v1.0.0 to git:20260429.05586c7
218 added, 137 removed. Audit A to A.
---
- name: StoryBrand Messaging Framework
- description: "Apply Donald Miller's SB7 framework to clarify brand messaging: position customer as hero, brand as guide, define problems, plan, and call to action."
- version: 1.0.0
- source_book: "Building a StoryBrand 2.0 by Donald Miller"
- source_isbn: "978-1-4002-4887-2"
+ name: storybrand-messaging-framework
+ description: Use StoryBrand for "clarify my message", "rewrite my homepage", "create a BrandScript", "what is my one-liner", or "fix my CTA".
license: "Skill distillation for personal/educational use. Do not reproduce source passages verbatim."
- tags:
- - marketing
- - messaging
- - branding
- - copywriting
- - content-marketing
---
- # StoryBrand Messaging Framework Skill
+ # StoryBrand Messaging Framework
## Overview
- This skill encodes the SB7 (StoryBrand 7-part) framework from Donald Miller's *Building a StoryBrand*. It helps brands clarify their marketing message by structuring communication like a story — with the customer as the hero and the brand as the guide.
- The core insight: customers don't buy the best product; they buy the one whose message they understand most clearly. Confusion kills sales. Clarity drives growth.
+ Use this skill to apply Donald Miller's StoryBrand SB7 framework to brand messaging, website copy, fundraising appeals, product positioning, sales pages, and marketing assets. The skill turns a confusing offer into a clear customer-centered story: the customer is the hero, the brand is the guide, the offer solves a real problem, and the next action is obvious.
- **Core Mantra:** "If you confuse, you'll lose."
+ This is a messaging-clarity skill. It does not validate whether a market exists, set paid-media budgets, or replace customer research.
+ ## When to Use This Skill
+
+ Invoke this skill when the user asks:
+
+ - "Help me create a BrandScript for my business."
+ - "Clarify my message."
+ - "Rewrite my homepage using StoryBrand."
+ - "Does this pass the grunt test?"
+ - "What is my one-liner?"
+ - "Am I positioning myself as the hero or the guide?"
+ - "Write a better CTA, tagline, landing page, email, ad, or pitch."
+
+ ## Core Principle
+
+ Clear messaging beats clever messaging. The user must leave with copy that quickly answers: what is being offered, how it improves the customer's life, and what the customer should do next.
+
+ ## Workflow Inventory
+
+ | Workflow | User question pattern | Inputs | Steps | Output |
+ |---|---|---|---|---|
+ | BrandScript creation | "Apply StoryBrand to my business" | Offer, customer, problem, proof, desired action | Fill all seven SB7 elements | Complete BrandScript |
+ | Website grunt test | "Review my homepage" | Existing copy or URL text | Test clarity, hierarchy, CTA, stakes, success | Rewrite and priority fixes |
+ | One-liner creation | "What is my pitch?" | Customer, problem, solution, result | Problem + solution + result | One-liner variants |
+ | CTA and funnel design | "What should the CTA be?" | Buying stage, friction, trust level | Direct and transitional CTA mapping | CTA set and placement |
+ | Asset rewrite | "Rewrite this email/ad/page" | Draft copy, audience, goal | Reframe customer as hero and brand as guide | Revised copy |
+
## The SB7 Framework
- ### Element 1: A Character (The Customer is the Hero)
- The customer — not the brand — is the hero of the story. Identify what the customer **wants** and make that the central narrative ambition. Open a "story gap" between where they are and where they want to be.
+ ### 1. A Character
- Key questions:
- - What does your customer want most?
- - What is the single ambition or desire you can help them fulfill?
- - Can you state it in one sentence?
+ **Rule:** The customer is the hero, not the brand.
- ### Element 2: Has a Problem (Three Levels)
- Every story requires conflict. Customers are "heroes in a hole" seeking a way out. Address three levels of problems:
+ **Key questions:**
- 1. **External Problem** — The practical, surface-level problem (e.g., "my lawn looks bad")
- 2. **Internal Problem** — The emotional frustration beneath the external problem (e.g., "I feel embarrassed and incompetent")
- 3. **Philosophical Problem** — The deeper "why this is wrong" injustice (e.g., "People shouldn't have to live with an ugly yard they can't fix")
+ - What does the customer want?
+ - Can the desire be stated in one clear sentence?
+ - Is the copy centered on the customer's ambition rather than the company's story?
- Most companies only address external problems. The most powerful messaging addresses internal problems — because people make emotional buying decisions.
+ **Decision criteria:**
- **The Villain:** Identify a villain (not a person, but a force) that is the root cause of the customer's problems. e.g., complexity, inefficiency, confusion, fear.
+ - One primary desire is visible above all secondary messages.
