What is a positioning statement — and how to write one that actually works.
Short answer
A positioning statement is a 1–3 sentence internal document that defines where a product sits in the market relative to competitors and for whom. It answers: who is the target customer, what is the product, what category does it compete in, what is the key benefit, and why should the customer believe it? Positioning statements are internal tools — they guide copywriting, pricing, messaging, and product decisions. They are not taglines or ad copy.
The positioning statement comes from Al Ries and Jack Trout's positioning theory, formalized in their 1981 book Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. The practical template was later developed by April Dunford and others into a more testable format for modern product companies.
The classic template (Geoffrey Moore / Crossing the Chasm).
> For [target customer] who [statement of need or opportunity], [product name] is a [product category] that [key benefit, compelling reason to buy]. Unlike [primary alternative], our product [primary differentiation].
Example: "For solo founders and small teams who capture whiteboard sessions manually and lose the output before it's actioned, BoardSnap is an iOS app that turns any whiteboard photo into a clean action plan in ten seconds. Unlike generic AI tools like ChatGPT or camera apps like Microsoft Lens, BoardSnap reads diagrams, arrows, and lists — and produces a tri-state action list organized by project."
April Dunford's alternative (from Obviously Awesome). Dunford argues the classic template is too rigid. Her approach defines positioning through five components:
- Competitive alternatives — what customers would do if your product didn't exist (not necessarily direct competitors)
- Unique attributes — features or capabilities your product has that the alternatives lack
- Value — the outcomes those attributes create for customers
- Target customer — the customers who care intensely about that value
- Market frame of reference — the category context that makes your value intuitive to the target customer
This approach is more useful for products that don't fit neatly into an existing category — or products being repositioned after an initial launch.
What a positioning statement is not. Not a tagline ("Three taps. One action plan." is a tagline — a public-facing distillation). Not a mission statement ("We believe every idea deserves to ship" is a mission). Not a value proposition (which describes all the value you create; positioning describes where you sit relative to alternatives). Positioning is the internal compass that guides all of these external expressions.
Why positioning fails. It's written for everyone. "For people who use whiteboards" is not a target customer; it's a market. The more specific the target customer, the sharper the positioning — and the better it guides decisions. A positioning statement you can write a blog post that contradicts is too broad.
The test of a good positioning statement. Read it, then ask: does this tell me what we should not say? What customers we should not target? What features we should not build? If it doesn't guide those decisions, it's not positioning — it's description.
When positioning is workshopped at a whiteboard — customer segments, competitive alternatives, unique attributes — snap the board with BoardSnap. The AI reads the elements and produces a structured positioning workshop summary with a draft positioning statement.
Frequently asked
Who created the concept of product positioning?
Al Ries and Jack Trout developed and popularized the positioning concept in a series of Advertising Age articles starting in 1972, later collected in *Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind* (1981). Geoffrey Moore operationalized it into the well-known template in *Crossing the Chasm* (1991). April Dunford updated it for modern SaaS and B2B products in *Obviously Awesome* (2019).
How is a positioning statement different from a tagline?
A positioning statement is an internal strategic document — it's the compass used by the product, marketing, and sales team to guide decisions. It's typically 3–5 sentences and explicitly names competitors. A tagline is a public-facing distillation of the positioning — short, memorable, often abstract ("Three taps. One action plan."). The tagline is derived from the positioning; the positioning is the input, not the output.
How often should a positioning statement be updated?
Review annually, or when a significant competitive move, market shift, or product pivot changes a core assumption. Positioning that was accurate for an early-stage startup often needs to evolve as the product matures, the market changes, or new competitors enter. April Dunford recommends revisiting positioning every time you notice sales becoming harder or win rates dropping — both can signal positioning drift.
See it work in ten seconds.
BoardSnap is free on the App Store. Snap a board — get a summary and action plan.