- Cultish Creative
- Posts
- Grow Your Network: Matt Ackermann Is A Brand Storyteller
Grow Your Network: Matt Ackermann Is A Brand Storyteller
Here's HOW and WHY to connect with Matt
Matt Zeigler
May 02, 2025
For years, I've been connecting with interesting people and documenting insights that might help my clients and myself. What was once private is now (mostly) public.
People often ask: "How do you know all these people?" and "How do you connect these (re: random) ideas?" The answer is simple: consistent relationship cultivation and thoughtful note taking. My north star is trusting my instincts, my maps are the constellations in these reflections.
Find my Personal Archive on CultishCreative.com, watch me build a better Personal Network on the Cultish Creative YouTube channel, and follow me on social media (LinkedIn and X).
This approach has helped tons of clients strengthen their networks and unlock new opportunities. You can:
Steal these ideas directly
Hire me to implement them with you
Create your own combination that works for you
I can't promise you'll learn from me, but you'll definitely learn something with me. Let's go. Count it off: 1-2-3-4…
Do you know Matt Ackermann? Chief Brand Officer at Integrated Partners, author, speaker, and former journalist who's bringing fresh storytelling to the financial services industry? The man who's taken more center stages than the 35-year run of Phantom of the Opera and is on a mission to help wealth management brands stand out in a sea of sameness?
If not, allow me to introduce you. Matt has transformed his media background into a powerful approach to brand storytelling, helping financial services professionals break away from the "muddy middle" of blues, grays, lighthouses, and compass logos. I wanted to connect with him because he embodies something I value deeply: the ability to see patterns across different fields and build memorable experiences by connecting seemingly disconnected dots.
Our conversation is LIVE now on the Cultish Creative YouTube channel (and this Cultish Creative Playlist). Listen and you'll hear how he approaches brand storytelling, his perspective on reflecting backward to move forward, and even his experience "kidnapping" a cardinal who might become the next Pope.
In the meantime, I wanted to pull THREE KEY LESSONS from my time with Matt to share with you (and drop into my Personal Archive).
Read on and you'll find a quote with a lesson and a reflection you can Take to work with you, Bring home with you, and Leave behind with your legacy.
WORK: Start From Both Directions To Find Your Through-Line
"I kind of start from both directions. Top down, bottom up. You want to start from the top down and think about it from this way: what is gonna grab your attention? The headline's gonna grab your attention. What's gonna make people want to lean in? [Then,] Bottom up, you wanna say, what result am I looking for at the end of the day? And then you kind of gotta work those things to find the middle."
Key Concept: Great storytelling requires both a compelling hook and a desired outcome, with deliberate construction of the space between them. The most impactful content grabs attention at the beginning and creates resolution at the end, with the middle acting as the essential bridge that makes both elements meaningful.
Personal Archive Note-To-Self: I've always thought about storytelling in terms of tension and resolution, just like a great piece of music. The art has to grab you first, and leave you still thinking about it last. If you get those two bits right, you’ll have accomplished whatever belongs in the middle too.
When we pitch a business idea or promote a service online, the same rules apply. We need to know what will make people notice, and ask, what will make people talk about it after. No matter how great the middle idea is to start, without this packaging, it’s dead in the sea of sameness we’re already trying to fight against.
Work question for you: What's one message you're trying to communicate where you know the attention-grabber and the desired outcome but haven't yet connected the dots in between?
LIFE: Know Your Audience First
"It's so important, as we kind of look backwards to look forwards... Storytelling, great storytelling, whether it was round a fire with cavemen or social media, requires you to do things that are different, [especially] if you want everybody's attention so you can keep telling your story. It starts with [knowing your] audience."
Key Concept: No matter how powerful your story or compelling your brand, if you don't understand who you're trying to reach, you're unlikely to connect. Successful storytellers throughout history share one common trait: they know their audience and tailor their approach accordingly.
Personal Archive Note-To-Self: I have all these hacks and shortcuts for making connections that I probably should talk about more often. I have my shortcuts for addressing people who are different ages than me. It’s a way of packaging my message for those specific audiences. But there are more too.
Knowing what stories I can use here and now is a whole sub-theme of Just Press Record too. Remember when Josh Spector told the story about shocking his aunt with his way too explicit comedy tape after she picked him up from the airport? He didn’t read that room (err, car?). But it did instill the lesson: before you pitch, check the packaging. Make sure it’s made for who you’re delivering it to.
ps. Matt’s holy water story is AMAZING.
Life Question For You: Think about a message you're trying to communicate in your personal life. Are you considering what the other person needs to hear, or just what you want to say?
LEGACY: Give Yourself Time For Perspective
"It's hard for people to make a big impact. It's hard for people to wanna stand out from the crowd. It's easy to just blend in with the wallpaper and do your job, punch in and punch out. But if you wanna stand out, you've gotta step back. You've gotta say, what's different about me? What can I do that's going to make an impression?"
Key Concept: Your legacy isn't built by blending in. The most memorable brands and individuals deliberately choose to differentiate themselves by identifying and amplifying what makes them unique. This requires the courage to step away from the "muddy middle" and the discipline to continuously refine what makes you distinctive.
Personal Archive Note-To-Self: Why is it so scary to make an impression far too often? I think about all of the times, especially when I was a kid, that I got smacked back into line because I had an idea and the adults or teachers or cool kids in the room weren’t wanting me to do that. I know sometimes it was warranted. But I also know that speaking up and out has a place and I want to play it forward.
I don’t know that I balance this the best as of now, but I’m working on it. I like when people feel heard. I like getting people to speak up. I think I can be better at it. The future relies on more people learning the skill of being different and still surviving, when your motivations are honest.
Legacy question for you: What regular practice could you implement to give yourself more time for perspective on your work and life?
BEFORE YOU GO: Be sure to…
Check out his work as Chief Brand Officer at Integrated Partners
Listen to our full conversation on the Cultish Creative YouTube channel
Reflect on how you're building your own brand story
You have a Personal Network and a Personal Archive just waiting for you to build them up stronger. Look at your work, look at your life, and look at your legacy - and then, start small in each category. Today it's one person and one reflection. Tomorrow? Who knows what connections you'll create.
Last thing: Don't forget to click reply/click here and tell me who you're adding to your network and why! Plus, if you already have your own Personal Archive too, let me know, I'm creating a database.