What Is Backstory and How It Can Help Your Brand ?

A backstory is most often refers to the story of a book or film character that impacted their personality. It is something that took place in the past but has a major influence on what is happening in the present. Although it is a term from narrative studies, it has an important meaning for brands and marketing.
Backstory writing for business means creating a brand identity, a compelling narrative that tells customers what makes the company unique. It also helps to distinguish the business from competitors and introduce the core values and message.

Why Writing a Backstory is Important for a Brand?
First of all, stories are the most traditional way of sharing information. People have been telling stories from the dawn of day. No wonder that our brain is wired to memorize them much more effectively and feel more engaged. It is obvious now that storytelling is the future of marketing as it has immense prospects.
Here are several reasons why many businesses choose backstory writing services to gain a new level of success:
It is direct communication between a brand and its customers.
It is often to be found on the “About Us” page. But the most well-known brand have their stories memorized by people. Just think about Microsoft or Apple – you probably heard how it has started for them. You might even recollect the imagery of starting a business in a garage just to bring innovation. When you write your brand’s backstory, you create a dialogue with the audience that can relate, be inspired, or feel compelled by it.
It makes your brand stand out
A unique experience that led your company here is what makes your products or services more valuable and authentic. There are lots of sportswear companies, but a backstory is what makes Nike stand out. The same principle applies to any industry. There are probably many competitors to your brand that also offer high-quality products. But what they cannot offer for customers is to be a part of your story.
It highlights the mission
Backstory writing for business also helps to share the core mission of your company. No great brand started with a desire to simply earn money. It has always been about solving a problem and seeing the world from an authentic perspective. A backstory shows how it started and why this mission matters.
It builds a connection with the audience
People can buy things or services anywhere. But they come to the same brands because they trust their quality and share their values. It is always better to form a community connected with the same goal. A backstory writing service is what you need to build more trust with customers.
It humanizes the company
Backstory writing creates a more authentic and human image of the brand. It is no more a unanimous manufacturer or production. It is a business built by innovative and creative people. It can even be associated with one person, like Colonel Sanders and KFC.
Hiring a backstory writing service is an investment in the future marketing strategy and brand image that can bring huge benefits to a company.

What Makes a Great Backstory?
The first thing to remember – backstory doesn’t mean describing all events that happened before this moment. Let’s take literature as an example. If an author was to write all events related to a character before the present moment, it would be an incredibly long and boring book. What difference does it make whether the character likes cereal or once was late to school?
A truly compelling backstory tells only what is important today. It is something crucial, like an idea that became a product or a life-turning event that made you realize you want to start a company. It should be short, straight to the point like a press release, and appealing to emotion like a good novel.
Key elements of writing a backstory for a brand are:
- Meaningfulness. Why is it meaningful for you and your customers? It should be interesting to the target audience.
- Personal appeal. It should be both personal to you and readers. Why is it relevant for them? Maybe they also felt the same or had the same problem? Is it inspiring? Does it have a future perspective on making a positive difference?
- Emotion. A backstory writing service will make the narrative emotional so people can emphasize it. It has to trigger some emotional response. Maybe you produce air conditioners, but in reality, you make people’s life more comfortable and easy. You give them fresh air to breathe freely.
- Originality. Backstory writing is all about being authentic and original. There is no need to invent anything. The history of any business or entrepreneur has a lot of exciting turns and events. Just recollect the most significant ones.
- Simplicity. Backstory writing for business should not be overloaded with statistics, graphs, or unnecessary facts or characters. All the fluff just takes attention away from the core message. Simplicity is the basis of elegant narration.
And backstory writing service is helpful not only for huge companies. It can help individuals that want to build a personal brand, for example. Bloggers and influencers also need to establish a closer connection to their audience.
One can also order a backstory of a friendship or family for personal purposes – to share it with kids and grandkids, present as a gift, or have a perfect presentation of favorite memories.
How to Write a Backstory for a Brand?
Backstory writing is not as easy as it might seem to some. It takes a lot of writing and analytical skills. It is not enough to know the story. One needs to define the key elements and create something interesting.
That’s why it is always better to hire a backstory writing service for perfect results. The same way you’d go to a travel writing service in need of high-quality content. But if you want to try writing a backstory, here are several steps to take.
- Talk to the founder. Out recollect the event if you are the founder. Try to approach it like a journalist and ask important questions. What inspired the business? What job have you had before? Why did you choose this industry? What was your first milestone? What did you learn from your mistakes? What do you want to do in the future?
- Highlight the events and conclusions that align with the core message and values of the brand. For example, you decided to create packaging for people with arthritis because you witnessed your granny struggle with simple tasks. Think about your mission beyond sales and profit. What inspired you to strive for positive changes in the world with your work?
- Write a backstory with the brand’s tone and voice. Try to be clear but also expressive. Be truthful about feelings and experiences. No business was built only on successes. It is ok to share fails if you’ve learned from it, and it impacted the company today.
- Reread and rewrite the story. Ask several people to review it and learn from feedback. Remember to focus on who you are, what you do, why you do it, and how you do it. Backstory should not feel like an end but rather like the beginning of something new.
In Summary
The backstory is an essential element of a brand image and marketing strategy. It helps to differentiate from the competition and to give the audience feeling of shared values and experiences. Backstory highlight the core message of a company. With excellent narration, customers do not buy just products, and they buy a part of this story.

Vitalii Anufriiev
Vitalii Anufriiev is a co-founder and marketing professional at WritingMetier. His areas of interest include digital marketing, brand strategy, and the use of social media for business growth.
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