In marketing, good e-book design isn’t just about making something pretty; it’s about enhancing your viewer’s experience with your content. When you turn a boring cover into a stunning calling card, or a cluttered layout into a visual treat, or a confusing data set into an elegant visualization, you make it that much easier to grab—and, most importantly, keep—your audience’s attention.

We love it when we see brands from all industries up their e-book game by applying A+ design, and we think seeing others’ good work can inspire you too. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the most standout examples of e-book design we’ve seen lately.  

7 Excellent Examples of E-Book Design

If you’re facing an e-book design project and need a little inspiration, we have just what you need. Here are seven great takes on e-book design from both B2B and B2C brands. 

1) The Secret Sauce by LinkedIn

Why we love it: A great cover

We’re suckers for a bold visual, and this e-book cover hits the mark for several reasons. 

1. It’s a clever theme, demonstrating that LinkedIn has the literal secret sauce (bonus points for making it the only bottle with a label).
2. Its clean photography really pops, especially compared to most of the boring covers in the B2B space. 
3. It reflects LinkedIn’s brand identity via their signature bright blue (a visual differentiator). 

When you’re looking to make an impact, a visually arresting cover is the way to do it in an instant.

Note: While a cover is incredibly important, maintaining a design aesthetic throughout all of your content is equally as important. LinkedIn decided to promote the e-book by creating an infographic, which also carries the same visual theme. A+ all around.

Tip: Make sure your e-book design reflects your brand identity. To make it easier for content creators to replicate, find out how to craft a strong brand’s style guide.

2) Your Field Guide to Foraging Intent Data by Terminus

Why we love it: A clever theme

Gathering data is a crucial part of a marketer’s job, but you can feel like you’re lost in the weeds. Terminus does an excellent job of translating this metaphor into an exciting adventure guide. From the people and animals to the maps and trails, this interactive e-book is a perfect example of how a little creativity can drastically enhance a viewer’s experience. By giving it this unique twist, learning how to gather data feels like an exciting adventure—not a dull chore.

Tip: It’s easy to come up with obvious visual metaphors (e.g., lightbulb = idea), but challenge yourself to come up with a visual theme that is both relevant and interesting.

3) Break Free of Boring B2B by Ceros

Why we love it: Unusual imagery

This is a perfect example of super creative e-book design for a subject that can be notoriously, well, boring. This interactive e-book is an explosion of color, pattern, and surprising imagery that is totally unexpected. From a screaming bear to a soda-drinking cat, it takes Internet meme aesthetic to a whole new level while delving into the ins and outs of B2B content marketing. We love an eye-catching interactive, and this brings the best of animation and information together in one easy-to-navigate package.

Tip: Since you don’t have to be literal in your metaphors, think about the real message you’re trying to deliver. Ceros wanted to prove that B2B doesn’t have to be boring, so they created a totally surprising and whimsical e-book design to prove just that.

4) STFU Already by Unbabel

Why we love it: Bold palette and typography

Not all e-books have to be interactive adventures. Unbabel’s thoroughly entertaining PDF e-book proves you can make a big impression without a ton of bells and whistles. Its bright and bold color palette, playful illustrations, and beautiful typography make the subject matter that much more interesting. Whereas they could have taken the technical route, espousing their software benefits in a boring brochure, this technicolor approach generates excitement and curiosity about their offering. F yeah, Unbabel.

Tip: Bold colors can help you stand out from your competition, especially when you use them for your cover. If you’re not sure what fits your message, find out how to curate the right color palette for your brand. 

5) How EU Banks Can Ensure EPI’s Success by Feedzai

Why we love it: Pops of personality

Any time a brand can transcend their product offering and show us who they are, it’s a win for brand storytelling. Feedzai is a perfect example of this. For an e-book about financial safety, which may seem rather droll, they do a good job of adding personality via people-centric illustrations (which feature a balance of genders and more than one skin tone—thank you).

Tip: Depicting diversity is crucial. Be mindful of who you’re representing through imagery (be it illustration or photography).

6) How to Successfully Negotiate a Higher Salary in 4 Easy Steps by Her First 100K

Why we love it: Simplicity with style

Good e-book design doesn’t mean you have to design a custom font, create hand-drawn illustrations, or conduct a 5-day photoshoot to get the best images. This guide makes great use of photography, typography, layout, and negative space to deliver the information in a straightforward, cohesive package. If you wanted proof that strong design can elevate even the simplest e-book, this is it.

Tip: If you don’t have a ton of design resources, simple typography treatments and callouts can do a lot to make content easily digestible.

7) Einstein’s Guide to AI Use Cases by Salesforce

Alright, so this one isn’t technically an e-book, but it is a clever piece of lead generation. You answer a few questions about what type of work you do, and this interactive guides you to the most relevant case study for you. This is a very clever way to create a personalized, guided experience through strong design. The Einstein character animation, the simple and clean navigation, and the brand colors make this a clearly branded experience.

Tip: Simple interactivity can make all of your content more engaging, whether it’s an e-book, guide, or questionnaire. If you’re curious to learn more, find out how to brainstorm great interactive content ideas. 

How to Nail Your Own E-book Design

We want to see better e-book design in the world, so we’re always happy to share the tips we’ve learned from our own projects. If you’re looking for more tips to improve your e-books…

• Learn more about why design can make or break your e-book. 
• Follow our step-by-step guide to create an effective e-book from scratch. 
• Try these helpful tips to improve your e-book design.
• Get even more inspired by these 50+ examples of great e-books.

And if you need a partner to help bring your next e-book to life, here are 12 tips to find a good content agency. You can always hit us up too.

Blend’s digital platform streamlines the journey from application to close—for every banking product. For this project, Blend was specifically interested in a report that would explore the state of the industry as it relates to the application process for deposit accounts, the keys to a good process, and how institutions can best serve their customers.

