| name | messaging-positioning |
| description | Build product positioning and messaging using April Dunford's framework — competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value, best-fit customer. Use on "help me position my product", "write my messaging", "rewrite the homepage hero", or "my pitch isn't landing". |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Write","AskUserQuestion"] |
Messaging & Positioning (April Dunford style)
Position first, then write copy. Never the other way around.
The 5 + 1 inputs (work in order — don't skip)
- Competitive alternatives. What would customers do if you didn't exist? (Not just competitors — could be spreadsheets, an intern, doing nothing.)
- Unique attributes. What capabilities do you have that the alternatives don't?
- Value (so what?). What do those attributes enable for the customer? Dollarize where possible.
- Best-fit customer characteristics. Who cares most about that value? (Firmographic + situational.)
- Market category. What frame of reference makes the value obvious? (Pick the context in which you win.)
- (Optional) Trends. What broader shifts make this urgent now?
Workflow
- Interview the user through each input. Push back on vague answers.
- Draft a positioning statement:
For <best-fit customer> who are trying to <job to be done>,
<product> is a <market category> that <unique value>.
Unlike <competitive alternative>, we <key differentiator backed by unique attribute>.
- Derive messaging from positioning:
- Hero headline (≤ 10 words, states the unique value)
- Subhead (≤ 20 words, says who it's for + how it's different)
- 3 proof pillars (the unique attributes, each with an outcome)
- Objection responses (for each alternative, a one-liner)
- Save to
./positioning.md and ./messaging.md.
Sanity tests
- If you changed your competitive alternatives, would your messaging still be true? → Positioning is too generic.
- Can you finish "Unlike X, we are the only one that Y"? → If no, you have a me-too.
- Do 3 different customer segments all resonate equally? → You're probably positioned too broadly.
Anti-patterns
- "Best-in-class AI-powered platform for modern teams" — positioning salad
- Leading with features before establishing the category
- Fighting in a category you can't win (e.g., picking "CRM" when you're smaller than Salesforce)
- Describing what you do instead of what customers get
Guardrails
- If the user has < 10 customers, positioning is hypothesis, not doctrine — revisit every 90 days.
- If the user's champion and economic buyer are different roles, consider separate messaging for each.
- Refuse to skip step 1 (alternatives). Most bad positioning dies here.
