When storytelling is overrated

The difference between template and POV-driven storytelling

Startups are nailing the craft of storytelling, but something’s still missing.

Before the holidays, everyone was talking about this WSJ article on the rise of storytelling in tech. The trend is undeniable - our feeds are full of founder origin stories, customer transformation videos, and “why we built this” narratives. The production quality is incredible. The writing is tight. The emotional beats land perfectly.

But a week later, I can’t tell you which company any of them were about.

It’s great to see startups producing beautiful stories. But without a distinctive point-of-view, those stories aren’t memorable.

They’ve got the vehicle, but they’re driving in circles.

Template storytelling vs. POV-driven storytelling

What makes a story stick isn’t the story itself, but the underlying belief that story is illustrating.

A POV is your opinion about how the world works or should work. It’s specific enough that some people might disagree. And it’s the reason you’re telling this particular story in this particular way.

Without that, you get what I call “template storytelling.” Stories where you can swap out the company name and product category, and suddenly it works for anyone:

“Alex was frustrated with existing tools. He knew there had to be a better way. So he built [PRODUCT]. Now his customers are happier.”

I’ve heard that story a hundred times. It doesn’t give me a reason to choose one company over another. It doesn’t tell me what they believe. It doesn’t help me understand why they made different choices than their competitors.

The litmus test

Take your brand story and remove your company name. Could a competitor tell the exact same story with their name instead?

If yes, you’ve got storytelling without a POV. Which might be better than nothing, but it’s not building a brand anyone will remember.

If the story only makes sense coming from you because it reflects a unique belief about your market, that’s when storytelling becomes brand building.

What good looks like

Claude’s “Keep Thinking” positioning is my favorite most recent example.

Their POV: AI should support your thinking, not replace it.

It’s ownable, somewhat contrarian, and right down the center of the zeitgeist.

This POV shows up everywhere. Ads that says “There’s never been a better time to be a problem solver.” Pop-ups in London and NYC designed as places to think. Merch that reinforces people do the thinking (over the machines). Campaign imagery showing AI as a thought partner for people who think deeply.

What’s interesting is that their POV makes their storytelling ownable, in an extremely crowded and lucrative category. More startups could benefit by leading with a POV like Anthropic.

Where to start

f you’re realizing your stories could belong to anyone, go back to what you believe that your competitors don’t.

Start with what you think differently, then figure out what you do differently.

What opinion would cause debate at an industry conference? What assumption in your space do you think is wrong? What trade-off are you willing to make that others aren’t?

Those answers become your POV. And once you have that, you’ll know exactly which stories are worth telling.

Everyone’s learning to tell better stories right now. The craft is getting really good across the board.

The companies with something distinctive to say are the brands that get talked about. It’s an exciting time to lead with a POV.

Best,

Elan

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​About me: I’m Elan Miller, founder at Off-Menu, a POV-driven branding studio for companies changing how the world works. Clients include Scale AI, Rho, Wischoff Ventures & dozens more.