However, this wasn’t a standard data design project. Before we could bring the data to life, we needed to get it. So we crafted custom criteria to outline the key factors you need to create a successful application experience and audited a list of 100 financial institutions (including banks and credit unions) to score each. Of course, the challenge with all data storytelling is identifying the most relevant information (aka the real story). Because the primary goal of the report was to help readers improve their own application practices, we focused on identifying industry trends and the most interesting insights to turn into relevant takeaways for the reader.

The result was a high-value piece of content that establishes Blend’s authority and expertise in the industry, and positions the brand as a trusted resource to their customers—a content marketing win-win.

Content takes time, money, and resources to produce, which is why we believe you should get as much mileage as possible from anything you create—especially with cornerstone content like e-books. Unfortunately, marketers are usually sitting on an archive of great content that’s just gathering dust, either because it never had much traffic to begin with or because it’s been forgotten. This is a huge waste.

You can get a lot more from your existing assets by using them to create fresh content. This approach is called a divisible content strategy, and not only is it economical but it expands your reach, takes less work, and helps you promote other content, helping strengthen your entire content ecosystem. 

One of the best ways to breathe new life into old content is to create infographics. Things like e-books, reports, guides, research, and surveys are filled with valuable information and interesting data insights that can be used to tell many different types of stories—and infographics can help bring those stories to life in unique ways.

5 Ways to Create Infographics

If you’re not sure what types of infographics to make from your e-books, here are some of our favorite ways to extract stories and come up with new ideas.

1) Expand on a Topic

E-books and reports are full of valuable information, but they can only cover so much on a given topic. By exploring a related subject or doing a deeper dive into a single topic, you can create an interesting infographic that educates your reader—and encourages them to learn more by checking out the original e-book. Pro tip: Comb through the sidebars or callouts in your e-books or reports—those are often great subjects to explore.

Example: To promote their What DDoS Attacks Really Cost Businesses survey, we helped Incapsula create an infographic on the anatomy of a DDOS attack. While the survey covered how the issue affects businesses, it didn’t precisely explain how these attacks happen. Creating this infographic allowed Incapsula to further educate people while promoting the survey.  

2) Create a How-To

People are always eager to learn something, and if you can provide them with practical information that makes their lives easier, they will love you for it. Turning your best tips and tutorials from e-books or other cornerstone content into compelling infographics is a great way to provide value—in a highly shareable format.  

Example: We partnered with LinkedIn to create a fun infographic that offered tips on how to create a great marketing machine. The infographic was used to promote the brand’s e-book, The Marketing Skills Handbook, which included many more great tips.

3) Summarize a Chapter or Topic

Infographics are an effective form of storytelling because they help people process information visually, making them a great way to communicate concepts that may be complex or challenging to explain. Also, not everyone has the time to dive into an e-book or research report. Creating a condensed infographic version that includes the most important, interesting, or relevant information provides a great service.

Example: Education company Course Hero is dedicated to helping people learn online, so we partnered with them to create a series of infographics that summarize famous works of literature. These infographics are useful study materials for busy students, helping them learn in less time.  

4) Find a News Angle

Newsjacking can be a great tactic to give older content new relevance, as long as it’s done appropriately. (Follow these tips to make sure you do it the right way.) Think about the trending topics in your industry or in the larger media landscape. Do you have data that might shed light on an industry trend? Is there a social tie-in that might make your content more interesting?

Example: To promote their Definitive Guide to Digital Advertising, we helped Marketo create an infographic on the “Mad Men” of the millenium, showing the major trends that define today’s marketing landscape—contrasted with those of the Mad Men era. Thanks to the popularity of the show, it was an interesting, unique, and relevant angle that helped Marketo join the conversation in an organic way. It was also picked up by Ad Week, helping Marketo expand their reach.

5) Tell a Surprising Story

Data and research often contain interesting, unique, or surprising insights and discoveries that tell a very interesting story. Turning that type of information into a compelling infographic is an easy way to repurpose content and get more attention.

Example: We helped High Five craft an infographic based on their 2015 Workplace Culture and Communication Report. The story revealed the negative effect that tech has on the workplace—a surprising take that is relevant to people in all industries.

How to Make a Truly Great Infographic

Coming up with a strong infographic idea is just the first step. Once you’re ready to start creating that infographic, you must follow best practices at every stage of the process. To ensure your infographic is as successful as possible, follow these tips to nail everything from copywriting to promotion.

• Find out how to craft a compelling infographic narrative.
• Avoid the 15 most common infographic design mistakes.
• Optimize your infographic for SEO to get the most traffic.
• Use this tactic to get publishers to feature your infographics.
• Try these 19 tips to drastically improve your infographic marketing.

If you need a little help getting everything done, find out what to look for in an infographic design company. Or let us know what you’re struggling with. We’d love to chat.

Providing people with high-quality, comprehensive content is a great way to build relationships, increase leads, improve SEO, and more. That’s why e-books are such a valuable tool for marketers. The problem is they are also one of the more difficult pieces of content to produce. From copywriting to e-book design, it can take a lot of time and energy to create something of quality. But there are always ways to work smarter, not harder. And we’re always on the hunt for the best tools, tips, and tricks to make your life easier. So let’s talk about one of the easiest ways to create quality e-books in less time: e-book templates. If you are a brand that produces a lot of e-books (or wants to), templates will change your life.

