liqiongyu/lenny_skills_plus/brand-storytelling

Brand Storytelling

Scope

Covers

• Crafting a clear brand narrative (what you stand for + why people should care)
• Writing a founder/origin story anchored on a single “five-second moment” of realization or transformation
• Turning narrative into usable scripts (website, pitch, social, team)
• Planning “build in public” storytelling for founders/teams (cadence + guardrails)
• Preparing pithy answers and a Q&A bank for pitches and interviews

When to use

• “Write or refresh our brand story / founder story / origin story.”
• “We need a narrative for our website, pitch deck, and social posts.”
• “Help us find the ‘moment’ in our origin story and make it memorable.”
• “Create a build-in-public storytelling plan for the founder/team.”
• “Prep our pithy story + Q&A for fundraising / press / a keynote.”

When NOT to use

• You need to decide your ICP/positioning first (use positioning-messaging).
• You need a full visual identity system (logo, typography, brand book, UI kit).
• You want fictionalized or unverifiable claims (this skill will not fabricate facts).
• You’re making regulated/high-risk claims (medical/legal/financial) without expert review.
• You need an ongoing content program with SEO topics and editorial calendar (use content-marketing).
• You need to pitch journalists and manage press outreach (use media-relations).
• You need a full launch campaign with channel plan, internal readiness, and runbook (use launch-marketing).

Inputs

Minimum required

• Company/product: what it is + who it’s for (1–3 sentences)
• Primary audience + setting: customers, investors, partners, press (pick one primary)
• Primary channel(s): website, deck/pitch, talk, social (pick 1–2)
• Desired perception: 3–5 adjectives (e.g., “trustworthy, modern, scrappy”)
• Story raw material: key events, constraints, “before/after”, proof points (even rough bullets)
• Constraints: taboo words, compliance/claims rules, tone/voice

Missing-info strategy

• Ask up to 5 questions from references/INTAKE.md (3–5 at a time).
• If details are missing, proceed with explicit assumptions and label unknowns/TBDs.
• Never invent facts; offer placeholders and a short “evidence to collect” list.

Outputs (deliverables)

Produce a Brand Storytelling Pack in Markdown (in-chat; or as files if requested), in this order:

1) Context snapshot (audience, channels, goal, constraints) 2) Brand perception target (purpose + positioning + personality; what you want people to think) 3) Story brief (story type + core message + five-second moment + stakes + CTA) 4) Story scripts (2-minute + 30-second + website paragraph) 5) Narrative beat map + proof bank (claims → proof → emotions → CTA) 6) Build-in-public + distribution plan (pillars, cadence, owners, guardrails) 7) Pithy answers + Q&A bank (top questions + crisp responses) 8) Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)

Templates: references/TEMPLATES.md Expanded guidance: references/WORKFLOW.md

Workflow (8 steps)

1) Intake + success definition

• Inputs: User context + references/INTAKE.md.
• Actions: Identify the primary audience, channel(s), and what must change (belief, trust, recall, conversion). Capture constraints and known proof.
• Outputs: Context snapshot + assumptions/TBDs list.
• Checks: You can answer in one sentence: “After hearing/reading this story, the audience will _____.”

2) Define the brand perception you’re shaping

• Inputs: Desired perception; product basics; any positioning notes.
• Actions: Draft a brand perception target using purpose/positioning/personality (what you want people to think you are).
• Outputs: Brand perception target (v1).
• Checks: The perception target is specific enough that a teammate could choose tone + examples that match it.

3) Pick the story type and the “five-second moment”

• Inputs: Founder/customer/product raw material.
• Actions: Choose the story type (brand/founder/origin/customer). Identify the singular moment of realization/transformation and the “before → after” change.
• Outputs: Story brief with five-second moment and stakes.
• Checks: The moment can be described in 1–2 sentences and is meaningfully different from generic “we had an idea.”

