Positioning

---
name: positioning
description: Define what a product is, who it is for and why it wins — when asked for messaging, value proposition, "how do we describe this", target audience, competitor differentiation, or naming a category. Do this before writing copy or a deck.
description_ru: Определить, что за продукт, для кого он и почему выигрывает — когда просят формулировки, ценностное предложение, «как это описать», целевую аудиторию, отличие от конкурентов или название категории. Делается до текстов и презентаций.
triggers: позиционирование, positioning, ценностное предложение, value proposition, оффер, целевая аудитория, target audience, сегмент, segment, конкуренты, competitors, отстройка, differentiation, месседж, messaging
---

# Positioning

## 1. Collect the raw material
- What the product actually does today (read the code/README if it is here — not the roadmap).
- Who already uses it and for what job.
- The alternatives, including the honest ones: a spreadsheet, a script, doing nothing.
- What it is *not* good at.

## 2. Fill the frame
Write each line explicitly:
- **For** [specific segment, narrow enough to recognise themselves]
- **who** [situation and pain, in their words]
- **X is a** [category the buyer already understands]
- **that** [the one capability that matters most]
- **unlike** [the real alternative, named]
- **because** [the structural reason it is better, not an adjective]

If "unlike" and "because" are weak, the problem is the product or the segment, not the wording. Say so.

## 3. Choose the segment deliberately
Narrow beats broad. "For everyone" produces copy that moves no one. Pick the group with the sharpest pain and the shortest path to value; you can widen later. Name what you are giving up by choosing it.

## 4. Rank the differentiators
List every claim, then mark each: **unique** (only we can say it), **shared** (true but competitors say it too), **table stakes** (must have, sells nothing). Lead with unique, mention table stakes only to defuse objections.

## 5. Produce the message hierarchy
- One-liner (≤ 12 words, outcome-first).
- Three pillars, each with a one-sentence proof.
- Objection → answer, for the top three objections.
- Vocabulary: the words to use, and the words to avoid (competitor terms, internal jargon).

## What not to do
- Do not invent a new category unless you can afford to teach it.
- Do not position against a competitor's weakness that they will fix next quarter.
- Do not confuse features with differentiation, or mission with positioning.
- Do not claim a segment you have no evidence for — flag it as a hypothesis to test.

## Answer format
The filled frame, the message hierarchy, and a short "risks" section: which claims need proof, which segment assumptions are untested.