The Benefits of Custom E-Book Templates

When some people hear the word “template,” they think of a ‘90s PowerPoint slide. But well-designed templates don’t turn your content into a boring brochure. They are an efficient way to create content that is:

• On-brand: An e-book design template is designed around your visual language, including fonts, colors, logos, etc. You don’t have to get approval from an art director, and you can be confident that you’re producing something that always reflects your brand.
• Consistent: If you look through your archive, you will probably notice your e-book design reflects a range of styles and design aesthetics. This is problematic if you’re trying to build an instantly identifiable brand (and who isn’t?). Whether you’re working with a freelancer, an agency, or an in-house designer, templates ensure that everything you do will have a cohesive feel.
• Easy to replicate: Building an e-book design from scratch takes a ton of time. But you can reduce that time tremendously with a comprehensive template. You just pick and choose the elements you need, then plug your content in. This makes it easy for novice designers (or even marketers) to create something of quality with a quick turnaround.
• Economical: If you don’t have to create a brand-new design every time, you can reduce costs while increasing your output. That gives you a higher ROI for every e-book you create.

So, how do you create these magical templates?

How to Build E-Book Templates 

We know marketing teams are usually overloaded, especially designers. But remember that a little bit of work up front can save you a ton of time down the road—and make designers’ lives a lot easier. If your team doesn’t have the time, you might consider using a content agency (or baking templates into an engagement you already have). But if you’re going to DIY it, here’s the simple 3-step process to create an intuitive visual design system that anyone can use.

1) Go Through Your Existing E-Books

You might only have a handful of e-books, or you might have a huge archive (in which case you can choose, say, 10). Go through each to identify the common elements that you will need to build into your e-book design template. The goal is to build something that works for any e-book subject, so it should be comprehensive and scalable.

This might include things like:

• Cover design
• Data visualization (charts and graphs)
• Illustrations
• Diagrams
• Sidebars
• Callouts and pullquotes
• Images/captions
• Chapter breaks
• Headers/subheads
• Iconography

Identify the most common design elements in your e-books. 

Make sure to poll your team about what they might also need. You can also look at brands whose content you admire. (Here are 5 great e-book design examples you can learn from.)

2) Build Your Design System

Once you know what your design should include, start building those elements. At this stage, you’re building your visual system, such as:

• Grid system
• Typography (heirarchy, headers, bodycopy, bullets, hyperlink style)
• Color palettes
• Graphic elements
• Data visualization styles
• Photography style
• Illustration style
• Layouts

Everything should adhere to your visual language. Don’t have one? Here’s how to make one, as well as everything it should include.

3) Create Your Template

To turn your visual system into a practical guide, build out your design files, providing mockups of actual pages that reflect best practices. (If you already have an e-book design that works well, you might adapt it to the guidelines.) Examples:

The important thing is to offer clear explanations and visual examples of everything. Whoever picks it up, whether a freelancer or in-house designer, should be able to understand it and replicate it without asking questions.  

You might also include any relevant design tips. (And make sure you avoid these 30 common e-book design mistakes.)

Once you put your e-book design templates to work, you’ll see how much easier they are to produce, and you’ll be grateful you put the work in. 

Remember, too, that you can also make the most of your work by repurposing your e-books after their first run. (Try these 9 tips to do that, and check out this roundup of 101+ resources and tools to make better e-books.)

Look for More Ways Template Can Improve Content Creation

There are always ways to improve how you do things, so think about how templates might help in other areas of content marketing, including:

• Infographic templates
• Interactive templates
• Social templates
• Reporting templates
• Ad templates

We know that not everyone has the resources to tackle design templates, though. If you need a little help or someone to help lighten your content load, holler at us.  

If you don’t have video in your content mix, you’re missing out. It’s simpler to make than ever, and people really want to see it. (A 2014 Levels Beyond survey found that 51% of millennials would rather watch a video than read.) Now is definitely the time to dive in.

But we know you might be a little intimidated (or overwhelmed) to start, and you probably have a lot of questions. We’re here to help.

Our new interactive e-book, The Content Marketer’s Guide to Brand Video, covers everything (seriously, everything) you’ve ever wanted to know about brand video but were too shy to ask, including:

• Why are humans biologically wired for video?
• How can brands use video to deliver a strong message?
• What makes a truly great brand video?
• How do you measure the ROI of video?
• What does it take to produce video?
• How should you act on set?

It’s all there, plus great data, pro tips, and great examples of brand video. We also made it interactive so you can skip to the stuff you want to know—and bookmark it when you want to come back. Click below to check it out now. 

And if there’s anything we didn’t answer, we’d be happy to chat.

How’s your latest e-book doing? How’s your oldest e-book doing? Have downloads dipped? It’s frustrating, we know, but sometimes a few quick tweaks to your e-book design can really improve your readers’ experience, making them more eager to consume your content and connect with your brand. If the content in your e-book is gold, but people are tapping out before they get to page 2, consider how a makeover might help.

Does Your E-book Design Need a Makeover?

Design integrity has a lot to do with how content quality is perceived. First, print out your latest e-book. Take a critical look at what’s in front of you:

• What catches your eye?
• How does it flow?
• What do you feel when you look at it?

These gut reactions and first impressions are what your reader probably experiences, too. We hate to see you give off the wrong impression, so we’re here to help. All it takes is a little creativity to turn a blah design into something beautiful. Here are 6 ways to do it.

1) Choose a Theme

The problem: Your design is totally generic or all over the place, mixing clashing styles, imagery, and visual metaphors right and left.

The fix: E-books are awesome because they give you a nice creative canvas to tell your story. The best, most effective e-books deliver a single story, and use every element of design to support it. Choose a single theme or concept to ground the design, then use your creativity to bring it to life.

2) Rehab Your Cover

The problem: The cover is the first thing people see, but too often marketers miss the mark. The most common mistakes: too cluttered, no imagery, irrelevant imagery, boring typography, generic design.

The fix: Let your content be the guide. Use high-quality imagery to catch the reader’s eye and draw them in. The cover should match the content theme and infuse a little brand personality into it. There should also be an intuitive grid-based layout and logical header hierarchy so that everything is clear at a glance.

3) Add Personality with Imagery

The problem: Your e-book looks like a PowerPoint: generic templates, boring iconography, etc.

