Building a StoryBrand

By: Donald Miller

Narrated by: Donald Miller

Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best-selling author Donald Miller uses the seven universal elements of powerful stories to teach listeners how to dramatically improve how they connect with customers and grow their businesses.

Donald Miller's StoryBrand process is a proven solution to the struggle business leaders face when talking about their businesses. This revolutionary method for connecting with customers provides listeners with the ultimate competitive advantage, revealing the secret for helping their customers understand the compelling benefits of using their products, ideas, or services. Building a StoryBrand does this by teaching listeners the seven universal story points all humans respond to, the real reason customers make purchases, how to simplify a brand message so people understand it, and how to create the most effective messaging for websites, brochures, and social media.

Whether you are the marketing director of a multibillion-dollar company, the owner of a small business, a politician running for office, or the lead singer of a rock band, Building a StoryBrand will forever transform the way you talk about who you are, what you do, and the unique value you bring to your customers.

©2017 Donald Miller (P)2017 Thomas Nelson Publishers

Starts to Feel Like One Big Ad for Authors Product

They push their product way too hard on this. Started to get really annoying by the end

Have you heard of the SB7 Framework?

If not, you will. This book is one long, drawn out pitch after another ...over and over and over- even his ‘case study’ references are a thinly veiled side pitch for his courses, website, and other assorted nonsense. A total waste of $18

Literally changed my life overnight.

I've been running a business for the last 10 months and I've had less-than-stellar results. My entire business had been built on referrals up until this point. I had not been able to capture leads using actual marketing techniques, and I'm a marketer for god sakes! I just didn't seem to be connecting with my audience with my marketing. A friend told me about this book in very brief description, and something drove me to go out and get it. So I did that very night and I had torn through it by the next morning. I was finished with it by lunch time and I went home to write an email to a group I've been emailing for months now to no avail. I sent the email by 3 p.m. and by the time I woke up at 8 a.m. the next morning I had three people on my schedule. That evening I spoke to a client and negotiated a five-figure deal which I officially closed 2 Days Later. I was at the point of being completely penniless and this book changed everything. If you're a marketer this is an absolute must read. If you're a business owner and need to Market your business this is an absolute must-read.

Every entrepreneur should read or listen to this book.

This book is so rich on content I need to give it another listen. The basics of the book are clarifying your message and making your customer the hero of the story. Miller goes into detail and lays out the framework and gives plenty of real life examples. This is an invaluable business/marketing/branding book.

It is OK.

Would you try another book from Donald Miller and/or Donald Miller?

I don't think I would.

Would you be willing to try another book from Donald Miller? Why or why not?

As someone who says he has written multiple books and now has written one on telling stories, you'd think that he could write one that could hold your attention and keep you interested. Not so much in this case.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

While the reader did an OK job, he lacked the enthusiasm that you often get from books read by the author. Sometimes, it is better to have someone else read the book.

Was Building a StoryBrand worth the listening time?

No, I don't think it was worth the time. The first four chapters of the book consisted of the author providing some high-level information as a thinly veiled attempt to promote his website. From a guy that is writing a book on how to market your brand, I expected to get some value that would hold me in the book. This didn't have it.

If you create things--products, books, sermons, podcasts--this book will help you do it better.

After this book, I am rethinking my messaging on all my projects--both personal and business. Seriously. It's that good.

Another empty self important marketing book

First, like most marketing books, this one spends a majority of its time on marketing itself to me. Dude, I have already bought the book. Im reading it right now. You can stop advertising. Just give me the content. Second, I was mildly surprised how the author doesnt apply his own principles in that marketing. The book’s method is the hero, praised over and over in a tone deaf way. Shouldnt, according to the book’s principles, I, the customer be the hero? Third, none of the actual content seems original and is just basic marketing know how presented in a new annoyingly unoriginal storyline. yoda and luke skywalker. barf. what a waste of time and money.

Clear Message About Clear Messaging

Brilliant work. Succinct, straightforward writing, and most of all effective in achieving results. With his proven track record of success, Don gives candid insight that is sure to help any person who communicates messages (which is all of us). Highly recommend.

Teach a man to fish, Change their life - THIS BOOK

I'm blown away. This book articulates the truths in how people think and connect it with how they make decisions. I make promo videos and this book is making such a large impact on me that I can hardly stop rabbit trails of applications into everything I want to do.

Thanks, Donal Miller, for pursuing human truths, pursuing the structure of 'story', and explaining how it's the gold standard model for business.

I'm so excited to apply these principles.

self promotion of authors business

the book starts well with some good suggestions on marketing but quickly becomes a tool to sell their online and other marketing products. haven't seen any book do it so blantantly. will not recommend this book

A very long sales letter to an expensive course

What would have made Building a StoryBrand better?

Before you buy the book go to the site and try and put together a 'brandscript' - this is the best offering you are going to get and this is intentionally used as a tease to sell you a course.

What was most disappointing about Donald Miller’s story?

It's not a story - is a very long sales letter.

What didn’t you like about Donald Miller’s performance?

I was so looking forward to this book - I had planned the weekend to read the book it's 8hrs and then to have a finalised written 'script' - I personally found the information wanting. In order to implement the content you need to go on the course. The reviews were excellent, I am now actually thinking there ought to be a plausible rating system from 'experts' as there are for films.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Very angry - I can't believe that I fell for this. I could not log in to the site. It would not except any number that were not US ones so you could not complete the form. No response from my emails etc etc from someone talking about brands!!

A novel approach, but....

It is hard to overlook the authors relentless attempts to sell his system throughout the book. I don’t recommend logging into the website for the Story Brand template; unless of course you are happy to extend the invitation to Donald Miller to continue his quest to make you a Story Brand client via your inbox. If you are patient enough, you can get some good communication tips; personally, I abhor the practice of automating mail-bombing, however well the messages are constructed.

The best book on marketing ever. Period.

You’ll find yourself mentally re-writing your copy; your website content and social media posts will become much more crisp and concise. And if you thought your elevator pitch was snappy before, try looking at it again after listening to this book. Liked it so much I bought the paperback. If you're familiar with how Steve Jobs used to structure his keynotes using Aristotle’s story framework, then some of this book will sound similar. Narration is excellent throughout. The whole book has a feel as though the narrator is talking to a start-up or small business but the content is definitely aimed at all sizes of business. It’s an easy listen at just over 6 hours and packs in more value than some of the offerings by other industry heavyweights.

A 5 hour sales pitch

provides some interesting tips and a useful framework but is very self-promotional in style.

Excellent. Excited to get my StoryBrand journey underway.

Excellent. So much clarity in what is needed to sell your products. Looking forward to starting my StoryBrand journey. 100% recommended and get the podcasts too. Inspirational stuff.

better than a marketing degree

I honestly think I learned more about actionable marketing from this book than from my marketing degree! I very much recommend it to anyone who're looking to grow their business. Thank you!

Clear, Compelling and Actionable. I loved it!

Clear, Compelling and Actionable. The narrator really explains how to become a branding guru. I loved it.

Superb. Really read this if you want to improve your businesses profile

Easy and enjoyable listen. Good narration and some great ideas. Really glad I found this book and confident my business is going to get to another level now

A great listen, with transformational content

I’m still working through the points, and it’s hard. But it’s made me excited about my own business and brand again..after 4 years of doing this mostly wrong, hoping I can now get it right. Here’s to the good guys :)

the best business read for any business owne

a must read for anyone trying to understand how to use digital media to grow their business