Positioning

Positioning & Pitch Copy Generator

Produces actual usable marketing copy for bootstrapped products. Not analysis, not frameworks, not "considerations" — ready-to-paste words. Every output is a deliverable the founder can use today: on their homepage, in cold emails, on social media, in sales conversations.

Philosophy

Words are the product's first interface. Before anyone uses your product, they read your copy. If the copy doesn't land, nobody clicks. If nobody clicks, nothing else matters. Positioning is not a strategy exercise — it's the bridge between what you built and the person who needs it.

Read .claude/skills/_shared/philosophy.md for the full bottleneck shift and bootstrapper framework. For positioning specifically:

The bootstrapper positioning reality:

• You don't have brand awareness. Your copy has to do ALL the work.
• You can't A/B test across millions of visitors. Your first version needs to be good enough to convert the first 100.
• You compete with "do nothing" more than with competitors. Your copy must make inaction feel costly.
• The founder is usually the copywriter. These outputs should be usable directly — not "inspiration."

Five-component positioning framework: The positioning canvas structures how a product should be understood:

1. Competitive alternatives — What would customers do if your product didn't exist?
2. Unique attributes — What do you have that alternatives don't?
3. Value — What does that enable for the customer? (In their words, not yours)
4. Target customer — Who cares the most about the value you deliver?
5. Market category — What context makes your value obvious?

Copy principles:

• Specificity beats cleverness — "Save 5 hours per week on inventory reconciliation" beats "Streamline your operations"
• Customer language beats founder language — use the words your customers use, not the words you wish they used
• Pain first, solution second — lead with what hurts, then offer the remedy
• One message per surface — the homepage says one thing. The email says one thing. Don't try to say everything everywhere.
• Proof beats promise — "Used by 500 Shopify stores" beats "The best quiz app"

Reference Books

Check references/INDEX.md for relevant frameworks. Key books for positioning and copy:

• obviously-awesome (Dunford) — The five-component positioning canvas this skill uses: competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value, target customers, market category. The primary framework for the positioning section.
• hormozi-100m (Hormozi) — Value equation (dream outcome × perceived likelihood / time delay × effort & sacrifice) for structuring value propositions; Grand Slam Offer framing for the elevator pitch and hero copy
• dotcom-secrets (Brunson) — Attractive character framework for founder-led positioning; hook-story-offer structure for cold emails; traffic temperature (hot/warm/cold) for the messaging hierarchy
• blue-ocean-strategy (Kim & Mauborgne) — Four actions framework (eliminate/reduce/raise/create) for differentiation positioning; strategy canvas for visualizing where your positioning diverges from competitors
• getting-real (37signals) — "Have an enemy" and opinionated positioning; the philosophy that products should stand for something; counter-positioning language for the words-to-use/avoid bank

Research-First Protocol

Research autonomously before generating copy. See _shared/philosophy.md for the full protocol.

Key research:

• Competitor homepages (WebFetch) — what language do they use? Where are they generic?
• Customer reviews and forums — what words do real customers use to describe the problem and solution?
• Search terms and keywords — what phrases do buyers type when looking for a solution?
• The founder's own description — capture their raw explanation for authenticity

Consume prior intelligence: If dimension skills have been run in this session, pull heavily from:

• problem-analysis: Customer language, pain story, severity framing, buyer persona
• gtm-strategy: ICP, message-market fit assessment, beachhead segment, value proposition draft
• competitor-analysis: Competitor positioning, messaging gaps, value curve, white space
• solution-analysis: Value prop clarity, differentiation, time-to-value, unique attributes
• user-personas: Primary buyer's pain story, language, triggers, objections (if run)

End-to-End Flow

STEP 0 — CONTEXT GATHERING

Extract from the user's input:

• The product (what it does, core features)
• The target customer (who it's for)
• The problem it solves (in the founder's words)
• Current positioning (existing homepage, tagline, messaging — if any)
• Competitive landscape (who the alternatives are — if stated)
• Tone preference (professional, conversational, bold, technical — if stated)
• Prior skill outputs available in session

If the product description is too vague to write copy for, ask ONE clarifying question. Otherwise, proceed to research.

STEP 1 — POSITIONING RESEARCH

Before writing a single word, understand the positioning landscape.

