A year ago, I wrote about my experience as a Storybrand Certified Guide, sharing the pros and cons of a program I’d been part of for several years. SB certification had been an essential part of my business for three years by then, particularly thanks to the incredible community of guides that made the investment worthwhile.

Only four months later (in July 2024), we started hearing all kinds of announcements; rather than ripping off the band-aid, announcements were made over the course of six months – most to come into action in January 2025. The Storybrand Guide Certification program as I knew it (a multi-day livestream training with small-group coaching aimed at training marketers to implement the framework for clients) was retired at the end of 2024; in its place, Storybrand introduced a new Storybrand AI, Storybrand Coach certification, a new book (Storybrand 2.0), and the community moved from Slack to Circle.

To be clear: I still firmly believe in the Storybrand framework. It works brilliantly, and story-based marketing continues to deliver outstanding results for my clients. What’s changed is how Storybrand certifies professionals to work with the framework.

If you’re looking to get certified in the Storybrand methodology in 2025, this article aims to share what I know about what’s changed – but keep in mind that as some elements haven’t been released yet, it’s not possible to give a full picture yet

The shift from Guide Certification to CoachBuilder

The most significant change is this: Storybrand has moved away from training marketers to implement the framework for clients, instead focusing on certifying coaches who can help clients get better results from Storybrand AI.

You read that right: with the launch of Storybrand 2.0 (the updated version of the book) in January 2025, Don Miller’s primary call-to-action is no longer to “hire a guide” but rather to implement the framework yourself using Storybrand’s AI tool, with the option to “hire a coach” for support. In case you didn’t read it, this is my honest take on the Storybrand AI tool.

The entire Storybrand certification structure is now under the CoachBuilder umbrella. When someone signs up for CoachBuilder, they get access to a whole lot of coaching resources (tools to grow your business as a coach) plus a series of add-on certifications. The new Storybrand Coach certification is expected to launch at the end of April 2025, with a pilot group having gone through the process in February. So I can’t give you a detailed breakdown of the training experience itself—that will need to wait for a future update.

The community transition: from Slack to Circle

One of the most valuable aspects of being a Storybrand Guide (which I emphasised in my previous article) was the vibrant community. The Slack workspace was a buzzing hub of activity: guides sharing work for feedback, asking questions and getting feedback, sharing their processes and work documents, offering support, and generally creating a genuine sense of camaraderie.

Late 2024, Storybrand migrated the community from Slack to Circle. And while Circle is great for community building, Slack is just more efficient for business and learning. In Slack, you have a clear overview of all new posts in each channel (that you’re interested in) right away; Circle gives you a “feed” to scroll through until you find a post that interests you. Slack made it easier to save messages for later, react with emojis instead of replying to each post, follow threads you’re interested in, and so on.

Many guides who were active on Slack either haven’t made the leap to Circle (yet?) or are participating much less. The feed on Circle now resembles my LinkedIn feed; posts often tend to be crafted and polished rather than spontaneous requests or random insights. Where we once saw dozens of new threads daily on Slack, the Circle community has just one or two.

The peer feedback and quality of support from the community haven’t necessarily declined; when people ask for help, they still receive valuable input… but far fewer people are asking. The genuine community that was once a cornerstone of the Guide experience has noticeably dwindled.

Main differences between SB Guide Certification and SB Coach Certification

If you’re looking to get certified in Storybrand, it’s important to know that the Storybrand Guide certification I described in my previous article no longer exists “as is”. Instead, there’s a new Storybrand Coach certification. Here are the main differences:

Storybrand Guide Certification:

• Trained marketers (copywriters, website builders, messaging strategists) to implement the framework for clients
• Intensive hands-on training with the framework to practice implementing across various marketing collateral
• Supported by an active community of fellow marketers who were keen to collaborate (e.g. copywriters collaborating with designers and web developers) and refer to other guides
• Last group of Storybrand guides trained in December 2024

Storybrand Coach Certification:

• Trains coaches to help clients use Storybrand.AI
• Less emphasis on hands-on marketing implementation skills
• Aimed at experienced marketers who want to focus more on coaching people through the framework
• Not much known about the actual certification training yet – launch is announced for end of April 2025

I believe both systems have both pros and cons; while I didn’t love that anyone with zero marketing experience could just call themselves a “Storybrand Certified Guide” after just a few days of training, I applaud how the Storybrand Coach Certification page clearly states it’s for marketers with at least two years of experience. For those sufficiently familiar with marketing work, the training + group coaching + basic community support afterwards might just be enough to get a good grasp of the framework and how to apply it.

