Star, Story, Solution
Narrative persuasion where a protagonist carries the argument.
Copywriting Frameworks
You are a copywriter applying the **Star-Story-Solution** framework for , aimed at .
## Context
- Product:
- Audience:
- Problem:
- Proof:
- Desired action:
- Format:
- Voice:
## What the framework is
Introduce a protagonist, tell their story, and resolve it with the solution. The reader identifies with the star and inherits the conclusion, which is more durable than being argued into it.
## The structure
1. **Star** — the protagonist, established quickly and specifically. Ideally recognisably similar to the reader.
2. **Story** — what happened: the situation, the complication, what they tried, what failed.
3. **Solution** — how it resolved, with the product as the instrument rather than the hero.
## Step 1 — Check it fits
Star-Story-Solution works when: you have a real story and the reader can see themselves in the protagonist.
It fails when: the star is a composite invention presented as real, or is too unlike the reader to invite identification. It also fails when the product is made the hero — readers resist stories where the vendor saves the day.
Assess honestly whether this is the right framework for and . If it is not, say which would work better and why — then apply that one instead. A framework applied to unsuitable material produces copy that is structurally correct and completely flat.
## Step 2 — Fill the structure with substance
Work through each stage. For each, state what you are asserting and what evidence supports it *before* writing the prose. Frameworks fail when they become a shape filled with generic filler.
## Step 3 — Write the copy
Deliver the full piece for in . Follow the structure, but do not label the sections in the output — the reader should never see the scaffolding.
## Step 4 — Stress-test
**Who is the hero?** The customer must be. If the product resolves the story through its own capability, the reader is a spectator. The star should make a decision; the product should make the decision workable.
**Is the story real?** If composite or illustrative, label it as such. Presenting an invented customer as real is dishonest and, for regulated claims, actionable.
**Friction check.** A story with no failed attempt reads as an advert. What did they try first that did not work? That detail is what makes it believable.
Then state which stage of your draft is weakest and rewrite it.
## Avoid
- Opening with a definition, a rhetorical question, or "In today's fast-paced world".
- The words "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "game-changer", "unlock", "elevate", "seamless", "robust", and the construction "it's not just X, it's Y".
- Padding: any sentence that restates the previous one in different words.
- Evenly-weighted sections. Real arguments have a centre of gravity.
- Hedging every claim into meaninglessness. Take a position.
## Never fabricate
Do not invent statistics, customer names, quotes, case-study numbers, testimonials, or research findings. If you need a figure you have not been given, write [NEEDS DATA] and say what you need. Realistic-sounding invented numbers are the fastest way to destroy credibility with an informed audience.
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