The fix: Consider both the tone of the content and your brand personality. The images you use should help cultivate a feeling that supports your message. Is your e-book about employee collaboration? Let’s see people working together. Is it about increasing revenue? Let’s see some tasteful data visualization.

4) Condense and Trim Down Copy

The problem: Someone got a little carried away in trying to build suspense, so you have to flip through 5 pages of “teaser” content before you get to the meat of a section. Conversely, they packed so much in that you’re facing a cluttered mess on each page.

The fix: Know two things: Negative space is your friend, and pages should be used economically. While chapter breaks may deserve their own page, condense content to deliver the message efficiently. Oftentimes this means trimming down content on a page. Removing an extraneous pullquote or sidebar can make a huge difference. Also look for opportunities to let design do the heavy lifting. A paragraph explaining a process can be visualized in a single diagram. A stat in a callout can be turned into a chart. These are great ways to break up the text. 5) Kill the Visual Junk

The problem: Some designers hear the word “visualize” and go nuts, packing every page with illustrations, photos, charts, or iconography.

The fix: Look critically at every visual element. Ask yourself:

• Does this enhance the story? Things like illustrations are often added arbitrarily without much thought.
• Can it be condensed? Data visualization can sometimes make things even more confusing if, say, you’re trying to compare three bar charts when a single grouped bar chart would do it better.
• Does it make sense? This is especially true for icons, which can be far too abstract to represent anything meaningful.

If the answer isn’t yes, say bye.

In addition visual elements, colors can sometimes overwhelm. A helpful tip: Use 1-2 main colors and 2-3 accent colors.

6) Tame Your Typography

The problem: There are so many fonts and sizes it looks like a teenager’s notebook.

The fix: Limit the number of type styles (the combination of kerning, leading, point size, etc.) to create consistency and harmony. Also, don’t use more than 2 typefaces, and do follow a grid. For more of our tips on great e-book design, here are a few posts you might like:

• Learn about the elements of great e-book design.
• Avoid these 8 design mistakes in your visual communication.
• Find out how to design the most common charts and graphs.
• Learn everything you need to know about visual content marketing.

If you need an expert to help you out, let’s chat.

Content marketing is all about diversity: high-value evergreen content that informs, mixed with high-impact, real-time content to bring awareness to your brand. But content marketers are often pulled in every direction, tasked with creating a high volume of content to fill each bucket while ensuring that every piece feeds long-term brand goals.

With limited resources and ever-increasing demands, how do you create content that is economical and impactful? Enter microcontent—an effective approach to content creation that requires little effort and provides maximum value.

In this e-book you’ll learn:

1. What microcontent is: Learn about the different formats to get an idea of what you might want to experiment with.
2. Why microcontent supports your content strategy: From long-term goals to day-to-day publishing, learn how microcontent helps support your efforts
3. How to create effective microcontent: Whether you’re just starting to create content or have an enormous archive, find out how to produce a high volume of content with minimal effort.

DOWNLOAD THE E-BOOK

How do you get the most results from your content marketing? With a killer content marketing strategy. Of course, in a real-time world, it can be hard to plan ahead. When news stories break or a product launch gets postponed, you have to adapt your content while keeping your long-term goals in mind. And no matter what you publish, you also have to keep everyone from your sales team to your social following happy. It often feels like you’re serving two masters—or five or six. But with the right planning, you can create a long-term strategy that saves your energy and your sanity.

A well-crafted, long-term strategy has built-in flexibility and a solid foundation, letting you fill in your content needs as you go—even if (and when) your larger goals change. It means you can stay agile enough to react to the latest trending hashtag while scheduling production for your next evergreen infographic. (Trust us, we did it last week.)

Want to know how? Check out our new e-book, How to Build a Long-Term Content Strategy in a Real-Time World. We cover everything you need to know to create a strategy that works for you, including: 

• Why a long-term strategy saves you time, energy, and money
• How to identify your objectives
• What type of content will serve your objectives
• How to map content to your objectives
• How to effectively schedule content

Check out the e-book, and let us know your tips for creating a content strategy.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY OR CONTENT CREATION? LET’S CHAT.

Though content marketing is the new frontier, marketers are still facing the age-old question: How do you get your brand’s content in front of an audience? Thanks to the proliferation of new media, with the right distribution strategy, you can reach more consumers than ever before.

Still, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Sure, you can create content, but how do you know if it’s serving your marketing goals? Once it’s created, where do you publish? And how do you optimize content for maximum results? Over the last few years, we’ve heard these concerns from all corners of the content marketing globe. And, in many ways, things have only become more confusing as more platforms pop up.

Because we’re in the business of making confusing things easy to understand, we thought it was time to help make sense of it all. At Column Five, we’ve assembled a pro Communications team to help some of the world’s biggest brands reach the right audience. We’ve also made friends over at Onboardly, a PR agency that specializes in content marketing for startups. Our brands have learned plenty over the years (both the easy way and the hard way), so we joined forces to create the new e-book, The Ultimate Guide to Content Distribution.

Whether you’re a PR pro or DIY content marketer, this e-book covers everything you need to know about content distribution, including all our insider tips and tricks. Want to make the most of your content? Download the e-book to learn about:

Crafting a killer content strategy: Get tips for strategic ideation to make sure your content serves your objectives.

Content formats and types: Curate your content marketing mix to include a variety of formats primed for different platforms.

Tips for making media contacts: Learn how to cultivate relationships with journalists and social influencers to expand your content’s reach.

Choosing the right distribution channels: Learn about how each channel can serve your goals and identify which channels to target.

Measuring your ROI: Find out which metrics help track your content’s success at every stage of the sales funnel.

Good content deserves to be shared. With a little bit of structure, planning and foresight, your content can make a major impact.

