How to tell a brand story that feels like a journey
For founders who want people to connect, stay, and come back for more.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “tell your brand story.”
It sounds beautiful. It also sounds... vague.
What does that actually mean?
Do you start with the founder's backstory? Do you talk about your values? Do you write a paragraph on your website and call it a day?
Short answer: none of those.
Your brand story isn’t one page.
It’s a sequence. A journey.
It’s how someone finds you, connects with you, buys from you, and then wants to tell everyone they know.
The brands that do this well don’t just tell a story.
They build one, step by step.
Here’s what that journey looks like
Think of it as six milestones that happen when someone moves from stranger to superfan:
Discover
Engage
Act
Return
Recommend
Advocate
Let’s walk through each stage and how you can support it.
1. Discover: “Oh, this feels different.”
How are people finding you?
Where are they landing?
And when they do, do they instantly feel something?
This might be a post. A search result. A referral. A podcast. A cold email.
Your job at this stage:
Make the first touchpoint consistent with who you are. Not perfect, but honest and aligned.
This is not the time to overexplain. This is the time to invite curiosity.
2. Engage: “This speaks to me.”
Now they’re reading, watching, clicking.
Something about the way you write, what you’re saying, or how you design things is keeping them there.
Your job at this stage:
Give them something to stay with.
A point of view. A headline that feels like it was written for them.
This is where your tone and storytelling matter most.
It’s not about shouting “look at me.”
It’s about making someone feel seen.
3. Act: “I want more of this.”
This is where someone signs up, downloads, books a call, buys.
Not because they were pushed, but because everything before this moment built trust.
Your job at this stage:
Make the next step clear, friction-free, and meaningful.
What are they actually saying yes to? What do they believe you’ll help them do or feel?
Make it easy, but make it genuine.
4. Return: “That was worth it.”
This is the part most brands forget.
If someone buys from you, reads from you, works with you… what happens after?
Your job at this stage:
Deliver something that feels aligned with what they expected and maybe a little more.
More care. More intention. More of the energy that drew them in to begin with.
5. Recommend: “You need to check this out.”
People don’t recommend what was “fine.”
They recommend what made them feel smart, seen, helped, inspired.
Your job at this stage:
Give them something to say.
A story they can tell. A feeling they can pass on. A sentence that captures the value of working with you.
They’re not your marketing team. But they will spread the word if you give them a reason.
6. Advocate: “I believe in what you’re doing.”
This is the long game.
People who cheer you on, come back again, refer others, and genuinely want to see you win.
Your job at this stage:
Stay consistent. Stay connected.
You don’t have to overdo it. Just be present and human.
Keep showing up in the same energy that made them trust you the first time.
Why this matters
You don’t need to force a brand story.
You need to build an experience that creates one, naturally, over time.
Every social post, sales page, product, onboarding flow, and thank-you email contributes to that story.
The more aligned those pieces are, the stronger the emotional connection becomes.
Your next step
Pick one of these six stages and audit how you’re showing up there.
Ask yourself:
Is this aligned with how I want people to feel?
Is anything creating friction, or missing entirely?
No need to fix it all at once.
But the more intentional you are with each step, the easier it is for someone to not just find you, but stay.