Gather Studio
Scored across 6 Plainspoken Blueprint lenses. Each lens rated 0–10. Targeted fixes to the weaker lenses will have the biggest impact.
Plainspoken Blueprint Audit
Click any lens to expand findings.
Highest-Leverage Change
StoryBrand's hero is genuinely strong — Donald Miller front and center, clear headline, real book credential. The audit isn't about the homepage. It's about what the nav reveals: five product names that mean nothing to a first-time visitor. The framework teaches plain language. Apply it to the navigation.
Opening Line for the Video Audit
“StoryBrand teaches businesses to clarify their message. Their homepage headline is strong. Donald Miller's face is right there. But I want to show you what happens the moment you look at their navigation — because that's where the framework breaks down on their own site.”
What We Found
The actual headline is 'STORYBRAND YOUR BUSINESS. CLARIFY YOUR MESSAGE SO CUSTOMERS ENGAGE.' — bold, all-caps, clear. This is genuinely strong. The only weakness: 'customers engage' is softer than what the framework actually delivers. Engagement is a vanity metric. Revenue is what small business owners want.
The sub-headline says: 'If you've come to this site, you're likely struggling to clarify your brand or product message. You're not alone and you're not crazy. It's hard, but we can help.' This names the problem and the emotion — struggling, confused, not crazy. That's good StoryBrand.
The navigation has 6 items: Hire a StoryBrand Marketer, Messaging Intervention, Become a Guide, On-Demand Course, In-Person Training, and a CTA button. A first-time visitor who doesn't know what a 'Messaging Intervention' is faces 6 choices before they've made one. The nav reveals a product sprawl problem the hero hides.
Two CTAs in the hero: 'Clarify Your Message' (red, primary) and 'Free SoundBite Examples' (secondary). The primary is clear. 'Free SoundBite Examples' is jargon — a SoundBite is a framework term, not a phrase a small business owner recognizes without context.
Donald Miller's face appears prominently in the hero alongside his book 'StoryBrand 2.0.' This is exactly right. A personal brand built on a specific person should lead with that person. The photo is large, real, and directly tied to the book credential.
Full Marketing Audit
storybrand.com — strong hero, nav has product-sprawl problem; SEO dominant
Building a StoryBrand — top 10 business podcast, consistent release
@StoryBrand — educational content, strong subscriber base
@donaldmiller personal brand is stronger than @storybrand company account
Strong active list; email is the primary nurture channel for course sales
Matt Headley · Gather Studio
Ready to fix what this audit found?
These changes are targeted moves that put your best proof front and center. Gather Studio does exactly this kind of work.
Gather Studio by Matt Headley · Alabama