• Find out how to get the most mileage from your content by Maximizing Your Publishing with Microcontent.
• Learn everything you need to know about visual content in The Ultimate Guide to Visual Content Marketing.

Outlook for the future.

If you’re a B2B marketing leader, you’ve probably had some version of the brand vs product storytelling debate more times than you can count:

• “We need to lead with the product to educate about our features and ROI.”
• “No, we need to tell a brand story. Product messaging is boring and forgettable.”

65% of B2B marketers name content relevance and quality as moving the needle, according to CMI’s 2026 study, and balancing brand vs product stories is one theme at the core of creating relevant content.

On the surface, it sounds like a strategic choice. But in reality, brand vs product is a false binary that’s quietly undermining a lot of otherwise solid marketing programs. The problem isn’t that B2B marketers choose the wrong side. It’s that we’ve been treating brand-driven and product-driven storytelling as opposing strategies instead of two parts of the same system.

Let’s talk about why that thinking breaks down and how to replace it with a framework that actually helps buyers move from awareness to action.

Related: Ultimate Guide to B2B Brand Storytelling (Plus FREE Templates)

The False Binary at the Heart of B2B Storytelling

Most B2B teams oscillate between two modes:

• Brand-led storytelling when they want to build awareness, differentiation, or emotional resonance
• Product-led storytelling when they need to generate leads, enable sales, or justify price

On paper, this looks logical. In practice, it creates a messaging whiplash that buyers feel immediately.

One week, your content is all lofty ideas and category vision. The next, it’s a wall of features, diagrams, and proof points often with little connective tissue between the two.

The result? Buyers either feel inspired but unsure… or informed but unmoved.

That’s not a storytelling failure. It’s an integration failure.

Why Product-Led Stories Fail on Their Own

Let’s start with the most common default in B2B: product-first storytelling, or what some may affectionately call “feature force-feeding.”

Feature-driven narratives assume buyers are making purely rational decisions. If you show them the right capabilities, benchmarks, and ROI stats, the logic goes, they’ll choose you.

But here’s what we’ve learned from nearly 2 decades of working with B2B teams:

Product details only matter once a buyer believes three things:

1. This problem matters to me
2. This company understands it better than most
3. This solution fits how I see the world

Without that context, product messaging often feels impressive, but not motivating. You see this when:

• Sales decks open with architecture diagrams instead of buyer pain
• Product pages list features without explaining why they matter
• Campaigns tout innovation without anchoring it to a meaningful outcome

Product without story doesn’t answer the real question buyers are asking early on: “Why should I care?”

Why Brand-Only Stories Feel Inspiring but Vague

On the other side of the spectrum, brand-led storytelling has become a safe haven for teams burned by feature overload. These narratives focus on:

• Purpose and vision
• Big industry challenges
• Emotional resonance and identity

And to be clear, this work matters. Brand storytelling is often what earns you attention in the first place. But when brand narratives stay abstract for too long, they create a different problem.

Buyers start asking:

• “This sounds great, but what do they actually do?”

• “How is this different from the other three vendors saying the same thing?”

• “Why should I believe they can deliver on this promise?”

A brand without product proof builds interest but not confidence.

Tip: Something we encounter often is vision statements that are compelling, but undifferentiated. Your brand and your competitors are both servicing the same industry, so you’re speaking to the same customers and you likely both understand their problems. Breakthrough brands, however, will have truly differentiated visions. Don’t get caught selling a vision that’s so generic, it ends up promoting your whole category rather than your solution. Set aside a time period to truly give your vision, and the rest of your brand heart, the time and attention it deserves. 

The Real Job of Storytelling: Sequencing Belief

The mistake isn’t choosing either product or brand. It’s assuming storytelling is about picking one at all. In reality, effective B2B storytelling is about sequencing belief.

You’re not trying to persuade buyers in a single moment. You’re guiding them through a progression:

1. This is for me (relevance)
2. This makes sense (credibility)
3. This is the right choice (confidence)

Brand meaning tends to do the heavy lifting early, shaping how buyers frame the problem and see themselves in it. Product proof earns its power later, validating that belief with concrete, specific evidence. When those elements are choreographed instead of siloed, storytelling stops feeling like persuasion and starts feeling like clarity.

Great B2B Brands Don’t Choose, They Layer

The strongest B2B brands don’t treat product and story as separate tracks. They layer them.

Here’s how that layering works in practice:

• Brand sets the lens through which the product is understood
• Product validates the brand promise in tangible, credible ways

In other words:

• Your brand story tells buyers why you exist and what you believe
• Your product story proves you can actually deliver on it

Neither works as well without the other.

Layering Brand and Product in Campaign Architecture: Hero + Proof

One of the most effective ways to layer brand and product is through campaign architecture itself.

The pattern: emotive hero content supported by instructional or tactical follow-through.

In many ways, this approach mirrors how you might go about devising your brand story: describe the world we exist in, then the problems with this world, introduce the generic solution to these problems, and lastly highlight your specific solution.

Here’s how this works for campaign design:

The hero asset (usually a video, interactive experience, or high-production narrative piece) leads with:

• Big idea or provocative tension
• Emotional resonance and category POV
• The “why this matters” framing

Supporting assets then prove it by delivering:

• Ebooks and whitepapers offering further education and solutions
• Tactical blog posts answering specific buyer questions
• Case studies demonstrating real outcomes
• How-to guides that show the product in action
• Product explainers tied directly to the hero narrative
• Sales enablement to guide deep-funnel conversations

When the hero and supporting content pieces work together, buyers move from “I’m interested” to “I’m ready” without the whiplash of disconnected messaging.

Example in practice: In our differentiating HackerOne campaign, the concept of Cyberstrength acted as the brand-level messaging to attract security leaders. Once we had their attention, more technical ebooks and blogs gave campaign viewers more content to consume.

