The definitive guide to writing a positioning statement

Why businesses need a positioning statement?  

The value of a positioning statement to your business cannot be overemphasised.  It provides clarity, competitive differentiation, and competitive advantage.

Executed well, the impact of a communication strategy can be considerable. It can shorten the sales cycle, attract more customers and, as part of a communication strategy, can provide you with a road map of how you can achieve your business plan.

What role does a positioning statement play in B2B PR?

An incisive positioning statement empowers an effective B2B PR campaign.  A clear understanding of whom you are seeking to communicate with will ensure the media channels and format are selected appropriately.  This will make your brand more visible.

Being specific about each product and category will ensure relevant messaging will be relayed in all of your written material, such as website pages and blogs, press releases, social media content, and also internally e.g. in staff training material.

Focusing on one single specific benefit is more attractive and compelling than a mish mash of ‘we do whatever you want’ type of communication.  A single compelling benefit provides clear direction for inspiration against which creativity can flourish.

Demonstrating how you are different from the nearest competitor helps you to catch the attention of your prospect and to be remembered.  It’s hard to remember the brand which launches just another flavour of vanilla.

How many positioning statements should your company have?

The number of positioning statements your company has will directly reflect the number of product and services you are actively selling. However, having a single, well-structured, and properly evidenced positioning statement for your lead product or service is preferable to multiple woolly statements!  The fact is that the greater the clarity, the stronger the pulling power.

How to write a positioning statement

When writing a positioning statement it’s essential to include five key elements which serve to guide and focus your communication. The five elements are:

How long should a positioning statement be?

A positioning statement should be concise, typically no longer than a few sentences. Ideally, it should be around 25-30 words, clearly conveying the brand’s unique value proposition, target audience, and key differentiators. The goal is to create a statement that is easy to understand and remember, serving as a guiding light for marketing efforts and brand communication.

Who should write a positioning statement?

A positioning statement should be crafted by key members of a company’s marketing team, ideally in collaboration with senior leadership and other relevant stakeholders.

This team typically includes marketing managers, brand strategists, and product managers, who possess a deep understanding of the market, target audience, and competitive landscape. Involving senior leadership ensures alignment with the company’s overall vision and strategic goals. Additionally, input from sales teams, customer service, and even customers themselves can provide valuable insights to ensure the positioning statement accurately reflects the brand’s unique value proposition and resonates effectively with the intended audience.

This collaborative approach ensures that the positioning statement is comprehensive, compelling, and aligned with the company’s mission and objectives.

A positioning statement template

You can use our positioning template below, by replacing the bold text in brackets, to create your own positioning statement.

You should complete one of these for each product or service you are selling to each target persona.

To [your target persona’s name], [your product/service name] is the only [category] that delivers [key customer benefit] unlike [nearest competitive alternative].

How do you use a positioning statement?

You should use your positioning statement to inform and guide your business communications; sales collateral, training materials, written briefs for marketing agencies and professional partners and, to guide you when crafting speeches and thought leadership strategies. 

What is the difference between a positioning statement and a value proposition?

The difference between a positioning statement and a value proposition is clearly explained by, marketing expert thought leader, J Michael Gospe:

“Value propositions are broad in nature and are a direct output of a company’s business strategy. They reflect your brand promise along with all the primary benefits offered to multiple market segments and the price the customer pays for those benefits. Value propositions refer to the “big picture.” Product marketers are usually responsible for developing the value proposition.

“Positioning statements, on the other hand, are a subset of the value proposition. Positioning statements are used in marketing communications programs and activities. The positioning statement includes the target audience (persona), product name, category, benefit, and competitive differentiation. Price is not a component of the positioning statement. Most importantly, positioning statements represent a plea for single-mindedness when it comes to executing specific marketing messages aimed at very specific audiences. While the value proposition reflects the wider range of primary benefits offered, the positioning statement points a laser beam at only the most relevant benefit and points of competitive differentiation that are meaningful to the persona. Positioning statements are usually developed by product marketers with input from corporate marketers.

“A single value proposition may be comprised by multiple positioning statements. They are both tools used by marketing teams to focus their campaigns, programs, and activities. However, neither provide the exact wording that will be used in any customer messaging.”