WHY MEANING BEATS METRICS, EVERY TIME (WRITING SAMPLE)
— Robert McKee
We live in a world drowning in content. Scroll long enough and you’ll find infinite distraction. Shiny pixels. Clickbait. Manufactured outrage. And behind it all: brands gasping for attention, begging for likes, shouting louder just to be heard above the noise.
But here’s the truth:
The world doesn’t need more content.
It needs more meaning.
That’s why story still wins. And always will.
Not because it’s flashy. Or SEO-optimized. Or algorithmically engineered. Story wins because it’s human. Because it’s how we make sense of who we are, what we fear, what we hope for, and what we’re willing to fight for.
Story is what pulls us closer. It’s what turns customers into believers, viewers into communities, brands into identities. It is the oldest technology in the world—and the only one that still works every single time when done well.
I’ve seen the proof. I've seen a fan campaign about a vanished mother go viral. I’ve watched podcast trailers bring listeners to tears before they ever heard an episode. I've turned data platforms into tour guides of possibility. Because the story beneath the surface was there—aching to be told.
We don’t remember mission statements. We remember moments. We remember the feeling of the first scene, the way the voice cracked at the right time, the poster that made us feel seen. That’s story.
And in case you're wondering—yes, it works in business too.
I've pitched to C-suites and sat in edit bays. I’ve built brands from backyards and advised companies with billion-dollar budgets. I’ve led teams through pressure cookers and brainstormed breakthrough ideas over coffee. Every time, the breakthrough didn’t come from another slide deck. It came from the story. When we found the truth people could feel, that’s when everything clicked.
So if you're asking: does story still matter in a world of AI, metrics, funnels, and feed fatigue?
My answer is simple: it matters more than ever.
Because the world is more chaotic than ever. People don’t just want to be sold—they want to be understood. They want to believe. They want to feel again.
And that’s what story does.
It’s not fluff. It’s not filler. It’s not “nice to have.”
It’s the engine.
The brands that win are the ones who tell the truth—and tell it beautifully. Who make us feel seen. Who know that connection isn't a KPI, it's a currency.
So no, I won’t chase trends. I won’t settle for noise. I won’t help brands say more while meaning less.
What I will do is this:
Tell the story. The real one. The one that scares you a little because it’s too honest. The one that makes your team say, “Oh. That’s us.” The one that turns your product into purpose and your platform into something people talk about when they’re not being paid to.
This is why story still wins. Because it’s not a flight from reality—it’s the only thing that makes sense of it.
And I’m here to help you tell it.
— Blake Larsen
