Narration

What Narration does

Narration is a Cork, Ireland-based outsourced marketing agency founded in 2018 by Stephen Ryan. The company provides professional marketing services to small and medium-sized businesses, primarily in the Cork and East Cork region, with named clients including Garryvoe Hotel, Sober Lane Bar & Grill, and Cork-based author Eleanor O'Kelly Lynch. Service offerings span social media management, content creation, photography and video production, website design, book launch support, and strategic marketing consulting. The agency positions itself as a storytelling-first full-service marketing partner that integrates with client teams rather than acting as a vendor.

The business operates two revenue streams: fee-for-service professional marketing engagements and direct-to-consumer digital product sales. The digital product line is the Creator Rising book/guide, sold in three tiers ($9 Pocket Guide, $19 Full Digital Guide, $49 Book + Companion Pack) via the narration.ie website. The company has no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no software product underlying its service delivery. Awareness and lead generation are driven by the founder's separately operated 24 Stories podcast, a Friday Notes email newsletter, an active social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X, and a blog of client case studies.

Narration is a privately held, bootstrapped, founder-led business with 1-10 employees. There are no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or M&A activity. Competitive positioning rests on founder brand credibility, storytelling methodology, and demonstrated client outcomes including the 2025 Cork Digital Marketing Awards win. Revenue concentration risk is elevated given the small client base and micro-agency scale, and the company's growth trajectory is constrained by its regional Cork focus and lack of headcount expansion signals.

Name

Narration

Legal name

Unknown

Website

https://narration.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Narration is a Cork, Ireland-based outsourced marketing agency founded in 2018 that provides social media management, content creation, website design, video production, and book launch support to small businesses, primarily in the hospitality and author sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF), Event & Experiential Brand Coverage (Recaps, Sizzle Reels) (MPADAEAF)

Keywords

• Outsourced marketing services
• Social media management
• Content creation services
• Digital marketing agency
• Creative marketing consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cork

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Book and Guide Sales: Narration sells digital guides (Creator Rising: A Playbook for a Meaningful Creative Life) through tiered one-time purchase pricing: a $9 Pocket Guide (PDF), a $19 Full Digital Guide, and a $49 Book + Companion Pack.
2. Marketing Agency Services: The company provides outsourced marketing team services including social media management, content creation, photography, video production, website design, and strategic marketing consulting. These are fee-for-service professional services engagements with clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Narration is a Cork-based marketing agency that operates as an outsourced marketing team for small and mid-sized businesses. It delivers social media management, content creation, photography, video production, website design, and strategic marketing consulting, primarily serving hospitality, author, and local-brand clients. Complementing its agency services, Narration sells a digital guide product line called Creator Rising (A Playbook for a Meaningful Creative Life) directly to individual creators worldwide.

Product overview

Narration offers a unified portfolio combining published intellectual property and professional marketing services. The core publishing products include the 'Creator Rising: A Playbook for a Meaningful Creative Life' sold in three tiers: a $9 Pocket Guide (quick exercises), a $19 Complete Digital Guide, and a $49 Book + Companion Pack. Complementing the published offerings is a full suite of outsourced marketing services encompassing social media management, website design, strategic video content production, book launch support, and hospitality marketing. The company positions itself as an outsourced marketing team that integrates with client businesses to build compelling narratives. Founded in 2018 by Stephen Ryan, the Cork-based agency serves businesses from startups to larger Irish organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Outsourced Marketing Team Services Strategic marketing services acting as an outsourced marketing team that develops and executes comprehensive marketing processes, including social media management, content creation, website design, and brand storytelling for SMB clients in Ireland.
• Social Media Management Ongoing social media management services focusing on consistency, storytelling, and authentic presence for authors, hospitality venues, and local brands, including photoshoots and content planning.
• Website Design Services Custom website design services creating simple, welcoming, and easy-to-navigate digital spaces that reflect client personality and brand identity.
• Strategic Video Content Production Video content creation services for social channels, including strategic video content development and authentic storytelling for hospitality venues and other SMB clients.
• Book Launch Support Comprehensive launch day support including online promotion, event management, and live video coverage for author book launches.
• Hospitality Marketing Services Specialized marketing services for hospitality businesses including social media strategy, content refresh, and digital presence adaptation for changing platform landscapes.
• Creator Rising: A Playbook for a Meaningful Creative Life (Full Digital Guide) A comprehensive digital guide for creators covering strategies, stories, and tools to build a sustainable creative life, including systems for sharing work, habits for inspiration, and methods for growing without losing creative voice. Sold for $19 as the Full Book tier.
• Creator Rising Pocket Guide A bite-sized PDF with 10 quick prompts and exercises derived from the Creator Rising book, priced at $9, designed to help creators get unstuck quickly.
• Creator Rising Book + Companion Pack The complete digital guide bundled with exclusive extras designed to keep creators accountable and inspired, priced at $49.

Quantifiable outcome

• Garryvoe Hotel won Best Instagram for 20 employees or more at the Cork Digital Marketing Awards 2025, attributed to the East Cork series produced by Narration.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Buffer: Social media management and content tool platform for SMBs and creators. Comparable to Narration as an emerging platform adjacent to its social media management service, enabling clients to bring some of that work in-house.
• Hootsuite: Social media management platform providing scheduling, analytics, and content tools to businesses. Comparable to Narration as an adjacent player in the social media management category, though delivered as software rather than agency services.
• Squarespace: DIY website-building platform popular with SMBs, authors, and creators. Comparable to Narration as an emerging player addressing part of the same customer need (websites for SMBs and authors) via self-serve software rather than agency design.

Direct peers

• Core: Irish creative agency with a content, social, and brand storytelling practice serving consumer and corporate clients. Comparable to Narration in offering integrated marketing services with a creative/storytelling emphasis in the Irish market.
• Inhalemedia: Ireland-based content marketing and digital agency producing social, video, and editorial content for brands. Comparable to Narration on the content-led, multi-channel agency model serving Irish SMB and brand clients.
• Wolfgang Digital: Dublin-based digital marketing agency offering SEO, content, paid media, and social strategy to brands. Directly comparable to Narration as an Irish digital/content marketing agency, though operating at a larger scale in the broader Irish market.
• Thinkhouse: Dublin-based independent creative and brand agency serving consumer and lifestyle clients with content, campaigns, and brand storytelling. Comparable to Narration on the storytelling-led, multi-service creative agency model targeting SMB and mid-market brands.
• Ayima: UK- and Sweden-based digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, content, and paid media for brands. Comparable to Narration as a content-and-performance-led digital agency targeting brand clients, though at materially larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Publicis: Global communications group operating creative, media, and digital agencies worldwide. Comparable to Narration as a broad incumbent that delivers overlapping content, social, and brand storytelling through multiple agency brands.
• Ogilvy: Global advertising and marketing network with full-service brand, content, and digital capabilities. Comparable to Narration as a broad incumbent offering overlapping content, social, and brand storytelling services as part of a much larger portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NarrationIE
• Facebookfacebook.com/NarrationIE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/narration
• Instagraminstagram.com/narrationie
• TikToktiktok.com/@narrationie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Narration