1. Positioning & Brand Strategy
Positioning: Why You Matter
If you don’t shape the story, the market will.
Table Of Content
Strategic Context What Positioning Actually Is Position or Be Positioned Your POV Is the Growth Engine From Position to Narrative Actionable Output
Strategic Context
Steve Jobs famously said “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.”
Most teams think positioning is a tagline.
It’s not. It’s the foundation for everything–your messaging, your differentiation, your brand, your GTM strategy.
If you don’t define it, the market will. And it won’t be kind.
“No point of view? No brand.”
What Positioning Actually Is
Positioning is a strategic act. It answers four critical questions:
Question | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
What is it? | You get one sentence. Can your audience repeat it? |
Why does it matter? | The value prop: what problem you solve and for whom |
Why you? | The differentiation: why you over alternatives |
Why now? | The urgency: what makes this moment ripe for adoption |
These aren’t just comms questions. They’re product, narrative, and roadmap questions.
Position or Be Positioned
Every market is a battlefield of ideas. Either you shape the lens, or the market shapes it for you.
You have two choices:
The Jordan Strategy: Compete in an existing category. Be the best. Win.
The Thiel Strategy: Create a new category. Be the only. Own it.
Straddling both is how most projects stall. Be deliberate. Pick your battlefield.
Define the Battlefield
Don’t play on someone else’s map. Draw your own:
Define… | Ask Yourself… |
|---|---|
Category | What kind of project are we, really? |
Competitors | Who will people compare us to? |
Axis | What do we do better/differently? (UX? Dev experience? Speed? Regulation?) |
Exclusions | Who is this not for? (Be bold.) |
You can’t win the game if people don’t understand the rules you’re playing by.
✍️ Exercise
Competitor Info Template
Your POV Is the Growth Engine
Positioning is sterile without a point of view. You need to make a claim:
What’s broken in your market?
What truth is ignored?
Who are you rallying against?
What future are you building?
This isn’t fluff. It’s your lens of the world. You don’t win by appealing to everyone. You win by being undeniable to a few. If your position doesn’t turn some people away, it’s not strong enough to pull anyone in. It’s what turns use into belief and belief into momentum.
From Position to Narrative
Positioning earns attention. Brand earns affection. Community earns identity.
Get the first one right and the rest compound.
Actionable Output
Use these tools to translate strategy into action:
