Your Audience Doesn’t Care About Your Brand (And That’s Okay)

Most businesses think their audience is deeply invested in their brand story. But here's the reality: they're not. Your audience cares about solving their problems — not your founding story, mission statement, or the elaborate metaphor behind your rebrand. And that's okay.

Ronald Barba is the Brand Studio Lead at The Chronicle of Higher Education and former Google Managing Insights Editor, among other credits. Ronald and I worked together at a content marketing agency a few years back, and currently collaborate on articles like this one for The Chronicle’s Brand Studio. And as expected, he has opinions about brand storytelling.

"When it comes to B2B SaaS, it's like, you're all the same," Ronald says, bluntly. "I don't care about how much funding you've raised — I care about how a new feature will improve my workflow."

The myth of the “beloved brand”

Sure, there are the Apples and Patagonias of the world that have achieved cult-brand status. But here's what we forget: These companies didn't start with brand worship — they earned it by solving real problems exceptionally well.

But oftentimes, companies forget that content is intended for a human reader, one who doesn’t necessarily care about your brand story.

"There's so much internal rapport around a brand narrative that they completely miss the boat on what the reader actually cares about," Ronald explains. "The mistake brands make is treating the audience as an afterthought instead of a stakeholder in the process."

How to turn brand content into reader-focused content

The solution isn't to abandon your brand story entirely — it's to reframe it through the lens of your reader's needs. "Being proactive instead of reactive means asking: 'Where is our audience right now?' before shaping a narrative," says Ronald.

Instead of focusing on how your brand is perceived, focus on how your content solves. 

Here's how:

1. Start with your reader’s reality

Your audience cares about:

• Getting their work done faster
• Looking good in front of their boss
• Solving that problem that's been driving them crazy
• Finding ways to make their job easier
• Learning something new that they can use today

2. Prioritize UX in your content

Good content should feel intuitive and easy to engage with. It's not about telling people how great your product is; it's about showing them how it fits into their workflow.

Here's how to make your content more user-friendly:

• Break complex ideas into digestible chunks (like I'm doing right now)
• Use BLUF (bottom line up front) and the inverted pyramid structure to put the most important details near the top of the page
• Use clear headings that actually tell you what's in each section
• Include examples that readers can relate to
• Add visual breaks to prevent wall-of-text syndrome

3. Choose authenticity over authority

Thought leadership pieces often feel like they're written from a mountaintop, projecting authority while saying very little. 

"You are operating within a bubble where the exposure to other thought leaders in your space is a very small subset of the population," Ronald explains. "What ends up happening is you're comparing your ideas against this small subset of people... thinking, 'oh, well, my idea is brilliant.' But realistically, if you were to take your idea outside of that bubble, your idea is unoriginal."

This bubble mentality leads to an overreliance on rhetoric and authoritative tone — as if sounding important will make the ideas more valuable. But readers can sense when you're putting on a performance. As Ronald notes, "There's a lack of authenticity, and when it does happen, it feels forced and feels of a public persona that a person has created rather than something that is reflective of who they are."

The truth is, your valuable perspective doesn't come from having never-before-seen ideas — it comes from your unique experiences implementing those ideas. As Ronald explains, "Thought and thinking is inherent to human beings... And core to being a human being is experiencing life outside of the professional world."

Instead of trying to sound authoritative, share your authentic experiences:

• Tell stories about what worked (and what spectacularly failed)
• Include the messy context around your decisions
• Share the actual challenges you faced during implementation
• Show your thought process, not just your conclusions

"If your experiences aren't reflected in your writing, then that takes away a huge aspect of what thought leadership is," Ronald emphasizes. "It is taking away that thinking human being out of the process.”

4. Give readers a reason to care

When someone reads your content, the first question on their mind is: “What’s in it for me?” If you can’t answer that, you’ve already lost them.

Your content isn’t just about presenting ideas; it’s about inspiring action. To do that, every piece should address:

• What specific problem does this solve?
• How can someone implement this today?
• What’s the first step they should take?
• What results can they expect?

