StoryBrand

What StoryBrand does

StoryBrand is a privately held marketing education and certification company headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, operating as Donald Miller Words, LLC. The firm commercializes the StoryBrand Framework—a proprietary seven-part narrative structure that positions the customer as the hero and the brand as their guide—through a multi-tier product portfolio spanning digital courses, in-person workshops, professional certifications, and high-end consulting engagements. The flagship educational product is the 'Building a StoryBrand 2.0' book, which has sold over one million copies globally and is supported by a sub-brand ecosystem including Business Made Simple and Coach Builder.

The core product portfolio includes the Soundbite Strategy On-Demand Course (22 micro-learning modules), a 2-day Live Workshop in Nashville starting at $1,499 per person and capped at 100 attendees, a 4-week Messaging Intervention engagement at $25,000 with a dedicated StoryBrand strategist, and an 8-week premium Fractional CMO engagement at $100,000 involving direct collaboration with founder Donald Miller. The Certified Guide program ($9,999) and Agency Certification ($20,000) license independent marketers and agencies to deliver the framework, building a 450+ member ecosystem that drives downstream client referrals through MarketingMadeSimple.com. StoryBrand.ai, introduced in 2025, extends the framework with generative AI capabilities for message drafting.

The business model combines product-led growth through freemium online courses, channel-partner distribution via certified guides, event-driven demand generation through keynotes and workshops, and sales-led enterprise engagements for premium consulting. Revenue streams include one-time course and certification purchases, per-seat workshop tickets, fixed-fee consulting engagements, and book royalties. Target customers range from SMB owners and growth-stage companies ($1M-$50M revenue) to enterprise marketers and agencies, with notable logo customers including Microsoft, TOMS, TREK Bicycles, The Economist, Tempur-Pedic, Keller Williams, CFA Institute, Nextiva, YNAB, Zaxby's, Steelcase, and Airbnb.

Name

StoryBrand

Legal name

Donald Miller Words, LLC

Website

https://storybrand.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

StoryBrand is a Nashville-based marketing education and certification company that sells the proprietary StoryBrand Framework through courses, live workshops, certified-guide licensing, and premium consulting engagements targeting SMB owners, agencies, and enterprise marketers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Consulting Services

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Naming & Verbal Identity (Taglines, Messaging) (MPAAAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Content & Messaging Strategy (Positioning, Narrative) (MPAAAFAK), Rebrand & Brand Refresh Programs (MPAAAEAJ), Event Strategy & Experience Design (BPAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Brand messaging framework
• Marketing consulting services
• Marketing certification programs
• Business messaging workshops
• Storytelling marketing training

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. On-Demand Courses: Self-paced digital courses including the Soundbite Strategy On-Demand Course with 22 micro-learning video modules. Sold as one-time purchases with immediate access.
2. Live Workshops: 2-day in-person workshops in Nashville with Donald Miller. Standard tickets at $1,499/person, Platinum VIP at $4,900/person, and team pricing at $1,249/person for 4+ attendees.
3. Guide Certification: Live in-person certification training in Nashville ($9,999) with 12 months of coaching and community access. Enables independent marketers to deliver the StoryBrand framework professionally.
4. Agency Certification: On-site team training and exclusive license for agencies to use the StoryBrand framework with clients ($20,000). Includes prioritized directory listing and monthly masterminds.
5. Messaging Intervention: 4-week messaging clarity engagement with a StoryBrand Certified Strategist. Includes 1-day in-person session, Donald Miller's BrandScript review, and 6 finished deliverables.
6. Fractional CMO (Soundbite Strategy Session): 8-week direct collaboration with Donald Miller including full-day intensive, soundbite playbook, and ongoing implementation support. Limited availability premium engagement.
7. Keynote Speaking: 45-60 minute keynotes delivered on-site or virtually by Donald Miller or certified StoryBrand speakers. Used as demand generation and brand awareness tool.
8. Book Sales: Building a StoryBrand 2.0 available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook formats. Over 1 million copies sold. Generates brand awareness and drives course/workshop sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

StoryBrand provides a proprietary seven-part narrative framework for clarifying brand messaging, delivered through on-demand courses, in-person workshops in Nashville, certification programs for marketing professionals, and high-touch consulting engagements. The company helps businesses create clear, repeatable soundbites that cut through noise, attract attention, and convert leads, with offerings ranging from a self-paced $149 course to a $100,000 premium engagement directly with founder Donald Miller.

