What is a StoryBrand One-Liner and How Do You Create One? 3 Expert Steps

Imagine this: You’ve worked tirelessly to establish a brand for your company and are finally satisfied with where you stand. Then, you find yourself in a conversation with a stranger who asks about your business. You freeze, and your mind goes blank.

Sound like a nightmare?

Well, in order to avoid these situations, it is helpful to have a sure-fire statement that explains your business and gives people a reason to care about it.

With a StoryBrand one-liner in your back pocket, you have the perfect reference to ensure that you never undersell your business to a potential customer.

In this expert guide, you will learn everything you need to know about how to write an expert StoryBrand one-liner, including:

• What is a StoryBrand one-liner?
• How a one-liner can drive your business message home
• 3 expert steps to craft the perfect StoryBrand one-liner

At the edge of your seat? Keep reading to see how a one-liner is beneficial for your business and all your marketing ventures.

What is a StoryBrand One-Liner

To put it simply, a StoryBrand one-liner is a short overview of your company that describes what the company does and why it matters. You want to pique people’s interest by clearly explaining how your business can serve them.

The idea of the one-liner closely follows the StoryBrand framework. This presents the hero, your customer, with a problem that the guide, your company, is able to help solve.

Once the problem is solved, we can all live happily ever after.

How One-Liners Came to be

Donald Miller, the founder of StoryBrand, emphasizes the importance of having a dependable one-liner to constantly refer to. He created the concept of the one-liner to entice people into listening to what you have to say by inserting the customer into your story.

Miller argues that people get bored if you start boasting about your business right off the bat. So, to get their attention, you want to invite them on a journey that you can take together.

Now that you know what it is, here’s how to write a StoryBrand one-liner that drives home the message of your business.

How a One-Liner Can Drive Your Business Message Home

When you craft the perfect one-liner, your business message should be at the heart of the story. Essentially, you want to describe why your business is the best fit for your customer.

The Key is Concision

By creating a clear and concise statement, you are giving people the gist of your company without all of the fluff. This way the customer sees exactly what you can do for them in the most direct way possible. Avoid taking the long way around to your point.

You might think that some fluff is necessary for describing your business, especially if your concept can be harder to grasp, but simplicity is crucial. You don’t want your message to get blurred by difficult language or too much background information.

Some advice: If you are debating a point’s relevance to your one-liner, cut it out.

Overall, it is saving you both time, and we all know that time is money.

Put the Customer First

As I mentioned before, it is important to remind your customer that solving their problems is your company’s priority. When you understand how to write a StoryBrand one-liner, you finally learn to put yourself in your customer’s shoes.

Your statement should outline why you matter to them. In the end, they will wonder how they ever lived without you.

With these elements in mind, you can begin to craft the perfect one-liner.

3 Expert Steps To Craft the Perfect StoryBrand One-Liner

You might be thinking, how could I possibly summarize the most important aspects of my company in only a couple of lines? Well, when you learn how to write a StoryBrand one-liner, there are a few key steps that you should follow.

1. Open Up With the Problem

   When you introduce the problem, you want to be as specific as possible. Here, you are setting up the groundwork for your relationship.

   Your customer is the hero with a distinct challenge they need to overcome. They are stuck, and the presentation of the problem draws them into your story.

   The Pain Point

   This is where you highlight the pain point. Your customer is agitated by this problem, and you recognize that.

   Your acknowledgment of their struggle helps them feel connected to you, and you can use this to your advantage.

   Keep it Relevant

   The problem should be relatable and obviously relevant to your services. Don’t introduce a problem that you can not fix or provide guidance for.

   Again, you are establishing the groundwork for a fruitful relationship with your customer.

   For Example

   A one-liner for a car washing service could begin like, “Most car owners know the struggle of procrastinating that pesky car wash.” When a car owner reads that, they should agree with you.

   Therefore, you should open up your statement with a problem that invites the customer in, agitates the pain point, and leads them to the solution.

   Speaking of solutions, here’s where you come in.

2. Provide the Solution

   The solution is your company’s time to shine. You’ve piqued the customer’s interest, and you’re ready to pitch your services. Here, you explain your plan to guide them through their struggle.

   This is where being concise comes in handy. After mentioning the problem, you provide the perfect solution in one sentence. Oh, you’ve got an issue? My company can handle it.

   Your solution should differentiate you from your competitors while simultaneously providing the perfect plan to guide your customer through their problem.

   For Example

   To continue with the car wash example, you could say, “Most car owners know the struggle of procrastinating that pesky car wash, so we started a car washing service that will have you in and out in five minutes.”

3. Reveal the Reward

   So, you’ve presented the problem and the solution. What now?

   The last part of writing your StoryBrand one-liner is pointing your customer toward success. Everything up to here leads the customer to the reward.

   This is their happy ending.

   Because of your company, they can rest easy at night. The problem is no longer looming over their head. They can reap the reward because they chose you over everyone else.

   For Example

   You don’t just want a clean car. You want a clean car as fast as possible so you can continue on with your busy life. Our complete car wash example would read like this:

   “Most car owners know the struggle of procrastinating that pesky car wash (problem), so we started a car washing service that will have you in and out in five minutes (solution). As a result, you don’t have to dread taking time out of your day to have a clean car (reward).”

Excited to learn more? Donald Miller delves deeper into these steps and provides examples of StoryBrand one-liners in this video.

Get Your Business Exactly Where It Should Be

To wrap everything up, these statements are beneficial because they entice your customer into considering you to help solve their problem. Then, you drive home your business message by emphasizing the reward.

Now that you know how to write a proper StoryBrand one-liner, you are ready to embark on your marketing journey. Our expert marketing strategists at Chatter Buzz Media are here to help you craft the perfect StoryBrand one-liner for your business.

Still not sure where to start? Talk to a strategist today to see how we can get your business exactly where it should be.