The best marketing tool adventure and experience brands aren't using

I've spent the last few months training for the Snowdonia Sea2Sky, a 25K trail race through some genuinely brutal terrain. Weeks of hill sessions around Surrey, long runs creeping up toward 20km, more strength work than I've done in recent years. Somewhere in the middle of all that training, I found myself thinking about the businesses that make these experiences possible. The people who build the trails, run the retreats, guide the adventures. Because without them, there's no race, no reason to lace up in the first place. And I think what I’ve also come to realise is, no story to share. Turns out, that’s a huge part of my motivation.

The one thing missing from most adventure and experience marketing

Businesses built around adventure and the outdoors, are sitting on some of the richest raw material in marketing, and many of them aren't using it. A founder who left her corporate career to build something that made her feel alive. The guest who arrived overwhelmed and left forever changed. The risk it took to build a business around something as unpredictable as the weather, or wilderness.

Those aren’t nice-to-have stories. They’re the entire reason someone chooses you over your biggest competitor.

What I see instead, across glamping sites, adventure travel companies, and wellness retreats, is beautiful photography of the location, a list of what's included, and a booking link. All very useful, but none of that is really the reason anyone actually says yes.

Why storytelling matters more for adventure and wellness brands

When someone's choosing between two glamping sites, two wellness retreats, two adventure companies that all look equally stunning in a grid of photos, they're not just comparing facilities or price. They're looking for the one that feels like it understands why they want to go in the first place.

This matters even more in your world than in most, because what you're selling isn't a product, it's trust in an experience someone hasn't had yet. People are booking a feeling they can't test in advance. Story is what lets them trust you enough to pay for it anyway.

A simple exercise to find your story

Write down the exact moment you decided to build this business. The real, honest moment.

Then ask whether that story has ever appeared anywhere in your marketing. For most founders I speak to, the honest answer is not really. And that's usually the most valuable thing sitting unused in the whole business.

Want help telling yours?

I help founders find and shape stories like this every week, and it's exactly the kind of business I'd love to work with more of. If this struck a chord, I'd genuinely love to hear from you.