The Storytelling Advantage: How to Use Content Archetypes to Attract Premium Clients

Telling the Right Story… The Wrong Way

You post content consistently. You share client wins. You even give away insights most people would charge for. You model the content strategies of successful people in your industry.

AND YET…

• The needle isn’t moving.
• The right people aren’t reaching out.
• The market isn’t responding like you expect it to.
• Most of your posts come and go with (at most) a handful of likes/reactions… and those are from your family and friends.

High-converting, potent content comes from understanding this one thing:

The words you say are actually less important than HOW your audience experiences them.

You could be telling all the right stories, but telling them through the wrong frame. The frame you tell your story through matters more than the story itself.

And if you want to build authority, create pull, and attract qualified buyers — you need to master the 4 content archetypes every consultant should be rotating through.

Let us break them down for you. Keep reading 😉 Trust us, it’ll be worth your time.

First, Understand the Power of Framing

Before we get to the archetypes, we need to talk about frame and why misunderstanding it frequently kills even the best content.

In simple terms, frame = your position in the story relative to your audience.

Here are the three primary frames to understand:

• Superior Frame = “I’ve done it. I’ll lead you.”
• Inferior Frame = “I’ve been where you are. I get it.”
• Neutral Frame = “I’m in this with you.”

Each frame sends a signal. It shapes how your authority lands, how much trust is built, and whether your message is received as wisdom… or just more noise.

Successful uses of these frames creates “voices” or tones for your content. We call these “archetypes.” These archetypes are how we strategically rotate frames to guide belief, build trust, and create demand — without becoming repetitive or (worse) irrelevant.

The Accidental Hero

Frame: Inferior
Function: Transfer belief

The Accidental Hero is your entry point to belief-building content. It’s the humble, grounded storytelling that says: “I’ve been where you are. I did everything wrong, and struggled needlessly. But look what I figured out.” 

It’s holding out your hand instead of puffing out your chest. This content lives in the space of transformation and proof, but without the superiority. If you’re familiar with Frank Kern, he is a great modern example of this. He plays up his ineptitude in certain areas, to highlight why what he’s about to teach is accessible for everyone. Essentially, “I’m just an old man who doesn’t know anything about technology, but look what I discovered.”

It’s vulnerable. It’s personal. And when it’s true, it’s magnetic. When your audience is uncertain whether they can succeed, this archetype transfers the belief that it IS possible. That’s why it works so well with earlier-stage consultants or jaded audiences who’ve seen too many experts post cherry-picked wins without showing any of the journey. For ICP 2 (our “bread and butter”), the Accidental Hero is how you earn the right to teach anything at all.

Use when:

• Your audience doubts it’s possible for them
• You need to break down resistance or fear

You want to build credibility without ego

The Benevolent Alpha

Frame: Superior
Function: Transfer certainty

This is the voice of leadership and authority. You’ve figured it out, you’ve ascended the mountain, and now you’re throwing a lifeline to those who aspire to reach the same point.

This archetype lives in your frameworks, philosophies, and confident contrarian takes.

Where the “Accidental Hero” looks to transfer belief through relatability, the “Benevolent Alpha” looks to transfer certainty through CREDIBILITY. When you say, “Here’s how we think about this,” or “Here’s why what you’ve been told isn’t working,” you’re taking the mental steering wheel. 

It’s calm. It’s convicted. It’s clear. And it’s critical for attracting higher sophistication ICP 1 consultants. The ones already tasting success but looking for clarity and competitive advantage. They don’t like guesswork and they don’t like ambiguity. They want to see themselves in your successes, not in your struggles. It’s a non-negotiable.

Use when:

• You’re shifting from expert to authority
• Your audience is smart and competent, but lack clarity
• You want to challenge “best practices” that don’t work

The Story/Journey/Follow

Frame: Neutral
Function: Transfer relatability

This is “watch me do it” content. It’s POTENT when done well, so pay attention.

Sometimes the most powerful positioning is simply proximity. 

The Story, Journey, or Follow content archetype lives in the neutral frame. It’s not above your audience, and it’s not behind them, but right beside them. 

“Watch over my shoulder as I test this and see how it works, then share the discovery with me.”

This content invites your audience into your process: what you’re building, what you’re learning, what you’re testing. It’s unpolished, it’s present, and it builds a bond that polished content sometimes just can’t touch. For consultants who default to teaching mode, this archetype can feel almost too casual or lacking in authority. But don’t underestimate it. When done right, Journey content makes you human without making you small. It also creates an emotional glue that keeps your audience close between launches or offers. In a noisy space, being seen as real is sometimes the sharpest edge you have.

Use when:

• You want to build trust through access
• You’re documenting instead of preaching
• You want to “humanize” without lowering authority

The Sage

Frame: Blended (Superior + Neutral)
Function: Transfer wisdom

The Sage is the most advanced of the archetypes, and the most misunderstood. It blends the elevated positioning of the Alpha with the intimacy of the Journey.

Sages don’t push. They reflect. They don’t rush. They reveal. And in a world full of marketers who scream louder, the Sage cuts through the noise by speaking softly with earned authority. 

This is your reflective content. The long-form philosophy. The “here’s what I’ve learned after working with 4,000 clients” posts. It’s designed to deepen loyalty, enhance brand equity, and nurture the highest-value leads on your list. For both ICPs, but especially ICP 1, this content is how you become indispensable in their mind. You aren’t just a strategist. You’re a guide.

Strategically Balancing Content

Most consultants have a default archetype and they run it into the ground rather than varying their approach to achieve the best results based on who they are marketing to (and when).

Here’s how you’ll know you’re imbalanced:

• Only frameworks + tactics? → You’re stuck in Alpha
  
• Constantly “learning in public”? → You’re stuck in Journey
  
• Just client wins + testimonials? → You’re stuck in Hero
  
• Long posts that never convert? → You’re stuck in Sage
  

Great brands rotate. They know when to lead, when to relate, and when to shut up and reflect.

If you’re unsure how to rotate strategically, use this cheat sheet.

Bonus move: Stack frames inside longer posts. Example → A Sage-style reflection that ends in a Hero-style punchline.

Treat Your Stories Like Strategic Assets

We get it. You’re not a content creator. You’re a consultant.

But we’re in an era where audiences don’t buy from nameless, faceless businesses. They buy from people. Transferring belief, confidence, and relatability are crucial to ensuring that more and more of your market actually understands and trusts you.

Intentional frames mixed with powerful stories fuel conversion.

You already have the stories. Now, it’s time to use them correctly.

Get Our Entire Content Training Inside of Group to Clients

We built an entire product around our strategy for turning Facebook groups into client-generating MACHINES through strategic setup and content. Inside, Taylor breaks down the 4 archetypes even further and gives specific post examples written in real time! Turn a small community into raving fans, simply through excellent content strategies.