Why Your Brand Story Isn’t Landing -hint: try the brand mentor story

When you’re working hard to build a brand, it’s easy to fall into a common trap. You’ve got a great product or service, and naturally, you want to talk about it. You might think the more you say about your brand, the more people will connect with it. But that’s often where things start to break down.

Problem 1: You’re the Hero in Your Own Brand Story

A common pitfall I see with startups is falling in love with their own narrative. It’s understandable—you’ve poured your heart and soul into your business. You want people to know about your passion, your mission, and your innovation. So you craft a story that centers on your brand’s origin, your team’s expertise, and why you’re different. It sounds great on paper, right? But here’s the problem: your customer is looking for a solution to their problem, not a biography of your company.

When I was at HealthJoy, we initially made this mistake. Our storytelling was built around who we were as a company, the cool things we were doing, and the big vision we had for healthcare. But here’s the thing—our potential customers weren’t connecting with it. The story was too focused on us. We were trying to play the hero of our own brand, but our customers didn’t need another hero. They needed someone to help them become the hero.

Your audience isn’t tuning into your brand story to cheer for your success—they’re looking for a solution to their own challenges. If your story is all about you, it becomes easy to ignore. This self-centered narrative doesn’t allow your customers to see themselves in the story, and ultimately, they’ll look elsewhere for a brand that understands them.

Problem 2: Your Story Is Too Complicated

Another challenge many startups face is overloading their story with too much information. Startups are often juggling multiple ideas—whether it’s products, features, values, or benefits. The result is a brand story that tries to communicate everything at once. Instead of creating clarity, it creates noise.

Let’s be honest: your audience’s attention span is limited. When you try to tell a story that incorporates every aspect of your business, you risk confusing your audience and diluting your core message. Your product might solve five or six problems, but if you try to communicate all of them in your story, none of them will stand out.

At HealthJoy, we had a similar issue early on. We offered a broad range of healthcare benefits, and our initial messaging tried to encompass everything—from telemedicine to healthcare advocacy to prescription savings. We thought this would make us more appealing, but it had the opposite effect. Instead of standing out, our message became convoluted. It wasn’t until we streamlined our story and focused on a single core pain point that we started to gain traction.

Simplicity is key. Your story needs to be straightforward and focused on the single most critical problem you solve for your customers. When you narrow down your message, you create clarity. And clarity is what cuts through the noise and makes your brand memorable.

Solution: Make Your Customer the Hero, and Become the coach

The breakthrough moment for most startups comes when they flip the script and stop trying to be the hero of their own story. Your audience isn’t looking for a brand to idolize—they’re looking for someone who can help them succeed. That’s where the Brand Mentor Story comes in, a framework I came up with in my last book. Basically, It’s not about positioning your brand as the star of the show; it’s about positioning your customer as the hero, with your brand serving as the mentor to help them navigate their journey.

When I made this shift at HealthJoy, everything changed. We stopped focusing on what made us special and started honing in on what made our customers’ lives easier. Instead of talking about our cutting-edge technology or our team’s expertise, we started talking about how we could help users save time, reduce stress, and make smarter healthcare decisions. We became the mentor, the wise guide in their story, and our customers became the heroes who overcame challenges with our help.

This is the essence of the Brand Mentor Story. It’s a twist on the classic Hero’s Journey—except in this narrative, your brand isn’t the hero saving the day. Your customer is the one with the challenges to overcome, and your role is to provide the tools, insights, and support they need to succeed. You’re Yoda, not Luke Skywalker. And that’s what resonates with people.

Think of it this way: your customer is on a quest. They’re facing real-world problems—whether it’s growing their business, improving their health, or enhancing their productivity. These challenges create tension in their lives. What they’re looking for is a guide—someone who has the expertise, the resources, and the empathy to help them achieve their goals.

Here’s where you step in. Instead of telling them why your product or service is amazing, you show them how it can help them overcome the obstacles they’re facing. You help them visualize their success, with your brand acting as the catalyst. This shift in perspective doesn’t just make your story more engaging—it makes it more memorable because it’s centered on the customer’s own journey.

This strategy works because people are naturally drawn to stories where they see themselves as the hero. It’s a powerful way to build an emotional connection between your brand and your audience. They feel understood, valued, and supported—not by a faceless company, but by a successful brand that’s rooting for them to succeed.

This is exactly what I help startups identify through my brand strategy services at brandstrategy.vip. One of the core deliverables I provide is the creation of a Brand Mentor Story. This story isn’t just another marketing tool—it’s the foundation of your brand’s messaging and the key to connecting with your customers on a deeper level. By making your customer the hero and positioning your brand as the guide, you’ll create a narrative that resonates, inspires, and drives real growth. We also help founders within any industry with brand identity, positioning, voice, tone, and much more.