In an industry where attention is fleeting and differentiation is everything, compelling storytelling is a strategic advantage. Yet many Web3 founders struggle to communicate what they do, why it matters, and who it’s for.
This founder’s guide breaks down core storytelling principles into actionable tools for startup teams building in Web3, whether you’re still searching for product-market fit or scaling into new markets.
Long before I began working in tech, I studied fiction writing and completed my MA in Creative Writing at University College Dublin. I have also written a novel, countless stories, as well as edited and published fiction. There is a lot of overlap between the world of writing and marketing (hello lore), so I decided to put together this guide that allows anyone to leverage basic principles of storytelling to create a compelling brand narrative.
Tl;dr
A good story must be impactful and interesting, pulling the audience in and wanting more.
How do you accomplish this? There are two pillars of storytelling that you need to know about:
- Framing
- Hooks
Let’s dive in.
Framing: Who’s the Hero?
Framing is the point of view (POV) you adopt when telling your story. It determines whose journey we’re following, and who your audience identifies with.
Ask yourself:
- Who is the narrator?
- Who is the audience?
- Who is the hero? The guide? The enemy?
A strong brand narrative positions your audience as the hero, not your company. Your product or team plays the role of the guide, helping them overcome obstacles or unlock transformation.
As we look at four common approaches to framing, I want you to ask yourself two questions: Which one of these strategies most resembles what I’m doing right now?; and, which one of these strategies is the most optimal to tell my company’s story?
Let’s start:
V.1 – Company as Hero
The narrative centers your company and its achievements. The audience is a passive observer. This often feels self-congratulatory and fails to create an emotional connection.
V.2 – Audience as Hero (Early Stage)
Ideal for startups still defining their niche. Focus narrowly on a specific user persona and their core problem. Your message should speak directly to them, making it clear how your product enables their success.
V.3 – Audience as Hero (Expansion Stage)
As you grow beyond your initial niche, your story must address multiple user personas. Each should feel like the protagonist. This requires sophistication in messaging to ensure clarity across segments.
V.4 – Misaligned or Ideologically Driven Framing
For this last one, let’s take a bit more time to unpack why it’s so problematic…because it’s more common than it should be.
This often stems from founders leading with personal beliefs rather than audience insight. For example, imagine a gamified trading app where the founder’s narrative is framed around opposing political extremism. While well-intentioned, the messaging can alienate users who simply want an intuitive way to learn trading. The misalignment between product, user, and narrative causes friction.
This kind of framing tends to emerge when companies assume shared political or ideological alignment with their audience. It’s often a shortcut: instead of doing market research, teams project their own values onto the customer base. But your users are not a monolith, and their needs are usually practical, not philosophical. This problem isn’t limited to small teams either. We’ve seen major brands in both entertainment (e.g. Disney’s recent content controversies) and Web3 (like the backlash to a Solana campaign) fall into this trap. Why does this keep happening? Two reasons: Ideological capture on either side of the spectrum + laziness to do rigorous audience research.
We’re not saying values don’t matter. But aligning on values should come after understanding your users. If your audience values freedom of expression, your brand can tap into the emotion of that value without politicizing it or reducing it to a slogan. Emphasizing emotional resonance over partisan imagery is key.
In short, declaring an enemy that has nothing to do with your product, audience, or mission is a fast track to irrelevance. But, more importantly, your framing should evolve with your company’s growth, and the key takeaway here is simple: your audience is the hero. You are their guide.
Hooks: Why Should Anyone Care?
Hooks are the narrative devices that grab attention and build emotional momentum. You only have seconds to draw people in…especially in competitive, noisy markets like Web3.
Before we dive into how to craft one, let’s zoom out.
There are really only two types of stories in existence (seriously, try to find one that doesn’t fit into these categories):
- The Hero Goes on a Journey
- A Stranger Comes to Town
These archetypes show up everywhere — from mythology to product launches. In the first, the protagonist leaves their familiar world to grow and transform (think: your user adopting your product). In the second, something unfamiliar arrives and shakes up the status quo (think: your product entering the market).
But how do you actually tell these stories in a way that grabs attention? That’s where hooks come in.
Create the Hook to Grab Attention Instantly
A hook creates curiosity, tension, or surprise. It pulls people in (ideally within seconds) because it makes them feel something. But How?
- Start with an intriguing question that people are likely to disagree with → “Hey, did you know that apples are bad for you?”
- Establish authority with a partial answer that everyone knows to be true → “The acid from apples erodes your teeth enamel.”
- Add value by providing a solution to the problem → “But now, with our special acid protection toothpaste, there is no need to worry. You can keep the doctor away and eat apples any day.”
Here are a few reliable structures:
- Contradiction: “The best way to grow? Shrink.”
- Intriguing Question: “Are tokens killing your community?”
- Partial Information: Make a bold claim, then delay the resolution.
- Mini-story: Start in the middle of the action. Let the reader catch up.
- Surprising Statistic: Lead with a counterintuitive data point.
This applies to all stories. Yes, you can write a novel based on this. You can map out any novel/story based on its hook structure. The one above is an example that I’ve heard in my head for years, and it’s based on the work of a famous novelist. It’s simple and elegant and it ensures that the audience doesn’t lose interest at any point in time.
Here is another variant just for fun:
Do you understand the difference? V.2 would be what you could consider a “cliffhanger.” There is a mystery that’s introduced quite early on that only resolves at the very end. Whereas in V.1 you rely more on your own narrative skills in weaving in points of interest. Many stories that use a V.2 type structure run the risk of forgetting about the hooks all together and meandering the story because they rely on a final reveal. Meanwhile, V.1 doesn’t do that as it relies on the power of the entire story rather than one giant mystery or plot twist at the end.