Layering Within Individual Assets (With Format Examples)

Layering brand and product also needs to happen inside individual pieces of content.

Great B2B storytelling weaves brand meaning and product proof together in all manner of content formats, whether video, interactive, blog post, or web page.

In a video:

• Open with the problem through a brand lens (why it matters, what’s at stake)
• Show the product as the natural answer—not a sales pitch, but proof the brand promise is real
• Close by tying capability back to larger outcome or belief

In an interactive experience:

• Use narrative framing to guide the user journey (brand)
• Embed product proof at decision points where it earns credibility
• Let users explore both “why” and “how” without forcing a single path

On a website:

• Lead sections with belief-driven headlines
• Follow immediately with concrete product evidence
• Use visuals that show both aspiration (brand) and reality (product)

In a blog post:

• Frame the topic through a clear POV or tension (brand thinking)
• Support it with tactical steps, tools, or product capabilities
• End by connecting the tactics back to a bigger strategic win

The key is rhythm. You’re not alternating at random. Instead, you’re using brand to create context, then product to validate it, then looping back to meaning.

When done well, readers don’t notice the shift. They just feel like the content makes sense.

Example in practice: Did you notice that this very article puts a similar brand vs product framework to use? For a B2B SaaS example, our DialPad videos balanced brand and product stories seamlessly by using the perfect narrative structure.

Layering Brand and Product Across the Funnel: From TOFU to BOFU

Across a marketing ecosystem, the balance shifts based on where the buyer is and what question they’re trying to answer.

Top of Funnel: Establish Meaning

At this stage, buyers are asking: “Is this problem worth my attention?”

Focus on:

• Category education
• Shared challenges and tensions (problem awareness)
• A clear point of view on the space

Brand leads here but product shouldn’t disappear. It should show up as subtle signals of credibility, not center stage.

Mid-Funnel: Build Confidence

Now buyers are thinking: “They understand me, but is this solution credible and relevant?”

This is where layering matters most:

• Tie product capabilities directly to buyer pain
• Use stories, use cases, and examples—not just features
• Show how your approach reflects your brand belief

Bottom of Funnel: Reduce Risk

At this point, buyers want reassurance: “Will this actually work for us?”

Product proof comes forward:

• Specific functionality
• Differentiators
• Evidence and outcomes

But brand still matters. It frames why those details add up to a smarter long-term choice.

For more guidance on building a complete funnel, see our guide How to Build Your B2B Buyer Journey (and What to Prioritize).

Where This Breaks Down Most Often: After Launch

Many teams get this balance right in a hero campaign or big launch and then lose it everywhere else.

Messaging fragments across:

• Blog content
• SEO pages
• Sales decks
• Case studies
• Paid campaigns

Suddenly, brand and product drift apart again.

This happens because alignment lives in decks and docs but not in systems.

How to Operationalize the Balance (Without More Slogans)

We admit getting the balance right is easier said than done. Weaving product and brand stories together seamlessly isn’t just about deciding to do it. It requires setting up the systems to make it happen in reality. You need shared rules for how stories and products show up across your ecosystem.

1. Define Roles by Funnel Stage

Be explicit about:

• What “brand-led” content looks like at each stage
• What “product-led” content is responsible for proving

This prevents every asset from trying to do everything.

2. Map Buyer Questions to Story Layers

For each key buyer question, ask:

• What belief needs to come first?
• What proof needs to follow?

Then design content that answers both—just not at the same volume.

3. Build Modular Messaging

Instead of one-off assets, create:

• Brand narratives that can be reused
• Product proof points that plug into multiple stories

This keeps consistency without slowing teams down.

Tip: creating a repository of creative templates and boilerplates is a great way to maintain consistency while you scale content programs.

4. Audit for Drift, Not Just Consistency

When reviewing content, don’t just ask if it’s on-brand. Also ask:

• “Is this proving something?”
• “Is this explaining why the product matters?”

The Competitive Advantage of Getting This Right

When product and brand reinforce each other, something powerful happens.

Your storytelling:

• Feels less like persuasion
• Feels more like insight
• Helps buyers make sense of their decision

That’s the difference between being memorable and being chosen.

Related: Product Marketing vs Brand Marketing: What’s the Difference?

FAQs: Brand vs. Product Storytelling in B2B

1) In B2B, what is more important: brand storytelling vs product storytelling?
Neither works well alone. Brand builds meaning and relevance; product builds credibility and confidence. The goal is sequencing and layering, not choosing.

2) When should B2B marketers lead with a product?
When buyers already understand the problem and are evaluating options. Even then, product proof should connect back to a larger brand promise.

3) How do you balance brand and product in content marketing?
By defining clear roles for each at different funnel stages and mapping them to buyer questions instead of internal priorities.

4) Why do B2B brand campaigns often fail to drive revenue?
Because they stop at inspiration. Without product proof layered in over time, buyers don’t have enough information to act.

Ready to Get This Balance Right?

At Column Five, we’ve spent the last 17 years helping B2B brands stop choosing between product and story and start integrating them in ways that actually drive growth.

If your messaging feels fragmented, inconsistent, or stuck in the brand-vs-product debate, we can help you build a system that works across your entire content ecosystem.

Let’s talk.

Finding the right marketing partner changes everything. You want a team that not only gets the job done but makes the process enjoyable. When comparing Column Five and Ironpaper, you see two capable agencies taking different roads. Both help you grow, but the daily experience varies significantly. Use this guide to see which approach matches your specific goals.

Column Five focuses on building strong stories for B2B SaaS and tech companies. They make complex ideas easy to understand by prioritizing:

• Creative storytelling that connects with humans.
• Sharp data visualization and design.
• Content systems that ensure every piece feels on-brand.

Ironpaper helps companies create demand and master HubSpot. They often support large tech or manufacturing teams who need to:

• Automate the buying process.
• Turn interest into real sales opportunities.
• Track exactly where results come from.

