How Product Marketers Build, Test, and Measure Compelling Stories

Thanks, Diana.  I see Messaging as a broader element and which can be broken down into: - Corporate / Brand messaging - Segment messaging - Solution or Product Messaging As for Pitch and Story, I agree that your pitch may include your story however I typically see the "pitch" as your typical sales pitch. I once heard of a good framework: 30-3-30. The 30-seconds pitch (or elevator pitch), the 3 minutes pitch (typically quick overview after someone says 'tell me more'), and your 30-minutes present ...Read More

[Warning] Extremely Opinionated Zone starts now :) Value Proposition answers the question of whether buying your product is a good value exchange for the customer/prospect. The pain you are reducing or the delight you are introducing - is it worth the commercial exchange and a good deal for the prospect? Messaging is the act of clearly articulating the value proposition through words that resonate with the target audience. Pitch is a succinct and impactful delivery of the messaging, frequently c ...Read More

This is a great question. As product marketers, I think we often confuse this terminology, and due to the common use of these terms it amplifies the perception they are different. From my point of view, there are differences between positioning and messaging which I’ll cover here, but everything else you mentioned — story, pitch, etc — is either an output of positioning and messaging, or is one and the same.

 First, positioning is an internal resource that covers how your product is uniquely di ...Read More

I like this kind of question because so much time is spent at work getting humans to agree that we're talking about the same thing. My particular answers are less important than creating a shared lexicon with the teams you need to mind-meld with. That said, I do like precision and so here's how I parse some of these terms: Value Proposition: This is the reason that your target audiences should choose you instead of your competition. It's the thing that you do uniquely well and it's the reason so ...Read More

I think the basics called out here are nice building blocks, but a few more tactical examples to help: Listen to customers. "Know your audience" is too broad of a term, but actually listening to what they have to say - and most importantly - what they react to is key to a great story. Stories evoke emotion and emotions can be visible positive feedback that your stories are resonating. Great storytellers aren't born that way, they learn through that positive feedback on what resonates and what do ...Read More

Great question! Most of the storytelling frameworks I go back to repeatedly are focused on: Identifying audience challenges and needs Structuring your ideas clearly - the before → after, from → to states Laying out your audience’s problem, your solution, and the benefit in a clear and easy to follow way Pressure testing the story to see if you can add more excitement, interest, or suspense to keep the audience engaged To that end, here are some frameworks I use: Duarte’s storytelling resources - ...Read More

It depends on the audience, medium, and the main goal of the story you’re telling, but a very basic framework I use—and one that I’ve found to be the most effective for business storytelling—looks like this: State the pain/challenge – What’s the core problem or need? This draws the audience in by addressing something relatable. Present the solution – How are you solving it, and what makes your solution different from others? This is the heart of the story where the value is communicated. Highlig ...Read More

Most storytelling frameworks share similar components, but the key is how you weight those components and personalize the approach. The basic structure I follow starts with addressing the pain point to connect emotionally with the audience. You build tension around this pain, then explain how you're solving for that tension, and end with a payoff. While this linear framework is common, what makes it effective is how you emphasize different elements. For launches or keynotes, I like to begin with ...Read More

I rely heavily on Andy Raskin's strategic narrative framework, which starts with identifying the problem in the world. This framework has been my base template for first call decks at companies like New Relic and Splunk, as well as for numerous keynotes at Unity. While the framework evolves over time and merges with other approaches (especially for larger initiatives where keynotes become collaborative experiences involving multiple stakeholders), it provides a solid foundation. Having worked at ...Read More

The best frameworks are the simpler ones that have proven effective in our everyday lives. One of my favorites is to use the Disney/Pixar storytelling approach laid out in the book “Storybrand” by Donald Miller. It takes the following format:  A character (the customer) has a problem. They meet a guide (your company) who has a plan. The guide calls them to action. The action helps them avoid failure. The story ends in success. “The Hero’s Journey” is another effective framework for stories. You ...Read More

I'm a huge fan of Donald Miller's Storybrand framework. I typically like to use a simplified version of it, as I find that the full framework can be onerous and heavier than we need it to be in our fast-moving company: Define your hero (your customer) and what they are trying to accomplish. For example, at Seismic our hero is an enablement leader, and she wants to improve her ability to impact business outcomes--and demonstrate that her team directly contributed to those outcomes. Articulate the ...Read More

There are many tried and true frameworks or this. Here are some I use: STAR Method There’s one you’ve likely been told to use in interviews: The STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. You can apply this same framework to product storytelling. For example, what Situation is your prospect in? What are they Tasked with doing (and what are the obstacles)? What Action were they able to accomplish with the help of your product? And what was the positive Result? Duarte Method Na ...Read More

[Insert shameless plug for the my template that is being shared for this AMA]. :-) Kidding aside - the template does reflect my thinking on the framework for good storytelling: Intentional focus on crystalizing core "story inputs" --> e.g., personas, function and emotional pain points, market / industry / competitive context, etc. Using this to fill out core story components such as: Every story needs a protagonist and antagonist, so mapping the persona and pain points to these elements helps ...Read More

There was a book (probably 15+ years old now) by Nancy Duarte about storytelling. In it she uses the example of Steve Jobs’ iPhone release presentation. The framework she highlights in that is the Before/After framework, where you keep shifting the story between “what is” and “what could be”...this rectangle in my hand is a phone…but it can also play music. This rectangle in my hand is a way to send SMS…but it can also browse the internet in (at the time) blazing fast 3G speeds, etc etc. At the ...Read More

