lingegrace/positioning-messaging

Positioning & Messaging

Input: what the team knows about the product, customers and competitors (PRD, FAB analysis, personas, competitor notes, sales feedback). Output: one positioning statement and a messaging house that copy, sales decks and launch posts can all draw from.

How to work

1. Clarify in one message. Ask:

   • Goal and scope: a new product, repositioning, a new segment, or a new market? Where will the messaging be used first? (website, sales deck, launch)
   • Materials: PRD, FAB analysis, personas, competitor research, win/loss notes, customer quotes
   • Target customer: who it's best for. Push for a narrow answer; "everyone" is not a target.
   • Constraints: brand voice, words to avoid, legal limits on claims, language and market

   Done when you know the target customer and have at least one named alternative. If value-proposition-writer or customer-review-mining output exists, use it.

2. Map the positioning, in this order (each step builds on the one before):

   1. Competitive alternatives: what customers would use if this product didn't exist, including spreadsheets, agencies and doing nothing.
   2. Unique attributes: what the product has that those alternatives don't.
   3. Value: what those attributes let customers do (from the FAB benefits).
   4. Best-fit customers: who cares most about that value.
   5. Market category: the frame that makes the value obvious. Choose an existing category, a sub-category, or (rarely) a new one, and say why.

   Done when each step cites the material it came from, or is marked as an assumption.

3. Write the positioning statement: For who <pain/need>, is a that . Unlike , it .

4. Build the messaging house: one umbrella message, 3 pillars (each with proof points), and the objection each pillar answers. Every proof point must be real: a feature, data, a customer quote, or an award.

5. Draft usable copy: 3 tagline options, 3 homepage hero options (headline + subhead), a 1-sentence, 30-second and 2-minute pitch, plus a short list of words to use and words to avoid.

Output template

# Positioning & messaging: <product>

## Positioning canvas
| Competitive alternatives | Unique attributes | Value | Best-fit customers | Market category |
|---|---|---|---|---|

## Positioning statement
For ... who ..., <product> is a ... that .... Unlike ..., it ....

## Messaging house
**Umbrella message:** ...
| Pillar | Message | Proof points | Objection it answers |
|---|---|---|---|

## Copy starters
- **Taglines:** 1. … 2. … 3. …
- **Homepage hero:** headline / subhead × 3
- **Pitches:** 1 sentence · 30 seconds · 2 minutes
- **Use / avoid:** ...

## Open risks
- <claims needing proof, segments not yet validated>

Rules

• Don't write copy before the positioning canvas is done; copy without positioning is guessing.
• Never invent proof points, customer logos, statistics or awards. Missing proof is listed under Open risks.
• Prefer the customer's words (from reviews and interviews) over marketing language. Avoid empty words like "seamless", "revolutionary" and "all-in-one" unless they're true and specific.