How to write a positioning statement
Decide the five inputs first: competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value, best-fit customers and market category. Then fill Geoffrey Moore’s template: For [customer] who [need], [product] is a [category] that [value]. Unlike [alternative], we [difference]. Test it against real deals and cut any claim an alternative could also make.
Step by step
List real alternatives
From won and lost deals.
Find unique attributes
Only what alternatives lack.
Map value
What each attribute lets customers do.
Name who cares most
Traits, not just firmographics.
Choose the category
The frame that makes value obvious.
Write the sentence
Then read it to a customer.
Positioning comes first
April Dunford argues that a fill-in-the-blank positioning statement is a weak way to do the positioning. It assumes there is only one right answer. The sentence it produces is awkward and rarely used again, and it can make a team feel finished. The five decisions come first. The statement is an internal check, not customer-facing copy.
FAQs
Who should write it?
The founder or product marketing lead, with sales and product agreeing before it is final.
Should I start by filling in the blanks?
No. Dunford’s point is that the blanks assume you already know the answers. Decide alternatives, value, customer and category first, then summarize. Keep that sentence off the homepage.