Research tasks:

1. Fetch and analyze 3-5 competitor homepages — capture their headlines, value props, and language
2. Find customer language — pull exact phrases from reviews, forums, community posts
3. Identify what competitors DON'T say — the gaps in messaging are your opportunities
4. Check keyword language — what do buyers search for? (These are the words that should appear in your copy)

Build the language bank first:

• Customer pain phrases (how they describe the problem)
• Customer desire phrases (how they describe the ideal outcome)
• Competitor positioning phrases (how alternatives frame themselves)
• Category language (the standard vocabulary in this space)

STEP 2 — POSITIONING CANVAS

Apply the five-step positioning framework:

1. Competitive alternatives: List 3-5 things customers would do instead
2. Unique attributes: What does this product have that alternatives lack?
3. Value (so what?): What does each attribute enable? Translate features to outcomes.
4. Target customer: Who cares most? (Use research-backed primary buyer, not wishful thinking)
5. Market category: What frame makes the value obvious?

STEP 3 — COPY GENERATION

Produce all copy artifacts. Every piece should be ready to paste.

STEP 4 — OUTPUT

Produce the full report using the template below.

Output Template

# POSITIONING & COPY: [Product Name]

Research date: [date]
Stage: [Idea / MVP / Live Product]
Target buyer: [Primary buyer in one line]
Prior analysis consumed: [List skills run in session, or "Standalone"]

---

## POSITIONING CANVAS

| Element | Finding |
|---------|---------|
| **Competitive alternatives** | [What customers do today if this product doesn't exist — list 3-5] |
| **Unique attributes** | [What this product has that alternatives lack — list 3-5] |
| **Value (so what?)** | [What those attributes enable for the customer — in their words] |
| **Target customer** | [Who cares most about this value — specific segment] |
| **Market category** | [The frame that makes the value obvious] |

---

## ONE-LINER

**The formula:** [Product name] helps [target customer] [achieve outcome] by [unique mechanism].

> [The one-liner — one sentence, under 20 words]

**When to use it:** LinkedIn bio, Twitter bio, email signature, conference intro, directory listing.

---

## ELEVATOR PITCH

> [3-4 sentences. Problem → Agitation → Solution → Proof. Under 60 seconds spoken.]

**When to use it:** Networking events, cold introductions, investor small talk (not pitch meetings — bootstrappers don't pitch), podcast guest intros.

---

## HOMEPAGE HERO COPY

### Option A — Pain-led
**Headline:** [8-12 words — leads with the problem]
**Subheadline:** [15-25 words — introduces the solution and outcome]
**CTA button:** [2-4 words]

### Option B — Outcome-led
**Headline:** [8-12 words — leads with the outcome]
**Subheadline:** [15-25 words — addresses how it works]
**CTA button:** [2-4 words]

### Option C — Category-defining
**Headline:** [8-12 words — creates a new category or reframes the market]
**Subheadline:** [15-25 words — explains what you mean]
**CTA button:** [2-4 words]

**Recommendation:** [Which option to test first and why]

---

## VALUE PROPOSITIONS (x3)

Three distinct value props, each addressing a different dimension of value. These go below the hero on the homepage, in sales decks, and in feature marketing.

### Value Prop 1: [Title — 3-5 words]
**For the buyer who cares about:** [Which pain/desire this addresses]
**Statement:** [2 sentences — the value claim with specificity]
**Proof point:** [Evidence — numbers, customer quote, comparison]

### Value Prop 2: [Title — 3-5 words]
**For the buyer who cares about:** [Different pain/desire]
**Statement:** [2 sentences]
**Proof point:** [Evidence]

### Value Prop 3: [Title — 3-5 words]
**For the buyer who cares about:** [Different pain/desire]
**Statement:** [2 sentences]
**Proof point:** [Evidence]

---

## POSITIONING STATEMENT

**For** [target customer segment]
**who** [have this specific problem/need],
**[Product Name]** is a [market category]
**that** [key benefit/outcome].
**Unlike** [primary competitive alternative],
**we** [key differentiator].

---

## TAGLINE OPTIONS (x5)

| # | Tagline | Style | Best For |
|---|---------|-------|----------|
| 1 | [Tagline] | [Descriptive / Aspirational / Problem-focused / Clever / Direct] | [Where to use it] |
| 2 | [Tagline] | | |
| 3 | [Tagline] | | |
| 4 | [Tagline] | | |
| 5 | [Tagline] | | |

**Recommendation:** [Which to lead with and why]

---

## COLD EMAIL OPENER

**Subject line options:**
1. [Subject line — question-based]
2. [Subject line — value-based]
3. [Subject line — curiosity-based]

**Opening paragraph:**
> [3-4 sentences. Personalized hook → pain identification → bridge to product → soft CTA. Written as a template with [brackets] for personalization fields.]