+ - The customer's current state and desired future state create a story gap.
+ - Company history and internal language are removed unless they prove guide authority.
- ### Element 3: And Meets a Guide (The Brand as Guide)
- Customers aren't looking for another hero — they're looking for a guide. The brand must position itself as Yoda, not Luke Skywalker.
+ **Agent instruction:** Name the customer's concrete want before writing any brand copy. If the user provides many audiences or goals, ask them to pick the primary buyer for this pass.
- Two things establish a brand as a guide:
- 1. **Empathy** — Show you understand how the customer feels ("We know how frustrating X is...")
- 2. **Authority** — Demonstrate competence through testimonials, statistics, logos, awards
+ ### 2. Has a Problem
- Avoid being the hero. Brands that brag about themselves create competitive tension with customers. Brands that serve as guides earn trust.
+ **Rule:** Customers buy relief from internal frustration, not only solutions to external problems.
- ### Element 4: Who Gives Them a Plan
- Customers won't commit without a clear, simple path. Provide:
+ **Key questions:**
- 1. **Process Plan** — 3-4 step action sequence (e.g., "1. Schedule a call. 2. We build your plan. 3. Your business grows.")
- 2. **Agreement Plan** — A set of principles/commitments that reduce perceived risk (e.g., "We believe in transparent pricing, no hidden fees, satisfaction guaranteed.")
+ - What is the external practical problem?
+ - What internal frustration, fear, delay, embarrassment, or uncertainty does it create?
+ - What philosophical "this should not be this hard" statement makes the stakes feel meaningful?
+ - What force can be named as the villain without attacking a person?
- Plans must be simple enough to remember and specific enough to reduce anxiety.
+ **Decision criteria:**
- ### Element 5: And Calls Them to Action
- Heroes don't act without being challenged. Use two types of calls to action:
+ - The copy includes external, internal, and philosophical problem language.
+ - The villain is a problem source such as complexity, waste, risk, or confusion.
+ - The emotional problem is specific enough to make the buyer feel understood.
- 1. **Direct CTA** — A clear request for a purchase or commitment ("Buy Now," "Schedule a Call," "Get a Quote")
- 2. **Transitional CTA** — A lower-risk engagement that moves prospects toward purchase ("Download the Free Guide," "Watch the Demo," "Get the Free Assessment")
+ **Agent instruction:** Diagnose all three problem levels and choose the one most likely to move the customer. Do not stop at feature-level pain points.
- Never use passive language ("Learn more," "Get started"). Be direct.
+ ### 3. Meets a Guide
- ### Element 6: That Helps Them Avoid Failure
- Define what's at stake. Show the cost of NOT engaging your brand. Every hero needs something to lose.
+ **Rule:** The brand must be the guide, not a competing hero.
- - What negative outcome will persist if they don't act?
- - What is the cost of inaction?
- - Paint stakes clearly but don't dwell on them — just enough to make the resolution feel significant
+ **Key questions:**
- ### Element 7: And Ends in a Success
- Never assume customers understand how your brand will improve their life. Tell them explicitly.
+ - How can the brand show empathy for the customer's struggle?
+ - What proof establishes authority without bragging?
+ - Are testimonials, numbers, logos, credentials, or case results available?
- Three types of success to paint:
- 1. **Status** — How will they gain recognition or respect?
- 2. **Completeness/Wholeness** — How will they feel more whole, secure, or confident?
- 3. **Self-acceptance/Transcendence** — How will this help them become who they want to be?
+ **Decision criteria:**
- The most powerful brands help customers visualize their transformed identity.
+ - Empathy appears before or beside authority.
+ - Proof is used to reduce buyer risk, not to make the brand the protagonist.
+ - The copy avoids "we are amazing" language unless tied to the customer's outcome.
- ## The BrandScript Structure
- All seven elements combine into a single BrandScript:
+ **Agent instruction:** Write one empathy line and one authority line. If proof is missing, mark it as a gap and suggest what evidence to collect.
- ```
- A character [CUSTOMER IDENTITY] who wants [DESIRE]
- has a problem: externally [EXTERNAL PROBLEM], internally [INTERNAL PROBLEM], philosophically [PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEM].
- The villain is [VILLAIN FORCE].
- They meet a guide [YOUR BRAND] who has empathy [EMPATHY STATEMENT] and authority [PROOF].
- The guide gives them a plan [PROCESS STEPS].
- And calls them to action [DIRECT CTA] / [TRANSITIONAL CTA].
- That helps them avoid [FAILURE/STAKES].
- And ends in [SUCCESS VISION].
- ```
+ ### 4. Gives Them a Plan
- ## Agent Instructions
+ **Rule:** A confused buyer does not move. A guide gives a simple path.