Here are a few frameworks I've either used or seen to help tell a compelling company and product story: The HERO's Journey: this framework positions the customer as the hero and your product as the guide or tool that helps them overcome obstacles. It works well because it keeps the focus on the customer’s challenges and how your product can lead them to success. FAB (Features, Advantages, Benefits): this framework ensures that your storytelling focuses on what your product does (Features), why t ...Read More

To help you consistently tell better stories internally and externally at work, here are the top three storytelling frameworks I’d recommend: SCQA: Great for logical, clear problem-solution stories, ideal for both internal strategy presentations and external product messaging. I learned this one in my earlier consulting days & still use it all the time! Pixar Storytelling: Evokes emotional engagement through transformation, making it relatable and memorable in product narratives. Great for c ...Read More

One of the most critical times to tell a great story is your sales pitch. And for that, the classic is the old world / new world framework that Andy Raskin popularized: https://medium.com/the-mission/the-greatest-sales-deck-ive-ever-seen-4f4ef3391ba0 Another valuable framework for strategic narratives is the ABT method (and, but, therefore). It distills a story down to its core elements, which you can then elaborate on: We believe that [statement] and [statement]. But, [tension/problem]. Therefo ...Read More

There are three storytelling frameworks I love, all for different reasons and uses: Pixar Story Spine: This one's great for product demos and feature storytelling. Used by Pixar animators, it’s a structured narrative progression focused on creating a story that is both relatable and memorable. It follows a framework of: What if…? Once upon a time… Everyday… Until one day… Because of that… Because of that… Because of that… Until finally… And the moral of the story is... So for product demos, thin ...Read More

Storytelling is most effective when marketers put the customer in the center and focus on the benefits and outcome for them. By using proof points, whether it is product truth or customer success stories, the story helps create an emotional connection with the target audience. Regardless of the framework, the most effective B2B stories share these characteristics: Emotional Weight: People remember emotions far more than facts (stories are cited as being 22 times more memorable than plain data). ...Read More

It depends on who the target persona is. For C-suite, you need to align to their business priorities, for practitioners, you can align to the before and after of their specific job. In general, in my experience with sales, the most effective techniques are simple narrative structures that force the salesperson to control the conversation and focus on the customer's pain, not the product’s features. Here are a couple of best practices: The "Before and After" Framework: This is an essential sales ...Read More

Sure. The final outputs of storytelling efforts typically distill down into a core set of value propositions that are clear, concise, and targeted. These value props serve as the foundation for all messaging and communication across various channels. Usually a well-structured storytelling effort can produce the following: Number of Value Propositions: Generally, 3-5 key value propositions are ideal. This ensures focus while covering the core benefits that matter most to your audience. Each value ...Read More

I shared a template that I’ve used in past roles that I think is helpful here. It really starts from the top, and goes down from there. Simply put, what’s your overall vision, how does this product support that vision, why should your customers/the market care about this product now? From there you refine the core messages and reasons to believe to map back up to how they will help advance that goal and help achieve the vision. I think the rule of 3 is the only principle of product marketing tha ...Read More

This template was passed around Meta and Reality Labs often to distill the top points to anchor positioning. To get to this simplicity for each target audience is essential. I call it the "Angle" in my 5A Framework for GTM. I love this because it's also like a fun mad libs exercise, and if you can make it this simple, you have the start of positioning options. Angle/Positioning [X] is (Internal Positioning) Because unlike  (Competitive Set) [x] provides (value prop) So that you feel (Emotional B ...Read More

I learned the hard way about the importance of understanding your audience's perspective when we misjudged game developers' reaction to AI messaging. In early 2023 at Unity, when everyone was having their generative AI moment, we were announcing new AI capabilities in our platform. However, we failed to fully appreciate how our audience - game developers - would receive this messaging. Throughout that year, several factors changed the landscape: the Hollywood writers' strike, downward pressure o ...Read More

I recently fell into the trap of using generic industry jargon when presenting to analysts instead of maintaining authentic, human-centered language. We're currently refreshing messaging for one of our hero products, and before testing it with customers, we had the opportunity to present to industry analysts. During these presentations, I found myself using exactly the kind of language I advise against - terms like "purpose-built," "AI-native," "agentic," and "unified." We went quite far with th ...Read More

Don’t overcomplicate it. Just find the fastest way to talk to customers. You could set up a formal feedback session with surveys, incentives, and all the jazz - which still gives you biased feedback. Or... you can just hop on an already scheduled customer call TODAY and casually ask customers for their quick qualitative feedback. Here is a sample message to your customer success folks: Hey {CSM name] - I am just trying to get a quick and casual reaction from our customers on this new messaging I ...Read More

I think I’ve mentioned this a few times, but qualitatively it’s in the organic uptake by the sales teams, and positive reception from the community. I think from a quantitative view, you know when the messaging is right when you’re seeing engagement (whether that’s webinar signups, trial starts, contact us leads, etc.) on your various product marketing surfaces. Nailing the persona and ICP and iterating obsessively on the message that you deliver to them and seeing that pay off in the funnel is ...Read More

Did the story change behavior? That will be the key judge on if the story was successful. How do you tell if the story changed behavior? Ensure a clear understanding and size of the target audience. Ensure there is a clear behavior change to track. Create a baseline of what that audience currently does who has not been exposed to the story yet. Measure the rate of change/switching behavior of the audience after they've been exposed to the story and product. Validate that the behavior is retentiv ...Read More