We suggest focusing on V.1 when creating a hook structure for the story you’re trying to tell. It also makes more sense in the context of marketing and creating corporate narratives.
You can use hooks anywhere: landing pages, pitch decks, social content, or onboarding flows. They’re the gateway into your narrative, and the glue that holds attention once someone steps through.
Crafting Your Core Narrative
Now that we’ve covered framing and hooks, you’re probably asking yourself: how do I apply all of this?
At a minimum, your company should articulate four foundational stories:
- Origin Story → How did this project come about?
- Personal Story → Why are you doing this?
- Group Story → How is this bigger than you?
- Story of Now → How can your audience (or community) get involved today?
Each story should reinforce your brand’s mission, values, and user focus. To showcase what one might look like, let’s apply everything so far to a real example and write an origin story while layering hooks in it:
Do you realize that tech giants have the power to collapse an entire industry in just one day? (hook 1) Back in 2016, I worked for an entertainment publisher. We used our platform to push content via Facebook influencers. At that time, Facebook changed one line in their privacy policy and the entire business model collapsed (hook 1 continued)
That’s your opening hook: immediate stakes and surprise. But here’s how it builds:
However, months before that change, I had led internal research that warned this was coming. We pivoted the business just in time, but the experience left a mark. It showed me how fragile centralized platforms really are. (hook 2).
Here, we deepen the intrigue: what exactly happened as a result of that policy change? And what pivot did the team make in response?
That change? It was a policy update in 2016 where Facebook made it clear in their privacy guidelines that influencer accounts on Facebook can’t share anything that they haven’t created themselves—otherwise their accounts would be banned. (hook 1 resolved) In one day, platforms like BuzzFeed and Diply went from household names to footnotes. Even well-established traditional media publishers suffered, cut off from previously legitimate content distribution channels.
My co-founder and I had gotten out of the game months before then. We launched a brand new company aimed at giving community more control and ownership over the platform and its content. This was the beginning of our journey in the Web3 industry – or “crypto,” as it was only known back then. (hook 3) I would have never thought that being obsessed with ad performance tracking and optimization would have catapulted us onto this path. (hook 2 resolved)
This example layers multiple hooks: an industry-shaking event, personal foresight, and a pivot that leads to mission clarity. By combining personal experience with a broader lesson, the story becomes more than a biography…it becomes a reason to believe.
Storytelling Across Mediums
When working on a story, you need to consider not only the message, but also the medium. Writing it down is the first step, but most brand narratives today aren’t consumed on a blog or a pitch deck. They’re experienced across formats: tweets, videos, podcasts, Discord announcements, and even in-game lore.
Every medium needs a version of your story. A play needs a script. A movie needs a screenplay. A game needs a backstory. So ask yourself: why hasn’t your brand written the stories it needs to tell?
Distribution matters. You can, and should, share these stories across social media, community channels, articles and blogs, podcast appearances, PR and interviews, and more.
But if you haven’t written them down, chances are you don’t really know what your hooks are — or the order they should appear in. So, get to work.
Note: The bonus breakdown below is essentially a deeper dive into the hook strategies you’ve just learned—applied across different story moments. If everything above already clicked for you, skip ahead and go write your story. Consider yourself learned.
Storytelling Structure: A Practical Framework
For those who need a simple template to start applying this, here’s a breakdown of how stories typically flow across formats.
The Setup – Establish the Stakes
Why? Your audience needs a reason to care.
How?
- Define the problem, conflict, or question your narrative will explore.
- Introduce a relatable character or situation (even if it’s an abstract concept).
- Show why this matters NOW (urgency).
The Journey – Create Momentum with Conflict & Discovery
Why? Create conflict, share obstacles, and establish tension to keep people engaged.
How?
- Introduce obstacles, challenges, or surprises.
- Build curiosity → Pose an unanswered question and tease the answer.
- Reveal unexpected twists to keep engagement high.
The Climax – Deliver the Big Moment
Why? Drive towards a goal where everything pays off.
How?
- Answer the core question you introduced earlier.
- Deliver the most emotional, insightful, or shocking moment.
- Use a visual, quote, or moment of realization that leaves an impact.
The Resolution – Leave a Lasting Impression
Why? The ending is what sticks with people.
How?
- Leave the audience with a key insight, takeaway, or call to action.
- Use a circular ending → Connect back to the hook in a satisfying way.
- End on a thought-provoking note → “What will YOU do now?”
Bonus Techniques to Keep Engagement High
- Pattern Interrupts – Break monotony with shifts in tone, visuals, or pacing.
- Emotion-Driven Moments – Make the audience feel something (fear, excitement, hope).
- Contrast & Suspense – Set up expectations, then flip them.
Let’s Write Your Story. Together.
Your brand already tells a story, whether you realize it or not. Writing it down helps you shape that narrative intentionally. Once you know your framing and your hooks, you can apply them across everything you do: websites, social posts, decks, interviews, podcasts, and more.
If you’re building in Web3, narrative clarity isn’t a luxury, it’s leverage.
And, if you’re ready to write your story and share it with the world, the Post Web Accelerator is open for applications. We’re looking for bold founders building what’s next in AI, Web3, and the open internet. Whether you’re shaping a new protocol or rethinking how the internet should work, we want to hear from you.
The post Build Your Web3 Marketing Narrative Like a Pro appeared first on Outlier Ventures.