- When a user asks you to apply the StoryBrand framework, follow this process:
+ **Key questions:**
- ### Step 1: Gather Context
- Ask for or identify:
- - What is the product/service/brand?
- - Who is the target customer?
- - What problem does it solve?
+ - What are the 3-4 steps from interest to success?
+ - What fears or objections need an agreement plan?
+ - Which step is the customer's next visible action?
- ### Step 2: Build the BrandScript
- Work through all 7 elements systematically. For each element:
- 1. Present the principle
- 2. Ask clarifying questions if needed
- 3. Draft specific language
+ **Decision criteria:**
- ### Step 3: Extract Sound Bites
- From the BrandScript, extract:
- - **One-liner** (elevator pitch, ≤30 words): "[Customer] who [external problem], we [solution], so they can [success]"
- - **Tagline**: A 3-7 word phrase capturing the core desire
- - **Website hero text**: Headline + subheadline + CTA button text
- - **Email subject line templates**
- - **Social media bio**
+ - The plan has no more than four steps unless the user explicitly needs a complex process.
+ - Each step uses plain verbs.
+ - The plan reduces perceived risk.
- ### Step 4: Apply to Specific Assets
- Help user translate BrandScript into:
- - Website homepage structure
- - Email marketing sequences
- - Sales pitch scripts
- - Ad copy
- - Social media profiles
+ **Agent instruction:** Produce a process plan for action and, when trust is low, an agreement plan that names guarantees, standards, or commitments.
- ## Query Types This Skill Handles
+ ### 5. Calls Them to Action
- ### BrandScript Creation
- - "Help me create a BrandScript for [business]"
- - "I need to clarify my message for [product]"
- - "Apply StoryBrand to my [business]"
+ **Rule:** Customers do not act unless challenged to act.
- ### Website Review/Rewrite
- - "Review my website copy using StoryBrand"
- - "Rewrite my homepage using the SB7 framework"
- - "Does my website pass the grunt test?"
+ **Key questions:**
- ### Messaging Clarity
- - "Why isn't my marketing working?"
- - "How do I make my message clearer?"
- - "What's my one-liner?"
- - "Write a tagline for my business"
+ - What is the direct CTA for ready buyers?
+ - What is the transitional CTA for not-yet-ready buyers?
+ - Does the CTA use a clear action verb instead of vague browsing language?
- ### Specific Asset Creation
- - "Write email subject lines for [product]"
- - "Create a call to action for [service]"
- - "What should my hero text say?"
- - "Write my elevator pitch"
+ **Decision criteria:**
- ### Coaching/Analysis
- - "Am I positioning myself as the hero or the guide?"
- - "What problem am I really solving?"
- - "What's my villain?"
+ - Direct CTA is concrete: buy, schedule, start, donate, subscribe, get quote.
+ - Transitional CTA offers useful value while moving the relationship forward.
+ - CTA text appears repeatedly where action is natural.
- ## Output Format
+ **Agent instruction:** Always output both direct and transitional CTAs unless the channel only permits one.
+ ### 6. Helps Them Avoid Failure
+
+ **Rule:** Stakes make action meaningful, but fearmongering breaks trust.
+
+ **Key questions:**
+
+ - What cost of inaction is honest and specific?
+ - What frustration, loss, delay, risk, or missed opportunity continues without action?
+ - Is the warning balanced with a positive success vision?
+
+ **Decision criteria:**
+
+ - Stakes are clear but not manipulative.
+ - The cost of inaction is connected to the customer's stated problem.
+ - The copy avoids exaggerated catastrophe.
+
+ **Agent instruction:** Add one concise stakes statement, then quickly move to the success outcome.
+
+ ### 7. Ends in Success
+
+ **Rule:** The brand must paint the customer's successful future.
+
+ **Key questions:**
+
+ - What specific result will the customer experience?
+ - How will the customer feel, be seen, or operate differently?
+ - What identity does the customer want to step into?
+
+ **Decision criteria:**
+
+ - Success language is concrete, visual, and outcome-oriented.
+ - The outcome is about the customer, not the product.
+ - The transformation is believable from the offer.
+
+ **Agent instruction:** End major copy outputs with a before/after transformation and an aspirational identity statement.
+
+ ## Query Response Framework
+
### Full BrandScript
- Present as a structured document with all 7 elements filled in with specific language.
- ### One-Liner Template
- ```
- We help [CUSTOMER] who [PROBLEM] [SOLUTION] so they can [DESIRED OUTCOME].
+ 1. Identify product, customer, desired outcome, and buying action.
+ 2. Fill the seven SB7 elements in order.
+ 3. Flag missing proof, vague customer definition, weak stakes, or unclear CTA.
