7 Common StoryBrand Mistakes Organizations Make Over and Over
Aug 20, 2025You spent weeks on your BrandScript and your conversions are still flatlined.
Here's why: you're committing the same fatal errors that turn StoryBrand from a conversion machine into expensive wall art.
We asked 7 StoryBrand experts reveal the specific mistakes they see others make over and over that are killing your results — and exactly how to fix them.
Q: What's one mistake you see organizations make in applying StoryBrand to their marketing?
1. The Call-to-Action Mistake For Fundraising: Focusing Only on What You Need Instead of How Donors Will Feel
Kenny Jahng, Chief Clarity Officer at Big Click Syndicate says...
A major mistake nonprofits make with their calls to action (CTAs) is focusing only on the organization's needs.
Typical CTAs like “Donate now to help us reach our goal” or “We need your help to make a difference” are well-intentioned, but they miss a critical element. . . the emotional reward for the donor. People don’t give just because you need help; they give because they want to feel like their contribution makes a direct, tangible impact.
This week, reframe your CTA to focus on how the donor will feel after making their gift.
For instance, instead of “Donate to help us provide food,” say, “Your donation today ensures a family won’t go to bed hungry tonight.”
By emphasizing the emotional satisfaction and immediate impact, you transform the act of giving into a powerful, personal experience.
When donors can feel the change they’re making, they’re more likely to give, and give, and give again.
Connect with Kenny:Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
2. Having Just a Clear Messaging Isn't Enough
Evan Cox, Founder & Lead Strategist at Evan Cox Consulting says...
I know the mantra is "clarify your message", but honestly clarity is tablestakes and not enough.
Because if you just have something that's clear, it amounts to "I know what that is."
Important? Yes.
Enough? No.
In order to "do StoryBrand", there are two other essential tiers.
Tier 1: It's clear.
Tier 2: It's compelling, which amounts to "I know what you offer, and I want that thing."
Tier 3: It's relevant, which amounts to "I know what you offer, I want that thing, and I know how it's unique from the other options on the market."
We can't just create a clear brandscript and call it good. Your messaging has to be clear, compelling, and relevant to really work.
Connect with Evan:Website | LinkedIn
3. Why Your Brand Doesn't Stand Out
Josh Landrum, Director of Marketing at StoryBrand says...
Companies sell products and services to help clients resolve an external problem — the surface-level, tangible problem.
For example, a lawncare company can provide a great looking yard for busy homeowners. But people don’t buy solely because of the external problem. They buy to resolve the internal problem, which is how their external problem makes them feel.
Maybe they’re embarrassed every time they pull into the driveway.
Maybe they feel jealous of their neighbor’s perfect lawn.
Most brands use vague language like "overwhelmed" or "frustrated" to describe their customer's internal problem.
Get specific and use language directly from your customers about how they felt before purchasing from you. You're likely not the only company that solves your customer's external problem.
But when you also speak to that deeper feeling, your message cuts through the noise and truly connects. Customers stop seeing you as a solution and start seeing you as their solution.
4. Stop Treating StoryBrand Like a Fill-in-the-Blank Exercise
David Lillard, Co-Founder at Spartan Marketing says...
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Most businesses completely miss the biggest value of StoryBrand.
They treat it like a Mad Libs exercise, filling in blanks with "Our Customer" as the hero and "Customer Pain Point #3" as the problem. Then they slap it on their website and wonder why conversions haven't skyrocketed.
But the StoryBrand framework's greatest value isn't as a copywriting formula. It's a mirror that forces you to confront whether you actually understand your customers. The organizations that fail with StoryBrand are the ones that skip the hard work. They jump straight from a completed BrandScript to rewriting their homepage, bypassing the critical questions that make the framework transformative:
• Do you truly know what keeps your customers up at night, or are you guessing?
• Does your solution address their real problem, or the problem you wish they had?
• When they don't respond to your marketing, do you know what to do next?
The magic of StoryBrand isn't in the words it helps you write. It's in the clarity it demands before you write them. Use it as a strategic filter, not a copywriting crutch, and you'll create messaging that doesn't just sound better but actually converts.
5. If StoryBrand Works for Customers, Why Aren't You Using It To Hire?
Josh Cowen, Co-Founder & President at Guide MKTG says...
One of the biggest missed opportunities I see in service-based businesses is failing to apply StoryBrand principles to their hiring. Most companies work hard to clarify their message for attracting customers, but when it comes to recruiting, they default to bland, bullet-point job postings that could belong to any competitor.
That’s a problem — because hiring top talent that fits your company culture is the only way local service providers can meet customer demand and grow. At Guide MKTG, we know the same strategies we use to bring you ideal customers can be used to bring you ideal employees.
Your hiring message should clearly communicate the problem you solve, the role your new hire plays in that story, and the success they can expect to experience as part of your team. I’ve seen HVAC companies, landscapers, and CPAs transform their recruiting results simply by swapping generic HR copy for compelling StoryBrand-driven narratives.
When your job ads, careers page, and interview process tell the same clear story as your marketing, you don’t just get more applicants — you attract the right ones who are excited to work for you.
Connect with Josh:Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook
6. Your StoryBrand Isn’t Broken—You Just Stopped Telling It.
Donna Amos, Owner at Solopreneur Solutions, LLC says...
One of the biggest mistakes I see is that organizations treat StoryBrand like a one-time copywriting exercise instead of a company-wide communication framework.
They'll go through the process, create a brand script, and maybe even rewrite their website… but then: Sales presentations still lead with "Here's who we are."
Social media posts are still all about the company, not the customer’s problem.
Email campaigns still read like internal memos instead of conversations with a hero.
When StoryBrand only lives on the homepage, it becomes a missed opportunity. The real magic happens when it’s baked into every touchpoint—sales decks, proposals, social captions, nurture emails, and even how the team answers the phone.
Otherwise, it’s like buying a fancy set of golf clubs and only using them to play putt-putt. 🎯
Connect with Donna:Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
7. The Right Message Cloaked in Boring Language
Preston Bowman, Founder at Stone Creek Consulting says...
I see it all the time: a business invests the time to work through the StoryBrand framework, lands on a crystal-clear message… and then buries it under language so dull it could lull bouncy Tigger to sleep.
The bones of the message are rock-solid.
The framework did its job.
But the way it’s dressed - word choice, phrasing, tone - makes it blend in with every other “professional” business in the room. It’s like spending hours crafting a love letter that bleeds every ounce of your heart onto the page, only to hand it to your love, folded in quarters, stuffed in a greasy takeout bag with yesterday's burger wrapper.
The problem isn’t clarity; it’s delivery. StoryBrand gives you the map, but you still have to take the trip in a vehicle people want to ride in. Your audience needs more than just “understandable”; they need language that makes them feel something: curiosity, excitement, urgency. Without personality, energy, and vivid words, even the best message fades into background noise.
So yes, get the right message. But then, for the love of marketing, wrap it in language that makes people want to hear more!
Connect with Preston:Website | LinkedIn | Facebook
FINAL THOUGHTS
Pick the mistake that stung most and fix it this week.
Stop treating StoryBrand like a website makeover when it's actually a complete communication overhaul.
Your sales team should sound like your marketing.
Your hiring should mirror your customer messaging.
Your social posts should solve problems, not announce achievements.
Most organizations waste months perfecting their BrandScript then bury it under corporate speak or limit it to their homepage.
The leaders winning with StoryBrand use it everywhere — every email, every propsect call, every job posting tells the same customer-focused story.
Your BrandScript isn't broken.
Don't let lack of commitment to using it limit its effectiveness. If you need help putting StoryBrand into action, let's talk.