Practical advice is the key. Don’t just tell readers what’s possible — show them how to do it:

1. Identify the problem. Use language that resonates with the challenges your audience faces. (❌ "Customer support needs better organization" ✅ "Your support team switches between Slack, email, and Zendesk 50+ times per day to answer customer questions")
2. Explain the solution. Make it easy to understand, with steps and images they can follow immediately.
3. Inspire confidence. Share realistic results or relatable success stories that make action feel achievable.

Remember: In B2B SaaS, your readers are likely evaluating multiple solutions. The more specific and actionable your content, the easier you make their decision.

5. Reframe your storytelling

You might be thinking, “Isn’t storytelling important?” Yes — but it’s the reader’s story that matters, not yours. Storytelling in content marketing should put the reader in the driver’s seat.

Instead of talking about your company's humble beginnings, talk about (with examples by me!):

Common challenges your readers face (and how to overcome them)

Example: 5 Common Pitfalls When Hiring International Employees — and Tips on How to Avoid Them 

Success stories from users (focused on their achievements, not your product)

Example: How Clayco Is Making “Zero Punchlists” a Reality with Autodesk 

Lessons learned from experience (successes and failures, not humble brags)

Example: How to start an ERG: What we learned by doing it and what HR folks need to know 

Industry trends that affect your readers' lives and work

Example: Top 10 HR trends to watch in 2025 | Oyster® (Okay, I didn’t write this one – I just like this company’s content)

How to push back on brand-heavy content (without losing your client)

Here's a scenario every content marketer knows too well: A client comes to you with their "completely unique" brand story, a fully outlined campaign, and specific messaging they want to push. The only problem? None of it considers what their readers actually need.

"What ends up happening is they present you with something and you can't really say anything back," Ronald explains. "They're screwing you up from the very beginning because they are putting you in a box, and there's very little room for modification."

But pushing back doesn't have to mean pushing clients away. /Here's how to handle different scenarios:

With new clients: Lead with suggestions

"If it is a new client, pushback can be tricky," Ronald notes. "They've never worked with you before. They don't know your level of authority in the space."

Instead of direct pushback, try this approach:

• Start with "I think this is a really good idea, but..."
• Reference previous performance data
• Frame changes as suggestions rather than criticisms
• Accept that you might not win every battle immediately

"You want to show them that you're easy to work with and that you're working with them as a collaborator, as a partner," Ronald advises. "You're not really enforcing anything on them."

With established clients: Leverage trust

"With repeat clients or partners it's a lot easier," says Ronald, "Because you have established that trust and rapport. It's easier to convince them that 'hey, I don't think the angle we have is right here based on what's going on in the space.'"

When you have a track record:

• Be more direct about what isn't working
• Use data from previous collaborations
• Reference past successes from taking your advice
• Frame pushback in terms of shared goals

With big-budget projects: Focus on ROI

"If a company is investing heavily in a content project, they're more likely to listen to pushback because they have more at stake," Ronald observes.

For larger investments:

• Emphasize the connection between content approach and results
• Share specific metrics that matter to stakeholders
• Present case studies of similar successful pivots
• Frame changes in terms of protecting their investment

The Key: Start the conversation earlier

"A lot of times brands will come to you with a fully fleshed out idea," Ronald notes. "Then it's merely an afterthought to ask about, 'well, do you think this makes sense for a reader?' But by then it's too late."

Instead of waiting for a finished brief:

• Ask about audience needs in initial discussions
• Request access to performance data early
• Suggest audience research before content planning
• Build reader consideration into your process from the start

Your job isn't just to write content — it's to help clients create content that works. Sometimes, that means having uncomfortable conversations about putting readers before brand stories.

It’s not about you (and that’s okay!)

Your audience doesn’t care about your cofounder’s story. They care about how you can make their lives easier. 

It’s not about telling your story. It’s about helping your audience tell theirs.

Remember: Your brand isn't your story — it's the difference you make in your users' lives. Focus on that, and the rest will follow.