You’re Not the Hero. They Are.

If you’ve been struggling to connect with your audience—if your messaging feels off, your engagement is low, or your conversions are flat—it might not be your product, your price point, or your platform. It might be your story. More specifically, it might be who your story is centered around.

One of the most common missteps in branding is building your narrative around yourself. You highlight your achievements, your journey, your innovations, your success. You paint yourself as the solution, the hero, the star. But here’s the hard truth: your customer doesn’t want to hear your story unless they can see themselves in it. And they won’t—unless you stop trying to be the hero and start being the guide.

Your customer is the one with the challenge. They’re navigating uncertainty, trying to solve a problem, make a decision, or reach a goal. In every buying situation, they are the protagonist of their own story, and they’re looking for help. They’re looking for someone who understands where they are, who can anticipate what’s ahead, and who can offer a reliable, practical way forward. That’s where you come in—but not as the centerpiece. As the catalyst.

Your job is not to impress them. It’s to equip them. To step out of the spotlight and say, “I’ve been there. I understand. Here’s how to move forward.” Like any good guide in any great story, you need to offer insight, not ego. You bring clarity, not complication. You serve as the quiet expert—not the loud hero.

When brands position themselves as the hero, customers disconnect. Why? Because now there’s competition. Now the spotlight is shared—or worse, stolen—and the customer no longer feels like the story is about them. But when you shift the narrative and place the customer at the center, everything changes. They pay attention. They see themselves in your messaging. They trust your role. And most importantly, they move.

Positioning your audience as the hero builds relevance, trust, and long-term loyalty. When you help them win, they remember you—not as the star, but as the reason they succeeded. And that’s what great branding does: it enables transformation, not applause.

So here’s the challenge: take a look at your current messaging. Is it all about you? Or is it truly about your customer? Is your brand story filled with I’s and we’s—or is it centered around their needs, their goals, their journey?

If your brand story doesn’t invite your audience to step in as the hero, you’re missing your greatest opportunity to connect.

Let them lead. Let them win. You? Be the guide.

Because when your brand helps customers succeed, everybody wins.