Core Narrative + Messaging

Strategic Context

Messaging is how you shape perception, and perception drives decisions.

In crypto, your product isn’t always understood. Your protocol might be brilliant. But if people don’t get what you do, why it matters, and how it changes their world, they’ll move on.

This module helps you translate your positioning into a messaging system that connects, converts, and compounds.

Whether you’re writing landing page copy, a tweet, or a founder thread–your messaging is your brand.

Mantra: Say what matters. Prove what’s true. Change what they believe.

Purpose → Make It Land: Your audience doesn’t care about features. They care about outcomes.

Approach → Start With Belief: We reverse-engineer your messaging by starting with what your audience believes or doesn’t yet believe.

Execution → Consistent, Channel-Aware, Persona-Tuned: Your messaging lives everywhere: in your UI, docs, tweets, Discord replies, and AMA intros.

What You’ll Build in This Module

You’ll walk away with:

• A crystal-clear value proposition

• A messaging hierarchy that explains and differentiates

• Emotional benefit mapping that speaks to outcomes

• A belief-shifting framework for your narratives

• Messaging tailored to personas and channels

• Objection-handling content that builds trust

• Taglines and one-liners you can test across mediums

This is the messaging system your content, product, and community can scale with.

Pre-Reqs

Before building messaging, be sure to finish:

• Brand Strategy Module – Know what you stand for

• Audience Module – Know who you're speaking to

• Positioning Module – Know why you matter

• Brand Identity Module – Know how you express yourself

→ Reminder: Messaging is not just what you say — it's what they remember

If your audience can't remember why you matter after one sentence, your messaging isn’t working yet.

Section 1: Core Message–Your Brand’s North Star

Objective: Craft a clear, compelling value proposition in one sentence.

Your value prop is your brand’s sharpest edge. It’s the line you say in every pitch, every deck, every homepage hero. It’s the one thing your audience should remember.

Template:

“[Brand] is a [category] that helps [audience] [achieve outcome] by [how you do it].”

✶ Pro Tip: Use the Brand Strategy Module and AI to generate five alternative core messages based on this template.

Example:
Stellar is a Layer 1 blockchain that helps builders create accessible, real-world financial applications by combining fast, low-cost transactions with built-in compliance tooling.

✎ Exercise: The One-Sentence Test

Now write your version:

Section 2: From Features to Emotional Benefits

Objective: Translate what your product does into what your users feel and achieve.

Features are what you build. Benefits are why people care. Emotional benefits are why they come back.

✎ Exercise: Build your Message Ladder

Build your own message ladder

Example: Stellar Message Ladder

Section 3: Chain of Beliefs

Objective: Shift your audience’s mindset by guiding them through a sequence of new beliefs.

People don’t buy features — they adopt new beliefs. You need to challenge old assumptions and replace them with empowering truths.

✎ Exercise: Map the Belief Shift

Prompt:

• What false or limiting belief keeps your user from choosing you?

• What do they need to believe instead?

• How can you prove that shift — in one line, with clarity?

✶ Pro Tip: Use the Understanding Your Audience module and AI to identify your audiences beliefs.

Example: Stellar Chain of Beliefs

Section 4: Messaging Hierarchy

Objective: Build a layered messaging system — from high-level value to detailed proof.

Not all messages are created equal. Lead with what matters most, then build trust with the details.

✎ Exercise: Build Your Pyramid

Prompts:

• Can your primary message stand alone as your homepage hero?

• Do your pillars answer the most important user questions?

• Do your proof points sound credible to skeptics or stakeholders?

Example: Stellar Pyramid

Section 5: Voice & Tone Alignment

Objective: Match your brand’s tone with what your audience responds to.

Messaging isn’t just what you say — it’s how you say it. Tone builds trust and culture.

Instead of “Guess Your Brand Voice” → Do This.

Upload or Link 2–3 examples of content that feel right for your brand:

• Tweets

• Blog posts

• Docs or community posts

• Brand guidelines or investor decks

→ You can drop them into a AI-powered prompt or your team’s shared folder and summarize the tone together.

