alexe-ev Develop Positioning & Messaging
Purpose
Help teams create clear, resonant positioning and messaging that communicates product value to specific audiences.
Skill type
Conceptual skill
Use this skill when
- A product or feature lacks a clear value narrative
- Messaging is too feature-centric rather than outcome-centric
- Different teams are saying different things about the product
- A launch requires audience-specific messaging
Do not use this skill when
- Competitive differentiation hasn't been defined yet (use frame-competitive-differentiation first)
- The goal is brand or visual identity (out of scope for this skill)
Required inputs
- Product description
- Target audience or segment
- Key value delivered
Optional inputs
- Differentiation analysis
- Customer feedback or quotes
- Competitor messaging
- Sales or CS feedback on what resonates
Upstream context
Works best when:
- Target segment is defined
- Competitive differentiation is known
- Product-market fit signals exist
If upstream context is missing
Produce a provisional messaging framework and flag that it needs validation with real users.
Downstream handoff
Output can feed:
- plan-product-launch (messaging for launch channels)
- enable-sales-cs (sales messaging and objection handling)
Instructions
- Define the target audience for this messaging.
- Identify the primary job-to-be-done or pain being addressed.
- Write a positioning statement (for-who-who-unlike-our product-because).
- Write a value proposition (primary benefit in one sentence).
- Write 3 key messages with supporting proof points.
- Write a tagline or headline option.
- Flag what needs user testing or validation.
Output
Provide:
- Positioning statement
- Value proposition (1 sentence)
- Key messages (3) with proof points
- Tagline / headline option
- Messaging hierarchy: headline → subheadline → body
- What to test with users
- Confidence level: provisional / context-informed / validated
Risks / caveats
- Positioning for "everyone" positions for no one
- Feature lists are not value propositions
- Messaging must be validated with real users, not just internal reviews