+ 4. Extract reusable messaging assets.
+
+ ### Website Review
+
+ 1. Apply the grunt test: what is offered, how it improves life, what to do next.
+ 2. Audit hero headline, subheadline, CTA, problem section, guide proof, plan, stakes, success.
+ 3. Rewrite the highest-impact sections first.
+ 4. Give prioritized fixes, not a generic critique.
+
+ ### One-Liner
+
+ Use this structure:
+
+ ```text
+ We help [customer] who struggle with [problem] get [solution] so they can [success].
```
- ### Website Hero Section
+ ### Asset Rewrite
+
+ 1. Remove company-centered language.
+ 2. Put the customer's problem and desired success first.
+ 3. Add empathy, proof, plan, CTA, stakes, and success as appropriate for the channel.
+ 4. Deliver polished copy plus a short rationale.
+
+ ## Output Format
+
+ For a complete messaging request, respond with:
+
+ ```markdown
+ ## StoryBrand Diagnosis
+ - Customer:
+ - Primary desire:
+ - Main problem:
+ - Current clarity issue:
+
+ ## BrandScript
+ 1. Character:
+ 2. Problem:
+ - External:
+ - Internal:
+ - Philosophical:
+ - Villain:
+ 3. Guide:
+ - Empathy:
+ - Authority:
+ 4. Plan:
+ 5. Calls to action:
+ - Direct:
+ - Transitional:
+ 6. Failure avoided:
+ 7. Success:
+
+ ## Copy Assets
+ - One-liner:
+ - Tagline options:
+ - Website hero:
+ - CTA set:
+
+ ## Priority Fixes
+ 1. ...
+ 2. ...
+ 3. ...
```
- Headline: [Desire/Outcome — what the customer wants]
- Subheadline: [How you help them get it — 1-2 sentences, guide positioning]
- CTA Button: [Direct action — "Schedule a Call" / "Get Started" / "Buy Now"]
- Secondary CTA: [Transitional — "Download Free Guide" / "Watch Demo"]
+
+ ## CITATION RULES
+
+ When making substantive StoryBrand-method claims, cite the quote files if the user asks for sources or if the answer is a formal audit.
+
+ **Quote files:**
+
+ - `quotes/main-framework-quotes.md` — SB7 rules, clarity, guide positioning, plan, CTA, stakes, transformation.
+ - `quotes/storybrand-principles-quotes.md` — broader StoryBrand principles and implementation reminders.
+
+ **Anchor mapping:**
+
+ - `main-framework-quotes.md`: `#words-sell-things`, `#brain-drawn-to-clarity`, `#story-greatest-weapon`, `#customer-is-hero`, `#customer-looks-for-guide`, `#companies-sell-external`, `#trust-guide-with-plan`, `#call-to-action-required`, `#avoid-tragic-ending`, `#buying-transformation`, `#if-you-confuse-you-lose`, `#grunt-test`
+ - `storybrand-principles-quotes.md`: `#story-organizes-information`, `#brain-survive-and-thrive`, `#story-makes-music`, `#hero-in-a-hole`, `#three-levels-problems`, `#guide-positioning`, `#story-gap-power`, `#conflict-gets-attention`, `#villain-focus`, `#plan-removes-confusion`, `#two-types-cta`, `#whats-at-stake`, `#aspirational-identity`, `#one-liner-formula`, `#website-hierarchy`
+
+ **Citation format:**
+
+ ```markdown
+ > "Author's exact words here."
+ >
+ > - [*Building a StoryBrand*, cited excerpt](https://github.com/simbajigege/book2skills/blob/main/skills/storybrand-messaging-framework/quotes/main-framework-quotes.md#customer-is-hero)
```
- ### Grunt Test
- Apply to any messaging: "Could a caveman look at this and immediately know (1) what you offer, (2) how it will make their life better, and (3) what they need to do to get it?"
+ Use only exact quote text from the quote files. If no exact quote fits, cite the closest anchor and state that the analysis is a paraphrased application.
- ## Key Principles to Enforce
- 1. Customer = hero, Brand = guide (never reverse this)
- 2. Address internal problems, not just external ones
- 3. Simple beats clever — clarity always wins
- 4. Every page/email/ad must answer: "What do you want me to do?"
- 5. Always define success — paint the positive vision
- 6. Never assume — tell them explicitly how great their life will be
- 7. Repeat your core message across all touchpoints to "brand" it into memory
+ ## Critical Reminders
+
+ - Customer first, company second.
+ - Clarity beats cleverness.
+ - Internal problems often matter more than external ones.
+ - Every serious page needs a direct CTA.
+ - Use stakes honestly and briefly.
+ - End with a concrete vision of success.