Product overview

StoryBrand is a marketing education and certification company offering a suite of products centered on the StoryBrand Framework—a 7-part story formula for clarifying brand messaging. The core offering is the StoryBrand Soundbite Strategy, which provides businesses with five powerful soundbites to make their message clear and memorable. The product portfolio includes: (1) On-Demand Courses for self-paced learning, (2) In-Person Workshops (StoryBrand Your Business LIVE) for hands-on messaging breakthroughs, (3) StoryBrand Messaging Intervention—a 4-week consulting engagement with finished deliverables, (4) Premium Fractional CMO Soundbite Strategy Sessions with direct Donald Miller access, (5) StoryBrand Certified Guide and Agency Certification programs for marketing professionals, (6) Sales Funnel build-out services by certified guides, (7) Keynote speaking services, and (8) the bestselling book Building a StoryBrand 2.0. The ecosystem also includes free tools like the $400k Independent Marketer Assessment and Free Weekly Soundbite Video series, alongside AI-powered marketing assistance through StoryBrand.ai. StoryBrand operates as a platform-plus-services model, combining digital courses, in-person events, professional certifications, and consulting services to help businesses clarify their messaging and grow revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Business Made Simple: A platform offering courses, subscriptions, and business resources designed to help business owners and marketers grow their businesses.
• Coach Builder
• StoryBrand AI
• StoryBrand Soundbite Strategy

Products and services

• StoryBrand Soundbite Strategy On-Demand Course An online self-paced course with 22 micro-learning video modules teaching businesses to create the five custom soundbites that get attention and increase sales. Includes a Messaging Strategy Playbook with ideas for using soundbites across social media, emails, landing pages, and more. Targeted at SMBs and individual marketers.
• StoryBrand Your Business LIVE Workshop

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DigitalMarketer: DigitalMarketer sells marketing training, certifications, and frameworks to businesses and marketers — almost identical business model to StoryBrand's certification and course stack. Comparable in scale, methodology-driven approach, and target buyer (business owners and marketing professionals).
• MarketingProfs: MarketingProfs provides marketing training, certifications, events, and resources for B2B marketers — same core audience (marketers and business owners) with similar training-led, methodology-driven approach and similar tiered paid offerings.
• Copyblogger: Copyblogger is a content marketing education platform and authority built around a methodology (the Copyblogger method). Comparable as a content-marketing thought leader brand with training products, similar in customer profile (SMB marketers and business owners).
• Amy Porterfield Inc. Amy Porterfield is an online marketing educator and course creator serving entrepreneurs and small business owners with methodology-driven programs. Closely comparable in founder-led, course-and-certification business model targeting the same buyer (small business owner seeking marketing clarity).
• Content Marketing Institute: CMI delivers marketing training, conferences, and certifications focused on content marketing methodology. Comparable in training-led, certification-driven revenue model with similar audience (B2B marketers and content strategists).
• Marie Forleo Enterprises: Marie Forleo runs a business-coaching and marketing-education empire (MarieTV, B-School) targeting entrepreneurs and small business owners. Comparable in founder-led methodology brand with course stack, certification, and coaching tiers in the same price range.

Broad incumbents

• HubSpot Academy: HubSpot's free educational arm delivers marketing training and certifications to a global audience, bundled into a larger CRM platform. Functions as a broader incumbent offering comparable marketing methodology education at scale, though tied to HubSpot's software ecosystem.
• Ahrefs Academy: Ahrefs pairs a market-leading SEO toolset with a free academy that teaches SEO and content marketing methodology. Comparable in training-as-marketing strategy with paid tools layered on top, though anchored in SEO rather than messaging.

Emerging players

• Red Antler: Red Antler is a leading branding agency that helps startups and growth-stage companies develop brand positioning, verbal identity, and narrative. Comparable in the brand messaging and verbal identity space, though structured as a project-based agency rather than a scalable education/certification platform.

Others

• Maven: Maven is an online cohort-based education platform that powers courses for top business and marketing instructors. Comparable as an enabling platform for the same kind of premium course and certification delivery that StoryBrand offers, though Maven operates as B2B infrastructure rather than direct-to-consumer education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/storybrand
• Facebookfacebook.com/storybrand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/storybrand
• Instagraminstagram.com/storybrand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about StoryBrand