messaging focuses less on “here’s who we are and what we’ve done” and more on:

• The challenges your buyers are facing

• The goals they’re trying to reach

• How you can guide them to that outcome

Your role is the experienced guide who understands the struggle and has a clear plan, not the main character who needs the spotlight. When you make that shift, your content feels more relevant, more helpful, and more trustworthy to the people you’re trying to reach.

Want to Turn Clear Messaging into a System for Earning Trust?

StoryBrand is a powerful way to clarify what you say and how you say it.

If you’re ready to go one step further, and build an organization that consistently earns trust, generates better-fit opportunities, and aligns your whole team around what buyers actually need, that’s where Endless Customers comes in.

Endless Customers gives you a practical system to:

• Build trust at scale with the content you create

• Align leadership, sales, and marketing around the same principles

• Turn your website, content, and sales process into one connected buyer experience

Next step:

Learn about the Endless Customers Coaching Program,

OR

Get started with the Endless Customers Starter Guide and learn how to pair a clear StoryBrand message with a full trust-based growth strategy across your organization.