**When to use:** Outbound to Primary buyer persona. Pair with LinkedIn connection request.

---

## LANGUAGE BANK

### Words & Phrases to USE
| Phrase | Why It Works | Where to Use |
|--------|-------------|-------------|
| [Customer pain phrase] | [Resonates with how they describe the problem] | [Homepage, emails, ads] |
| [Outcome phrase] | [Matches their desired state] | [CTAs, value props] |
| [Category language] | [Establishes credibility in the space] | [SEO, content, directory listings] |
| [Specificity phrase] | [Concrete, believable claim] | [Landing pages, case studies] |
| [Urgency phrase] | [Triggers action] | [Emails, ads, CTAs] |

### Words & Phrases to AVOID
| Phrase | Why It Fails | Use Instead |
|--------|-------------|-------------|
| [Generic/jargon term] | [Why it doesn't land with this audience] | [Better alternative] |
| [Overused buzzword] | [Why it's noise] | [Better alternative] |
| [Competitor's language] | [Why using their frame hurts you] | [Better alternative] |
| [Vague claim] | [Why it's unbelievable] | [Specific version] |

### Customer Pain Phrases (from research)
[5-10 exact phrases pulled from forums, reviews, and communities — the raw language customers use to describe this problem. These are gold for copy, ads, and content.]

1. "[Exact phrase]" — Source: [Where found]
2. "[Exact phrase]" — Source: [Where found]
3. "[Exact phrase]" — Source: [Where found]
4. "[Exact phrase]" — Source: [Where found]
5. "[Exact phrase]" — Source: [Where found]

---

## MESSAGING HIERARCHY

**Primary message** (the ONE thing to communicate): [One sentence — the core positioning]
**Secondary messages** (support the primary):
1. [Supporting message — addresses a key objection or adds credibility]
2. [Supporting message — different dimension of value]
3. [Supporting message — social proof or urgency]

**Message-to-surface map:**
| Surface | Message | Copy |
|---------|---------|------|
| Homepage hero | Primary | [The headline] |
| Homepage below fold | Secondary 1-3 | [The value props] |
| Google ad | Primary | [Headline + description fit] |
| LinkedIn ad | Primary + proof | [Headline + social proof] |
| Email subject | Primary pain | [Subject line] |
| Marketplace listing | Primary + category | [Title and short description] |

---

## BOTTOM LINE

**Your positioning in one sentence:** [The positioning statement, distilled]

**The honest answer about your messaging:** [One sentence — is the positioning clear and differentiated, or does it need more customer evidence to sharpen?]

**Top 3 actions for the next 7 days:**
1. [Specific action — e.g., "Update homepage with Option A hero copy and measure click-through rate"]
2. [Specific action — e.g., "Send cold email opener to 20 prospects from Primary persona list and track reply rate"]
3. [Specific action — e.g., "Run `/user-personas` to deepen buyer understanding if not yet run"]

Important Rules

See _shared/philosophy.md Universal Skill Rules.

Skill-specific rules:

• Ready to paste, not ready to discuss — every copy artifact must be usable as-is. Not "consider something like..." but the actual words. The founder should be able to copy-paste the homepage hero onto their site.
• Customer language over clever language — if research reveals customers say "inventory is a nightmare," don't upgrade it to "streamline your inventory management." Use their words.
• Multiple options for key pieces — homepage hero gets 3 options (pain-led, outcome-led, category-defining). Taglines get 5. Subject lines get 3. Founders need to test, not commit blindly.
• Specificity is everything — "Save time on reporting" fails. "Cut your monthly reporting from 8 hours to 20 minutes" works. Every claim should have a number, a timeframe, or a concrete outcome. For idea-stage products without usage data, frame specificity around the problem ("You're spending 8 hours a month on reporting. There's a better way.") rather than fabricating solution metrics.
• Don't write copy for imaginary products — if the product doesn't exist yet, the copy should frame the problem and outcome, not specific features. Copy evolves as the product solidifies.
• Language bank is the hidden gem — the words-to-use and words-to-avoid lists are often more valuable than the headlines. They shape every piece of copy the founder writes from this point forward.
• This is a Generator skill — the output is a deliverable. No validation gates, no digest mode. Produce complete, ready-to-use copy artifacts.
• Source the language — every customer pain phrase in the language bank must cite where it was found. Fabricated "customer quotes" are worse than useless.