Your Agency is in the Storytelling Business—So What’s Yours?
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
How do you make your agency stand out when everyone sounds the same?
Lean into your story.
A strong foundation for new business growth is built on a strong story. It’s not a nice-to-have; it's one of your most strategic business development tools.
So, what’s yours?
Why stories matter—especially now
You already understand the power of storytelling but it’s worth restating how potent it is:
A story makes the abstract concrete. It helps your prospects visualize what it would like to work with you.
It reduces risk. Stories let prospects see how you’ve navigated real-world challenges—both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat (as long as you also show how you recovered).
Stories build trust faster than credentials alone. They communicate who you are, not just what you’ve done.
And your story is 100% ownable by you.
Most agencies already have the raw ingredients for a great story. What they don’t always have is a clear, structured way to tell it.
A simple framework: Self, Us, and Now
Here’s a technique I use with my clients to help them uncover and organize their unique stories. It comes from Marshall Ganz, the longtime community organizer and Harvard lecturer who researches and writes on narrative strategy and its role in leadership. It’s called the Story of Self, Us, Now and it’s one of the best frameworks I’ve seen for shaping a story that’s emotionally resonant and strategically sound.
It starts with you…
The Story of Self describes why you are being called to lead in this moment and asks you to explore the sources of your motivation.
For instance, you as an agency leader have been called to lead the clients you work with towards sound marketing solutions.
And your motivation probably has something to do with your belief in the potential of an idea to transform a business. That’s the reason you show up to work each day.
To write your Story of Self, consider the many influences that have shaped you throughout your career. Go back in time—even to your education and childhood. What were the challenges and obstacles you faced? What events in the past shaped your philosophy and values today?
Don’t confuse this with a self-centered diatribe. Its purpose is to invite the audience to identify with your story. If you’re pitching the right client, they should recognize similar values and a sense of purpose. It’s at this point you draw them in with the next chapter of your story.
…but then offers connection
In the Story of Us, you call your audience to join you on this journey by drawing on your shared values and experiences.
Stories hold great power over us. Our brains are hardwired to engage with any information that’s communicated in the form of a story. What’s more, we subconsciously seek to relate that story to events in our own life.
The Story of Us simply enables that natural tendency and invests the audience further in the story’s outcome.
For instance, your shared experiences could be described through your knowledge of the prospect’s business and marketing imperatives. (If finding shared experiences is too elusive, is it possible you’re pitching the wrong client?)
…and finally invites invites participation
In the third chapter, the Story of Now, you insert a note of urgency. What’s at stake if you and your prospect don’t pair your fortunes in pursuit of the shared mission? What’s your vision of potential success? What are the choices you exhort your audience to make if they are to meet their goals?
As Ganz explains it, the Story of Now “is rooted in the values you celebrate in your story of self and us” while also contrasting “a vision of the world as it will be if we fail to act.”
Your story isn’t just history. It's a strategy.
When you articulate who you are, what you stand for, and why it matters now, you create a consistent throughline that connects every part of your outward-facing presence.
That consistency builds trust and trust is what moves you from a relatively unknown and risky resource to a valued expert.
When your story is clear and intentional, it becomes the foundation for:
A differentiated positioning strategy
More confident sales conversations
Marketing content that reinforces credibility
A team that knows how to talk about the agency with pride and precision