How to Write a Problem Statement: Avoid These Common Mistakes
Learn how to write a problem statement by mastering mission, goals, feasibility and validation and make it a strategy that gets results
Get Rid of Confusion with This Messaging and Positioning Template
Craft compelling outreach with our messaging and positioning template for social impact leaders.
Craft compelling outreach with our messaging and positioning template for social impact leaders.
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View our related series on Positioning and Messaging (Toggle For More)
Messaging & Positioning Template
• Intro: (i) The Positioning Pyramid; (ii) 5 Expert Tips
• Needs: (i) Customer Unmet Needs; (ii) Persona Worksheet; (iii) Discover Needs
• Niche: (i) Ideal Client & (ii) Ideal Client Worksheet
• Differentiator: (i) Differentiators & (ii) Value Proposition Worksheet
• Category: Market Category
Overcoming Objections
• Proof
• Workflow Redesign
• Offers
Strategic Learning
• Clarify: Copy Testing
• Discover: Discover Needs; Use channel partners
• Validate: Customer Validation;
• Questions: 4 key questions (quick start)
• Scale: Smart Feedback
The Essential Messaging and Positioning Template for Social Impact Leaders
While the unique qualities of your offerings may seem obvious to you, your audience (such as customers or investors) often struggle to understand them or find them valuable.
This disconnect can lead to confusion about what the company actually does and why it’s better than alternatives.
Without clarity and differentiation, companies risk failing to connect with their audience and getting growth and adoption.
Getting this right is the foundation of launching new successful innovations.
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A Note From the Author (Dan Wu, JD/PhD)
- As a former startup SVP of Product, I've lived the challenges this covers. I've used similar frameworks and tools to build and manage responsible, high-growth products generating 6-7 figures of annual revenue.
- I help social impact leaders find who will buy, what to say, and what to sell, fusing Silicon Valley product thinking & Harvard PhD insight.
The Missing Key to Effective Messaging and Positioning
Creating effective messaging and positioning statements requires a deep understanding of your target customer and your solution. But what does this actually mean?
Traditional approaches often fail to help you identify the specific steps to identify critical insights about your customer.
Without this insight, you risk producing "word salad" - meaningless platitudes or lists of features that fail to resonate with customers.Â
With so many conflicting opinions on crafting powerful statements, it is easy to lose focus on what truly matters.Â
To address this challenge and gain clarity, consider using the strategic positioning pyramid as a framework.
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The first three items at the bottom of the pyramid are the foundation of your positioning statement.
- Ideal Client Profile: To set yourself up for success, clarify who you are best positioned to serve. This understanding forms the foundational base of the pyramid, as effective solutions begin with people and their challenges, not the other way around.
- Core Unmet Needs: What is their “dream outcome” and what unsolved challenges do they face in getting there? Understanding their “unmet” needs allows you to address relevant challenges in your solution and communicate in a way that resonates, fostering trust and excitement.
- Differentiated Solution: What's your unique yet credible solution that helps them bridge these unsolved challenges? Highlight your fresh approach that intuitively bridges the gap between their current struggles and desired outcomes.
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Once you’ve identified and validated these core ideas, the next components will build upon them to motivate your customers to take action.
- Market Category: What brief term clearly captures your offering and competitive space? Selecting the right category sets you up for success, strategically positioning you as the superior choice.
- Workflow Redesign Statement: How does your solution concretely transform their current approach to their goal? Identify their pain points to build trust, then showcase how your solution creates a clear and convincing bridge to their dream outcome.
- Proof: How can you swiftly build customer confidence in your ability to deliver? Showcase concise, targeted evidence that demonstrates your ability to guide them to their dream outcome.
- Offer: Eliminate barriers and highlight value. Employ urgency, scarcity, guarantees, and bonuses to emphasize this as an unmissable, low-risk opportunity.
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Next: 3 Expert Tips
Now that you’ve been introduced to the core ideas, read on about key tips to set yourself up for success. Messaging and Positioning Template: Five Tips for Success
View our related series on Positioning and Messaging (Toggle For More)
Messaging & Positioning Template
• Intro: (i) The Positioning Pyramid; (ii) 5 Expert Tips
• Needs: (i) Customer Unmet Needs; (ii) Persona Worksheet; (iii) Discover Needs
• Niche: (i) Ideal Client & (ii) Ideal Client Worksheet
• Differentiator: (i) Differentiators & (ii) Value Proposition Worksheet
• Category: Market Category
Overcoming Objections
• Proof
• Workflow Redesign
• Offers
Strategic Learning
• Clarify: Copy Testing
• Discover: Discover Needs; Use channel partners
• Validate: Customer Validation;
• Questions: 4 key questions (quick start)
• Scale: Smart Feedback
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