4) Outline the narrative arc (context → tension → moment → new belief)

• Inputs: Story brief.
• Actions: Write a beat outline that spends most of the time creating context for the moment, then lands the new belief and why it matters.
• Outputs: Narrative beat map (beats + claims + proof).
• Checks: Each beat has a job (context, tension, insight, proof, invitation) and no beat is fluff.

5) Draft scripts for the target channels

• Inputs: Beat map; channel constraints.
• Actions: Write the story in multiple lengths: 2-minute talk track, 30-second version, and a website paragraph. Tailor language to the audience and include an explicit CTA.
• Outputs: Story scripts (v1).
• Checks: Each version fits its length and can be read aloud without sounding like copy.

6) Add proof + identity hooks (make it believable and sticky)

• Inputs: Proof points (metrics, quotes, examples) + audience motivations.
• Actions: Attach proof to key claims. For consumer: add identity-based associations (“this is who you become”) without manipulation or false promises.
• Outputs: Proof bank + identity hook lines + “say/do” alignment notes.
• Checks: No major claim is unsupported; unknown proof is labeled “to validate.”

7) Plan distribution and “build in public”

• Inputs: Channels, team capacity, constraints.
• Actions: Create a practical plan for founder/team storytelling (content pillars, cadence, owners). Include guardrails (no confidential info; be honest about uncertainty).
• Outputs: Build-in-public + distribution plan.
• Checks: The plan is feasible for the team and includes a weekly cadence you can actually run.

8) Rehearse for pithy delivery + run the quality gate

• Inputs: Scripts + Q&A needs.
• Actions: Generate pithy answers (1 sentence) for the top questions. Run references/CHECKLISTS.md and score with references/RUBRIC.md. Add Risks/Open questions/Next steps.
• Outputs: Final Brand Storytelling Pack.
• Checks: A teammate can repeat the core story after one read, and the story is truthful and consistent with the brand perception target.

Quality gate (required)

• Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.
• Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.

Examples

Example 1 (B2B SaaS): “Use brand-storytelling to write our founder story for a seed pitch and our website About page. Audience: investors + early customers. Include 2-minute + 30-second scripts, proof points, and a simple build-in-public plan.” Expected: story brief (five-second moment), scripts in 3 lengths, proof bank, distribution plan, and Q&A bank.

Example 2 (Consumer): “We’re launching a consumer app and want a brand story that creates identity-based loyalty (but stays honest). Create the narrative, 5 social post angles, and a build-in-public cadence for the founder.” Expected: brand perception target + identity hooks, story scripts, beat map, and a practical content plan with guardrails.

Boundary example (fabrication): “Make up a more dramatic origin story and add numbers we don’t have.” Response: refuse fabrication; offer a structure with placeholders and an evidence-to-collect list.

Boundary example (redirect to content-marketing): “Create a 3-month blog strategy with SEO-validated topics and an editorial calendar, plus write our brand story.” Response: the blog/SEO program belongs in content-marketing. Use this skill for the brand narrative and origin story; then feed the narrative into your content program.

Anti-patterns

1. Generic origin story — “We saw a problem and decided to solve it” with no specific moment, stakes, or emotion. The five-second moment must be vivid, singular, and meaningfully different from any other company’s story.
2. All aspiration, no proof — Crafting a narrative filled with bold claims (“we’re redefining the industry”) but attaching zero evidence, customer outcomes, or concrete examples. Every key claim needs a proof point or explicit placeholder.
3. Confusing brand story with positioning — Trying to define ICP, competitive differentiation, and messaging framework inside a storytelling exercise. If positioning is not settled, pause and use positioning-messaging first.
4. One-size-fits-all script — Writing a single 2-minute version and copy-pasting it for pitch decks, social posts, and website About pages. Each channel needs a tailored length and tone.
5. Ignoring the “say/do” gap — Telling a story that is not backed by actual company behavior. If the narrative says “we put customers first” but the company has no customer feedback loop, flag the gap explicitly.