The choice comes down to your current friction points. Do you need the people you are trying to reach to know and trust your brand? Or do you need to focus strictly on the mechanics of how people buy? This guide will dig into this by comparing Column Five to IronPaper.

A Closer Look: Column Five vs. IronPaper

Column Five bills itself as a B2B agency for SaaS growth, and they live up to it. They help teams get noticed and remembered with a resume that includes names like Instacart and Salesforce. Their process is driven by strategy and compelling storytelling, and they dig deep before they create anything. The secret to their successful content marketing is that everything they do feels connected.

IronPaper works best as a growth sidekick for companies that want to see clear, trackable results. They roll out demand campaigns, set up account-based marketing, and know HubSpot inside and out. They put a spotlight on what brings in actual dollars, and show that through dashboards and reports. If you want to see exactly which outreach steps led to new deals, this agency makes it obvious.

Both groups speak B2B tech fluently. Still, it helps to remember: Column Five shines when brand identity and industry-leading content are the focus. IronPaper gets to work when hands-on pipeline growth and marketing tech run the show.

Column Five: Story, Know-How, and How They Work

Column Five started in 2009 with the idea that telling your brand story is the best way to stand out. From their California roots, they’ve grown to a few dozen team members across the U.S. and earned a spot on the Inc. 500 list. They excel in their niche, helping SaaS companies carve out a competitive edge and forge meaningful connections through world-class content.

Before making a single piece of content, they listen. Their approach brings people together from research, strategy, and creative sides, pulling in every detail. It starts with:

• Audit—uncovering what’s already working and what’s missing
• Content strategy—mapping out where to go and what to say
• Creative execution—finally turning big ideas into things people want to read, watch, or share

Results can surprise in the best way. For example, when Blend needed more website visitors, Column Five’s strategy for SEO and content led to a 183% jump in traffic. Dropbox tapped them for a strategy that lifted brand perception 19%. Instacart leaned on their pricing campaign to reshape how its leadership looked at pricing altogether.

What do they bring to the table? Brand frameworks, creative systems, in-depth content strategies, and demand generation. Their menu includes visuals—motion designs, graphics, explainer videos, web pages—as well as written work like ebooks and executive leadership content. If a story helps people “get it” quicker, they’re likely already building it.

IronPaper: Story, Strengths, and Approach

IronPaper launched in the early 2000s and is based in New York and Charlotte. Around 70 people work at IronPaper, and they’ve earned high marks as a HubSpot Diamond partner and Google Partner.

IronPaper pairs strategy with doing. Their main goal is to help companies switch gears from “marketing costs us” to “marketing helps us grow.” They get their hands dirty building automation, running ABM campaigns, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks on its way to sales.

Stories at IronPaper often begin with measurable change. For Ambi Robotics, IronPaper launched a new brand image and fresh videos that moved them toward commercial scale. After tweaking the website and lead process at Goddard Technologies, conversions jumped by over 700% and millions in revenue were influenced. With Mobilewalla, smart tweaks brought in better-quality leads, rather than just more emails.

Core services include:

• Building systems for lead generation
• Creating ABM campaigns from scratch
• Setting up HubSpot and using automation so no inquiry goes cold
• Tuning the steps from first click to handshake
• Giving sales teams better tools and materials

They keep clients updated with clear ROI and pipeline reporting.

People working with IronPaper describe them as true partners. Solartis gained new customers after an uptick in brand awareness. Steelcase saw them as an extension of their own team. These stories repeat across the board.

Industry Focus and Special Skills

Column Five is a go-to for B2B tech and SaaS players. Their client list is highly impressive– LinkedIn, Google, HubSpot, and Oracle, among others. They also pitch in across finance, education, nonprofits, and real estate now and then.

IronPaper leans hard into B2B technology, cybersecurity, industrial, and manufacturing worlds. They “get” the quirks and long timelines of working in these spaces, especially when complicated products or multiple decision-makers are in play.

Their team lives for building demand programs and ABM workflows. They excel at rolling out complex HubSpot set-ups, building automation, and crafting sales materials designed to help real people make choices. Whether it’s running high-converting LinkedIn campaigns or turning SEO into sales conversations, IronPaper makes sure digital marketing doesn’t just sit in a spreadsheet.

Having HubSpot Diamond and Databox Premier partner status means IronPaper brings more than just good ideas; they know the tools inside out and help connect marketing with what works in the real world.

The Value of Staying Power

Column Five’s been doing this for over 15 years, enough time to smooth rough edges and figure out what truly moves the needle for B2B tech. Earning shout-outs from names like Microsoft, Adobe, and Salesforce says a lot about real impact and staying power.

Their agency structure has only grown sharper with time. They run on research, repeat what works, and always tie content back to outcomes. They’ve run blogs with hundreds of tailored posts and handled complex projects for years at a stretch. Consistency like that isn’t easy to find.

Client feedback backs up the hype. Vercel’s Keith Messick singles them out as some of the smartest, most talented partners he’s met. Amanda Smith from Instacart considers them the “gold standard” for close collaboration.

IronPaper, closing in on 20+ years, has a deep bench of experience building demand engines and automating marketing systems. Their work with clients like Steelcase, who juggle multiple product lines, proves they don’t shy away from detailed or messy projects.

The proof is in real numbers. They highlight how many conversions jumped or which pipeline improvements landed the biggest results. Their clients, in turn, often describe IronPaper as a real team member more than an outside vendor.

Strategy or Swift Moves?

Column Five never shortcuts the strategy. Their studio approach starts with precise research, not quick wins. They use their own proprietary frameworks to help brands claim a clear space in the market. In practice, this means doing several strategy reviews for Blend before going live, or spending weeks refining messages for Instacart so everything aligns.

