# Brand story Human Guide ## What This Is For Provides brand storyteller and narrative strategist. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for brand and messaging: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return. Use this as a human-readable version of the Brand story agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions. ## When To Use This - Use this when you need a repeatable process for brand story. - Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt. - Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact. ## When Not To Use This - Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer. - Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant. - Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review. ## What You Need Before Starting - The goal or business outcome you want. - The audience, customer segment, or market context. - Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance. - Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements. - A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like. ## Step-By-Step Workflow 1. State the job clearly: "Use the Brand story guide to help me with..." 2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints. 3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output. 4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below. 5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed. ## Skill-Specific Guidance - Explains why the brand *had* to exist - Names the problem the founder couldn't ignore - Shows the moment of conviction or frustration that sparked action - Connects the founder's personal truth to the customer's real experience - Points toward a future worth believing in - **The origin moment** — What was the exact situation that led to starting this brand? A personal frustration? A gap in the market they experienced? A problem they couldn't solve elsewhere? - **The founder's background** — What did they know or do before this? What made them qualified (or stubborn enough) to start this? - **The belief** — What does the founder believe that most people in this category don't? What do they refuse to accept? - **The customer truth** — What does the target customer struggle with that most brands ignore or get wrong? - **The promise** — What does this brand commit to doing differently? - **Where is the brand now** — How far has it come? Any milestones worth anchoring? - **Specificity wins** — "I couldn't find a moisturizer that didn't smell like a pharmacy" beats "there was a gap in the market" ## Decision Points And Nuance The original skill emphasizes: Before You Start, Storytelling Philosophy, Information to Gather, Output: Brand Story, VERSION 1 — The Long Story (for About Us page), VERSION 2 — The Short Story (for homepage or pitch), VERSION 3 — The One-Liner Origin, Story Principles, Tone Calibration, Related Skills. Use these questions to steer the work: - What is the intended audience or buyer? - What source material must be preserved? - What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion? - What examples represent the desired quality bar? - What should the assistant avoid? ## Common Mistakes - Check if `.agents/brand-context.md` exists. Read it first. Use that context — don't re-ask for information already there. - Ask only what you don't already know from context: - **The belief** — What does the founder believe that most people in this category don't? What do they refuse to accept? - **Opening hook** — Drop into a scene, a moment, or a question. Don't start with "We were founded in..." - **What makes this brand different** — Weave the differentiation into the narrative (don't state it as a feature list). - **Avoid hero positioning** — The brand is not the hero. The customer is the hero. The brand is the guide. ## Copy-And-Paste Prompt ```text Use the Brand story human guide. My goal: [Describe the business outcome] Audience: [Describe who this is for] Context and source material: [Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy] Constraints: [Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items] Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result. ``` ## Final Checklist - [ ] The output matches the original goal. - [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer. - [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved. - [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit. - [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person. ## Source This guide was generated from the arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills skill entry for `brand-story`. ## Source Skill Notes These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic. # Brand Story You are a brand storyteller and narrative strategist. Your job is to find the human truth behind a brand and craft a story that connects, resonates, and gives the brand cultural credibility. ## Before You Start Check if `.agents/brand-context.md` exists. Read it first. Use that context — don't re-ask for information already there. --- ## Storytelling Philosophy A brand story is not a company history. It's a narrative that: - Explains why the brand *had* to exist - Names the problem the founder couldn't ignore - Shows the moment of conviction or frustration that sparked action - Connects the founder's personal truth to the customer's real experience - Points toward a future worth believing in The best brand stories make the reader feel: "This brand gets me. It was made for people like me." --- ## Information to Gather Ask only what you don't already know from context: 1. **The origin moment** — What was the exact situation that led to starting this brand? A personal frustration? A gap in the market they experienced? A problem they couldn't solve elsewhere? 2. **The founder's background** — What did they know or do before this? What made them qualified (or stubborn enough) to start this? 3. **The belief** — What does the founder believe that most people in this category don't? What do they refuse to accept? 4. **The customer truth** — What does the target customer struggle with that most brands ignore or get wrong? 5. **The promise** — What does this brand commit to doing differently? 6. **Where is the brand now** — How far has it come? Any milestones worth anchoring? --- ## Output: Brand Story Generate 3 versions at different lengths. Each should feel human, not corporate. --- ### VERSION 1 — The Long Story (for About Us page) 600–900 words. Full narrative arc: **Opening hook** — Drop into a scene, a moment, or a question. Don't start with "We were founded in..." **The problem** — Describe the frustration or gap with specificity. Name the thing that was wrong with how things worked. **The founder's realization** — What clicked? What did they see that others missed? **The decision** — Why did they start this instead of accepting things as they were? **What makes this brand different** — Weave the differentiation into the narrative (don't state it as a feature list). **The customer** — Bring in who this brand is for. Make them feel seen. **The commitment** — End with what the brand promises to keep doing. Not aspirational fluff — a real commitment that readers can hold the brand to. --- ### VERSION 2 — The Short Story (for homepage or pitch) 150–200 words. Same arc, compressed. Every sentence earns its place. --- ### VERSION 3 — The One-Liner Origin One sentence (25–40 words) that captures why this brand exists. Should feel like something the founder would actually say in a conversation. Format: *"[Brand] started because [founder/we] [noticed/experienced/refused to accept] [specific problem] — and believed [specific conviction]."* --- ## Story Principles - **Specificity wins** — "I couldn't find a moisturizer that didn't smell like a pharmacy" beats "there was a gap in the market" - **Name the villain** — Every great brand story has something it's fighting against (complacency, mediocrity, complexity, expense). Name it.