Template: Voice, Tone, and Style Summary

Example: Stellar GTM Module Voice, Tone, and Style

Use this as a sample or starting point for your own brand voice guide.

Voice: Clear, Strategic, Actionable

• Direct and Insightful: Every section delivers a distinct insight or recommendation. No fluff, no filler.

• Strategic Context: Starts with why it matters, especially in Web3.

• Web3-Native Expertise: Assumes a baseline of knowledge; avoids hand-holding while staying accessible.

• Actionable by Design: Every insight flows into a step, worksheet, or checklist.

Tone: Confident, Pragmatic, Supportive

• Confident but Not Overbearing: Speaks with clarity and humility.

• Honest and Practical: No hype, just grounded insight.

• Respectful of Reader’s Time: No jargon unless explained. Always crisp.

Style: Structured, Narrative-Driven, High-Impact

• Logical Flow: Each module follows a narrative arc—intro → concepts → actions → wrap-up.

• Purpose-Driven Sections: Every section educates, guides, or activates.

• Concrete Examples: Uses real Web3 case studies to illustrate points.

• Modular Design: Built to evolve and scale.

✎ Exercise:

1. Upload or paste examples of content you like
   → [Upload area or text box]

2. Summarize your brand’s voice below

Section 6: Persona Matching

Objective: Tailor your messaging to resonate with distinct audience segments.

One message doesn’t fit all. Speak directly to the pain, desire, and worldview of each persona.

✎ Exercise: Persona Matrix

✶ Pro Tip: Use the Understanding Your Audience module and AI to match these personas.

Example: Stellar Persona Matrix

Prompt for Teams:

• What are your top 3 audiences?

• What emotional or functional pain points are they facing?

• What kind of transformation are they looking for?

• How would your product sound if you were speaking only to them?

Section 7: Multi-Channel Message Map

Objective: Adapt your message for every platform while staying consistent.

Your audience doesn’t read your whitepaper. They see tweets, landing pages, Discord replies. Make every message work in context.

✎ Exercise: Channel Matrix

✶ Pro Tip: Once you’ve identified your messaging pillars, AI can adapt them to different platforms quickly.

Example: Stellar Channel Matrix

Prompt for Teams:

• Are you adapting the same message across platforms, or copy/pasting?

• Is each message tailored to the audience and tone of the channel?

• Can someone go from tweet → site → Discord and feel the same brand voice?

Section 8: Tagline Sprint

Objective: Craft taglines that hit from multiple angles — clear, emotional, and cultural.

Your tagline is your handle. It should clarify, resonate, and stick.

✎ Exercise: Write 3 Taglines

Prompt:

• Try writing three for each pillar of your messaging.

Example: Stellar Tagline Sprint

Messaging Pillar: Fast, low-cost global payments

Try Another:

Messaging Pillar: Built-in compliance for real-world use

Prompt for Builders:

• For each major pillar, write:

  • A tagline your mom would understand

  • A tagline that speaks to your user’s emotion or aspiration

  • A tagline that would get shared on crypto Twitter

Section 9: Objection Handling

Objective: Identify your top objections and build content to shift belief and build trust.

Objections are invitations. Great messaging doesn’t avoid them — it answers them.

✎ Exercise: Objection Map

✶ Pro Tip: Use the Understanding Your Audience module and AI to identify common objections on Reddit and other platforms.

Example: Stellar Objection Map

Prompt for Teams:

• What are 3–5 objections your audience says (or silently thinks)?

• What new belief would make them more open to your solution?

• What’s the most effective content format to deliver that shift?

Module Complete

You now have a living messaging system. One you can use across:

• Landing pages

• Product UI

• Investor decks

• Community engagement

• Campaigns

↗ Brand Messaging Strategy Worksheet

✍️ Additional Exercise: Self-reflection exercises to uncover your authentic founder narrative