Measurement isn’t just about numbers; it’s about understanding which accounts engage and when. Column Five doesn’t just churn out content. They build as an in-house team might, functioning as a larger extension of your team (especially helpful if you’re looking to scale).

IronPaper matches strategy with habit and hustle. When it’s time for execution, they get marketing and sales humming together. Automation, ABM, clear attribution—all of it tracks what turns outreach into meaningful growth.

They break down goals into step-by-step programs. Who are the best prospects to reach? What should they see first? Where can automation free up everyone’s time? Results show up not just as more activity, but as actual deals and new relationships. Their dashboards and reporting are built for teams who want to see progress, not just activity.

Creative Work and Portfolio Highlights

Column Five is all about creating compelling content that tells a cohesive brand story across touchpoints, whether that’s video for social, thought leadership for LinkedIn, or in-person advertising. They’re especially skilled at helping brands uncover unique stories and turn them into memorable content that resonates with audiences.

One example is the Fieldguide campaign, which mixed sharp visuals with smart proximity targeting. Their award-winning work with Mozilla used video to strengthen community bonds. And when HackerOne wanted to rally security leaders, Column Five helped turn big, technical topics into clear, motivating stories.

Feedback often highlights two things: creativity and reliability. Intuit’s Mackenzie Pedroza praised their industry curiosity and innovation. Zendesk appreciated fast turnaround and seamless project management. Narrative4’s Felice Belle noticed the close connection and care they brought to each project.

It all pays off in results, too. Their smart content and design pull in organic traffic and keep people sticking around for more—great for teams aiming to educate and inspire, not just market.

IronPaper also helps creative work do the heavy lifting. Their Ambi Robotics website redesign went well beyond visuals, adding motion, photography, and smarter navigation. It didn’t just look better; it worked better in conversations with customers.

For Goddard Technologies, new SEO and content immediately translated to more (and better) conversions. At Mobilewalla, they combined strong design with clear forms to raise the quality of new leads.

Every piece serves a job: landing pages built for answers, ABM creative to build momentum, quick-win sales materials, and technical stories that speak in plain language to the people making hard decisions.

How Working Together Feels: Pricing and Timelines

Column Five prefers ongoing partnerships but won’t say no to the right project. Their price list is open:

• Foundational monthly partnerships start from $15k/month, bringing a dedicated team on board
• Growth packages start from $20K.
• Their Scale packages start from $25K and include all the groundwork for campaign rollouts
• Other projects: Pricing depends on what you need (brand, motion, content, lead programs, paid campaigns, web design, etc.)

Timelines are clear, too. Projects get started a month or so after agreement. Typical delivery times include:

• Brand projects: 4-12 weeks
• Content strategies: about 6 weeks
• Infographics and motion design: around a month each
• Interactivity: 5-10 weeks, depending on what’s built
• E-books: 4-6 weeks
• Live videos: up to 12 weeks

Clients see them as quick and reliable, which matters when schedules stay packed.

IronPaper prefers longer partnerships, with custom retainers from $10k/month, usually running 6–12 months. Pricing is bespoke, adapting to the size and depth of what’s needed. They’re open to sprints for fast projects or steady month-to-month work.

Timelines aren’t posted, but common sense says expect a week or two for blog content, a month for whitepapers, and up to 10 weeks for video. Scoping together sets clear expectations and helps the process feel collaborative, rather than transactional.

When Each Agency Stands Out

Column Five is best for teams who want to stand out with standout with attention-grabbing content, unique storytelling, and cohesive strategy. The sweet spot?

• B2B SaaS companies aiming to outshine competitors through brand strength
• Need for powerful visual storytelling and data insights
• Priority on integrated brand and content systems—delivered with enduring value
• Organizations that build trust through steady, quality content
• Teams ready to use AI creatively, but keep the content sounding human

They know where your real story lives, then help you tell it on repeat without losing the spark or diluting the message.

IronPaper works well for teams focused on demand, pipeline, and scalable operations. Ideal matches include:

• B2B technology and industrial players looking at new growth moves
• Companies rolling out or rebooting automation—including HubSpot
• Teams who want real measurement at the account level, not just traffic gains
• Targets that tie marketing back to money spent and deals closed
• Full-funnel setups where sales and marketing need to work closely

Their work consistently boosts real conversations and conversions, and their hands-on approach gets things moving.

Sometimes two is better than one. When a brand wants to combine deep content with aggressive demand-building, consider working with both. Set clear roles and shared outcomes, and the collaboration will pay off.

How to Decide: Column Five or IronPaper?

The choice really comes down to what matters now. Want to leave a strong impression, tell your story clearly, and build trust? Column Five fits. Their transparent pricing, strong client roster, and standout visual work keep them top of mind for teams that care about brand.

But, if every outreach dollar needs to turn into new relationships or sales, IronPaper’s expertise with automation and pipeline metrics better aligns. Their case stories prove they move the revenue needle, not just the brand markers.

When sizing up agencies, match your main headaches to each agency’s strengths.

• Need a partner who works as an extension of your team to grow your brand? Column Five.
• Care about automation and proven lead growth? IronPaper.
• Faced with mixed needs? Test both. Clearly scope pilots and discuss who leads where.

Pilots help prove the fit. Ask for sample workplans, team profiles, and references that feel relevant—think about your own stage rather than just looking at the biggest brands. Review proposals that outline what success looks like, how teams will interact, and how work stays on track.

Column Five shows that a well-connected system is better than a pile of one-off tactics. With companies like Dropbox and Microsoft, their approach builds momentum—and that matters when the market crowds up. Their three-step playbook (audit, strategy, creative) reflects real experience, not just theory.

Above all, remember that the best agency helps you connect with the people you’re trying to reach, fosters trust, and moves results forward. Match their strengths with your goals, start small if needed, and build the partnership that goes the distance.