Storytelling beats every system you’ve built

Good news: your reader doesn’t need a movie.

Author

Stephen Stanberry
October 16th, 2025

In partnership with

OK friend!

Over the last few years, I’ve seen every “content strategy” under the sun.

The 90-day planner.
The 12-step funnel.
The Notion templates that promise clarity and cashflow.

And you know what?

Most of it’s noise.

Because here’s what nobody tells you:
Strategy dies fast when your story has no heart.

I learned that the messy way.

When I got fired back in 2022, I built the perfect comeback plan.
Funnels. Frameworks. Content schedules.
It looked impressive.
But it felt… hollow.

Then one night, I wrote a story about sitting in my sofa,
staring at my laptop wondering wtf just happened and,
how I’d explain it to my wife.

No hacks. No call to action.
Just truth.

That story brought more leads than three months of “optimized” content.

And that’s when it clicked
people don’t want your plan.
They want your pulse.

Now, I know what you’re thinking:

“I’m not emotional.”
Cool. You’re not meant to perform.
You’re meant to be real.
If you’ve ever been angry, proud, or afraid you’ve got emotion to work with.

“I don’t have stories.”
You do.
They’re just hiding in your day-to-day life.
Your screw-ups, your first wins, your late-night doubts.
Start there.

“I’m not visual.”
You don’t need to be Spielberg.
You just need one vivid moment:
“I stared at the cursor for 10 minutes, afraid to start.”
That’s visual enough.

So here’s your move for today 👇

Prompt:

“I used to believe __________, until __________ proved me wrong.”

Example:

“I used to believe strategy built trust,
until one story built my audience.”

Write your version. Post it.
Tag me if you’re brave.

Because systems are built on logic.
But stories?
They build loyalty.

Till tomorrow,
Story Before System
Stephen

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