How to Write a Positioning Statement: Template and Examples

A positioning statement is a short internal document, usually two sentences, that sets out who your product is for, what it does for them and why they should choose it over the alternatives. Your team uses it as the reference point for your website, ads, sales conversations and product decisions, so customers hear one clear story wherever they meet you.

Audience and positioning are the first things I work on with any business, because every campaign, channel and brief after that draws on the same answers. This guide gives you a template, the five inputs that go into it and four examples you can borrow from.

A positioning statement template

The most widely used format comes from Geoffrey Moore’s book Crossing the Chasm, and it has lasted because it makes you fill in every part:

For [target customer] who [need or opportunity], [brand] is a [category] that [main benefit]. Unlike [main alternative], [brand] [what makes you different].

The quality of the statement depends on the thinking you bring to it. April Dunford’s book Obviously Awesome sets out a helpful order for that thinking, which I’ve adapted below. I’d work through it with your team, with your best customer data to hand.

Five inputs to gather before you write

1. The alternatives your customers would choose

List what customers would do if you didn’t exist. That usually includes direct competitors, along with spreadsheets, an agency, a part-time hire or leaving the problem alone. Recent customers are your best source here, so ask them what they were using before they came to you.

2. What you have that those alternatives lack

Write down the features, experience and ways of working that set you apart from that list. Specific, provable points work best here, so keep the ones a customer could check for themselves.

3. The value those differences create

Translate each difference into a result for the customer. A scheduling app built around New Zealand employment rules gives a business owner a compliant roster in minutes, and that result is what they’re buying.

4. The customers who care most about that value

Look at the customers who bought quickly, stayed longest and referred others, then describe what they have in common. A situation often tells you more than a demographic, so note what was happening in their life or business when they came looking for you. This work doubles as your ideal customer profile.

5. The category that frames it all

Your category tells buyers what to compare you with, so choose the one that puts your strengths in the best light. A clear, familiar category also makes you easier for search engines and AI assistants to describe.

How to write and test your statement

With those inputs in hand, draft three versions using the words your customers use. Then run the strongest one past these questions:

• Could a new team member explain it to a customer after reading it once?

• Would a recent customer recognise themselves in it?

• Does your sales team use the same language on calls?

• Could you prove every claim if someone asked?

If a competitor could sign the same statement, go back to input two and get more specific.

Positioning statement examples

The first three examples are made up to show the format across different sectors. The fourth is my own.

B2B software

For hospitality owners with 10 to 50 staff who spend hours every week building rosters, [Brand] is a workforce scheduling app that produces a compliant roster in minutes. Unlike spreadsheets and payroll add-ons, [Brand] is built around New Zealand employment rules.

Consumer food

For busy parents who want a lunchbox snack they feel good about, [Brand] is a range of snack bars made from five ingredients or fewer. Unlike most supermarket muesli bars, [Brand] gets all of its sweetness from fruit.

Challenger telco

For households who want reliable broadband without a contract, [Brand] is an internet provider that has you connected within a day. Unlike the large telcos, [Brand] answers every support call in New Zealand.

Fractional CMO

For founder-led businesses turning over $2m to $10m who know marketing matters and have no senior person to own it, Katie Parker is a fractional CMO who sets the strategy and takes responsibility for the results. Unlike an agency working from a brief, Katie writes the brief, decides where the budget goes and manages the specialists, so the founder has one plan and one relationship.

How it fits with brand positioning and your tagline

Brand positioning is the place you want to hold in customers’ minds. Your positioning statement records that decision for your team in plain language, and your tagline and headlines express it to the outside world in a more creative way. Keeping the statement plain gives your creative team and agencies a clear brief to work from.

Putting your positioning statement to work

Add it to the top of every brief and use it to review your homepage, your sales deck and your ads. It’s also worth revisiting whenever you relaunch, move towards a new audience or see what used to work start to slow. When that happens, your positioning becomes the first step in a new go-to-market strategy.

Common questions

How long should a positioning statement be?

One or two sentences is ideal. The inputs behind it can run to a few pages, and that supporting work is well worth keeping.

Is a positioning statement the same as a value proposition?

They’re closely related. A positioning statement is written for your team and includes your competitive alternatives, while a value proposition is written for customers and focuses on what they’ll gain.

Who should write it?

The founder and the people closest to customers, usually sales, support and marketing. Their combined view gives you a statement the whole business can stand behind.

Your next step

If you’d like a second pair of eyes on yours, book a free 30-minute call. I love this work, and it’s often where the biggest gains are hiding.