Your brand needs a story. Not because it’s trendy but because it works. Stories packed with emotion get 22 times more retention than plain facts. Three out of four customers actually want brands to tell stories. The problem? Most marketing teams have no idea where to start.
The best brand storytellers didn’t come from marketing. They came from writing rooms, publishing houses, YouTube studios. They spent years figuring out how stories grab attention and won’t let go. Here are nine who can teach you how it’s done.
9 Brand Storytelling Experts to Follow
Donald Miller – StoryBrand Framework Pioneer
Miller sold over a million copies of “Building a StoryBrand” because he figured out something everyone else missed. He released StoryBrand 2.0 in January 2025 with AI tools built in. The real genius move? He flips the script. Your customer is the hero, your brand is the guide. His seven-part framework creates clarity. Companies using it see revenue jump because confused people don’t buy, they bail. His podcast “Why That Worked” tears apart campaigns to show you exactly what clicked and what flopped. The lesson he hammers home: own one message. Try to say ten things, and nobody hears anything. Miller obsesses over that first sentence. Get it right, people keep reading. Mess it up, they’re gone before you finish your intro.
Park Howell – Business of Story Master
Howell spent 35 years in advertising, and 20 running his own agency. His Business of Story podcast ranks in the top 10% globally and got named the #1 Business Storytelling Podcast by FeedSpot. His Story Cycle System has grown brands by 600 percent. He calls his approach “Vibe Branding”, mixing human intuition with AI, guided by proven storytelling structures. His StoryCycle Genie cranks out brand stories fast. What sets him apart? He teaches the ABT framework (And, But, Therefore) a three-act structure your brain craves. His podcast brings on actual marketers from companies you’ve heard of. They don’t pitch theory, they share what worked and what crashed. That honesty is rare.
Joanna Penn – Author and Publishing Expert
Penn built a creative career that actually pays the bills. She’s sold 40+ books across 176 countries. Her Creative Penn platform covers writing, publishing, and the business realities nobody warns you about when you’re starting out. For brand builders, Penn gets visual identity. She’s designed dozens of book covers and knows how colours, fonts, and layouts send completely different messages. Those lessons transfer straight to brand work. Penn doesn’t chase what’s trending. She shows how focusing on what matters to you, serving people who already care, builds something lasting. She’s managed multiple pen names, giving her real experience with diverse brand portfolios.
Jenna Moreci – YouTube Storytelling Sensation
Moreci has 282,000 YouTube subscribers watching her frank takes on the creative process. She skips the romantic version and shows the actual mess. The self-doubt, the decisions, the stuff that hits you at 2 AM. Her “thought dump” technique helps content strategists organize chaos before structure. She hammers home understanding tropes, those recurring elements your audience expects. Knowing tropes isn’t copying. It’s speaking their language fluently. Moreci built her brand by being completely herself. No filter, no copying what worked for others. Her move from self-published author to YouTube star proves that video multiplies your reach when you’ve got substance.
Ann Handley – Content Marketing Visionary
Handley runs content at MarketingProfs and wrote “Everybody Writes.” Her principle: tell true stories well, not just any stories. Her “Rudolph Method” makes customers the heroes instead of your brand. She teaches talking from the audience’s view, not from inside your company bubble. Her focus on specific details shows how precision adds instant value. Generic statements disappear. Specific details stick. What works about her approach? Empathy first. Rich details and human moments invite people in instead of broadcasting at them. Her work proves that words build everything online, making writing essential, not optional.
Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic – Data Storytelling Expert
Knaflic brings data visualization skills to brand storytelling through her “storytelling with data” work. Mix hard numbers with emotional stories, and you get both credibility and connection. What brands need to break through skepticism. Customers research everything before buying. They want proof. But drowning them in stats backfires. She teaches turning numbers into narratives showing human impact, not abstract metrics. Her strength? Simplicity and clarity. She shows bringing data to life instead of overwhelming people. In a world drowning in data, clarity wins every time.
Christoph Trappe – Business Storytelling Practitioner
Trappe hosts The Business Storytelling Podcast. Top 5 globally in storytelling, Top 1.5% overall, with over a million downloads across 100+ countries. He brings real content marketing experience from working with major brands, the kind with budgets, stakeholders, and approval nightmares. He brings on heavy hitters like Joe Pulizzi, Michael Brenner, Seth Godin. The focus? Stuff you can actually do tomorrow, not theory that sounds smart in meetings but dies in execution. Episodes average 22 minutes. Perfect when you need insights fast. His focus on tying storytelling to business results means you’re learning techniques that matter to budget holders, not just creatives.
Jesse Roesler – Brand Storytelling Strategist
Roesler’s an Emmy and James Beard award-winning filmmaker who hosts “Content That Moves.” He explores how brands create content that reveals purpose and meaning. His background in branded entertainment gives him a different lens for cutting through noise. He focuses on brands evolving from advertisers to publishers. Digital saturation demands more innovative approaches. His interviews with branded entertainment leaders reveal actual strategies for inspiring action, not just consumption. Roesler emphasizes purpose-driven content going beyond product pitches. His filmmaking expertise translates traditional techniques into brand content strategies. Deeper connections require actual substance, not just clever marketing.
Kyle Gray – Story Engine Creator
Gray makes marketing easier through storytelling via his Story Engine Podcast. He teaches how stories become serious marketing tools when crafted right, mixing practical marketing with transformative storytelling principles. He interviews successful entrepreneurs and changemakers exploring effective story sharing. His coverage of content, copywriting, and speaking shows storytelling’s flexibility across formats. Gray provides techniques you can use immediately to improve brand communication. His fresh takes on narrative help brands stand out without needing huge budgets or teams.
Resources for Deepening Your Storytelling Skills
Want more creative writing experts boosting your brand storytelling? Check out Feedspot’s directories. The Top Branding Blogs in the US showcase different perspectives on narrative-driven marketing. Creative Writing YouTube Channels offer visual learning. Both Creative Writing Podcasts and Business Storytelling Podcasts provide audio learning for commutes. These collections feature hundreds of experts sharing knowledge across formats. You’ll find teaching styles and perspectives matching your learning preferences. The variety ensures discovering fresh approaches to storytelling challenges.
Your Storytelling Journey Begins Now
Every human knows how to tell stories. We’ve been doing it around fires for thousands of years. Turning that instinct into strategic brand storytelling takes guidance and inspiration. The nine experts here offer different paths to mastery. Each expert gives you unique tools. Their combined knowledge covers every piece of brand narrative, from big-picture strategy to daily execution. Great brand storytelling isn’t about perfection, it’s about connection.
Start where you are, learn from these pros, let your real voice come through. Every expert here started as a learner committed to the craft. Your storytelling journey transforms with each story you tell and each lesson you apply. Brands winning in 2025 know storytelling isn’t optional, it’s essential for surviving the attention economy. Investing time learning from creative writing experts positions your brand for real connections and sustainable growth. Explore these resources, experiment with different techniques, discover your unique brand narrative voice.