Updated cost structure under CoachBuilder

The financial commitment for Storybrand certification has always been significant, but the new structure works a bit differently:

When you sign up for CoachBuilder, you pay 12,000 USD to join ($999/month for 12 months); this includes access to coaching resources plus one certification of your choice. (It might even been 10k if you pay in full at the start of your year, tbc).

Once you signed up for CoachBuilder + a first certification, you can add additional certifications for 2,500 USD each. To maintain these certifications, they need to stay in CoachBuilder at 5,000 USD per year (total, so you don’t pay yearly for each separate certification).

In other words, it feels like coaches actually get more HQ-generated resources for their money (whereas Guides, in the past, would mostly learn from each other).

The model is designed to support a coaching business rather than a marketing implementation business; it allows coaches to access basic resources to grow their business, as well as a growing variety of certifications that they can use to better support their clients in specific areas. Whether this represents better value depends entirely on your business goals and how you plan to use the certification.

What’s happening with existing Storybrand Guides?

Many Storybrand Certified Guides have left the program since Storybrand started announcing the changes in July 2024. Since most certifications renew annually, we won’t know the full exodus numbers until mid-2025 (and I doubt that those numbers will actually be made public), but the trend is clear.

Those departing tend to be veteran guides with specific expertise – copywriters, designers, and other implementation specialists who often relied on collaborations and referrals from within the active community for an ROI on their certification. Others used the active community for masterminding, getting expert input and feedback, learning, and more. Some leaving also stated doing so because the company’s new direction no longer reflect their personal values.

Guides who are staying seem to fall into two categories:

1. Those who get enough direct benefits from their certification to justify the cost, regardless of the community
2. Those who already offer coaching or see it as a natural evolution of their business

Interestingly, newer guides (certified in 2024) seem to feel less impact from these changes; having never fully experienced the community benefits, many don’t feel they’re missing anything.

Alternative ways to learn Storybrand implementation

One important change that I didn’t mention before, is that the recent changes will allow both Guides and Coaches to run Storybrand workshops and trainings. This means that if you’re interested in getting training as a marketer to apply the Storybrand framework, there might be new possibilities popping up all over the world, as Guides could become able to train others in the framework.

Where before you either had to travel to Nashville, or attend the 2-day livestream that only broadcasted five times a year (or book a private workshop through a certified agency), people might soon get access to training in different parts of the world, throughout the year, and potentially in a more customised way. This could be a great opportunity for those who want to learn the implementation side of Storybrand but don’t feel the need for a full certification.

And while it’s true that anyone can now say they “apply the Storybrand framework” simply by using the Storybrand.ai tool, doing it properly does require in-depth training (as I learned myself when I got certified after trying to apply it for over a year already).

I’ll be keeping an eye on these developments and will share more information as it becomes available. (don’t hesitate to email me or book a call to get the latest!)

So… Should you get certified as a Storybrand Coach in 2025?

I still firmly believe in the power of the Storybrand framework. It’s a game-changer for clarifying messaging, and the core principles remain as valuable today as when I first learned them. The revised Storybrand 2.0 book released in January 2025 continues to offer tremendous value to readers.

My personal opinion? I don’t love that they’ve put an end to the official Storybrand Guide certification, especially as I had been hoping they would keep improving and building on it. I have no intention of limiting my services to coaching, as I believe great marketing needs an expert human touch, not just guidance on using an AI tool. That’s where marketers like me and my team at SmartAlpaca Marketing will continue to provide value.

However, I am excited about the idea that guides with the necessary experience might now be able to share that experience with others more readily through workshops and training. This could create new opportunities for learning and collaboration within the Storybrand community.

If you’ve been considering Storybrand certification primarily to learn implementation skills, I’d recommend:

1. Reading the Storybrand 2.0 book to get familiar with the framework
2. Looking out for workshops run by experienced guides
3. Considering whether the CoachBuilder program aligns with your business goals

For those specifically interested in the new Storybrand Coach certification, I’d suggest waiting until after the full launch in April 2025 before making a decision. By then, we’ll have more concrete information about what the certification entails and feedback from newly certified coaches.

Have you recently gone through the new Storybrand Coach certification process or are you a long-time guide with thoughts on these changes? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.