{"id":"0dd8b607-5d9b-4475-b661-1045fc72ed56","shortId":"Aaegdn","kind":"skill","title":"positioning-messaging","tagline":"Create a Positioning & Messaging Pack (positioning statement, messaging hierarchy, value prop, copy set).","description":"# Positioning & Messaging\n\n## Scope\n\n**Covers**\n- Positioning (category, ICP, differentiation, “against what alternative”)\n- Messaging hierarchy (core message + pillars + proof)\n- Value proposition + copy primitives (one-liner, tagline, headline/subhead, elevator pitch)\n- Channel adaptation (website, sales, press pattern-matching)\n- Lightweight message validation plan\n\n**When to use**\n- “We need clearer positioning and messaging.”\n- “Rewrite our value prop / one-liner / tagline / homepage hero.”\n- “People don’t ‘get it’—pipeline is sluggish and sales keeps re-explaining.”\n- “Create a messaging hierarchy and proof points for <ICP>.”\n- “Give me 5 headline/tagline options that fit our positioning.”\n\n**When NOT to use**\n- You need to decide *what to build* (use a problem definition / strategy workflow first)\n- You need a full brand identity system (visual identity guidelines, logo, UI kit)\n- You need only copyediting/tone-polish of existing copy with no positioning change\n- You don’t have (or refuse to assume) an ICP/use case and “alternative” to position against\n- You need a deep competitive landscape analysis before positioning (use `competitive-analysis`)\n- You want to craft a brand narrative, origin story, or thought leadership content (use `brand-storytelling`)\n- You need to set or change your pricing and packaging structure (use `pricing-strategy`)\n- You’re planning a launch campaign with channels, timeline, and assets (use `launch-marketing`)\n\n## Inputs\n\n**Minimum required**\n- Product: what it is + what it does (1–3 sentences)\n- Target audience (ICP/persona) and primary use case / job-to-be-done\n- Primary alternative(s): status quo, competitor, internal build, agency, manual workaround\n- Differentiators + proof (features, results, customer quotes, credibility signals)\n- Primary surface(s): website hero, sales pitch, deck, ads, press, app onboarding\n- Constraints: tone/voice, compliance/claims, taboo words, time box\n\n**Missing-info strategy**\n- Ask up to 5 questions from [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).\n- If answers aren’t available, proceed with explicit assumptions and label unknowns. Provide 2–3 alternate positioning directions if uncertainty is high.\n\n## Outputs (deliverables)\n\nProduce a **Positioning & Messaging Pack** in Markdown (in-chat; or as files if requested):\n\n1) **Context snapshot** (decision, ICP, use case, surfaces, constraints)\n2) **Positioning brief** (category + “against” alternative + differentiation + proof + tradeoffs)\n3) **Messaging hierarchy** (core message + 3 pillars + proof points + objections)\n4) **Copy set** (one-liner, elevator pitch, tagline options, homepage hero headline/subhead, CTA suggestions)\n5) **Consistency enablement** (“say this / not that”, internal script, sales talk track)\n6) **Validation plan** (how to test for understanding + recall; next iteration loop)\n7) **Risks / Open questions / Next steps** (always included)\n\nTemplates: [references/TEMPLATES.md](references/TEMPLATES.md)\n\n## Workflow (8 steps)\n\n### 1) Intake + success definition\n- **Inputs:** User context; [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).\n- **Actions:** Clarify ICP, use case, primary surface(s), and what “better” means (pipeline response, conversion, comprehension, recall).\n- **Outputs:** Context snapshot.\n- **Checks:** A stakeholder can answer: “Who is this for, and what will this messaging change?”\n\n### 2) Choose the “against” alternative + category frame\n- **Inputs:** Known competitors/status quo; market context.\n- **Actions:** Identify the real alternative in the decision (status quo/workaround/competitor). Choose a category frame and a simple pattern match (“<category> for <audience>”).\n- **Outputs:** “Against” alternative + category statement options.\n- **Checks:** The category is understandable without a glossary; the “against” alternative is explicit.\n\n### 3) Write the positioning brief (specific, with tradeoffs)\n- **Inputs:** Differentiators + proof.\n- **Actions:** Draft a positioning statement and supporting brief: value, differentiation, proof, and what you *don’t* do (tradeoffs/non-goals).\n- **Outputs:** Positioning brief.\n- **Checks:** The positioning could not plausibly fit 3 different competitors; proof is concrete or labeled “to validate”.\n\n### 4) Build a messaging hierarchy (listener-first)\n- **Inputs:** Positioning brief; audience pains/goals; objections.\n- **Actions:** Create: core message → 3 pillars → proof points. Add “what we mean / what we don’t mean” to prevent confusion.\n- **Outputs:** Messaging hierarchy + proof bank.\n- **Checks:** A first-time reader can restate the value in one sentence; message is memorable (see checklist).\n\n### 5) Generate copy primitives (tight + pattern-matched)\n- **Inputs:** Messaging hierarchy; target surfaces.\n- **Actions:** Draft one-liner, elevator pitch, tagline options, and hero headline/subhead. Keep it direct; use pattern matching when helpful (especially for press).\n- **Outputs:** Copy set (v1).\n- **Checks:** Copy is concrete (specific nouns/verbs), avoids vague superlatives, and matches the category frame.\n\n### 6) Create consistency + enablement assets\n- **Inputs:** Copy set; internal stakeholders; sales/support needs.\n- **Actions:** Produce “say this / not that”, internal description script, and a short sales talk track + “reset” explanation for confused prospects.\n- **Outputs:** Consistency enablement section.\n- **Checks:** Two different team members would describe the product the same way.\n\n### 7) Draft a validation plan (understanding + recall)\n- **Inputs:** Channels + time box; access to customers/prospects.\n- **Actions:** Propose a lightweight test plan: comprehension (“what is it?”), relevance (“is this for you?”), and recall (“what do you remember tomorrow?”). Include 5–8 test questions and a decision rule.\n- **Outputs:** Validation plan + iteration loop.\n- **Checks:** Plan is feasible given constraints; includes a clear “revise/keep” rule.\n\n### 8) Quality gate + finalize\n- **Inputs:** Draft pack.\n- **Actions:** Run [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md) and score with [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md). Add Risks/Open questions/Next steps.\n- **Outputs:** Final Positioning & Messaging Pack.\n- **Checks:** The pack is usable as-is by marketing + sales + founders; assumptions are explicit.\n\n## Quality gate (required)\n- Use [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md) and [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md).\n- Always include: **Risks**, **Open questions**, **Next steps**.\n\n## Examples\n\n**Example 1 (B2B SaaS):** “We’re an AI QA tool for customer support teams. Create positioning + messaging and 5 homepage hero options.”  \nExpected: positioning brief (against ‘manual QA + spreadsheets’), messaging pillars with proof, one-liner/taglines, hero headline/subhead set, and validation questions.\n\n**Example 2 (Marketplace):** “We’re moving upmarket. Reposition for IT managers and draft an elevator pitch + sales talk track.”  \nExpected: revised category frame and “against” alternative, updated messaging hierarchy for the new buyer, pitch + talk track, and a short enablement section.\n\n**Boundary example:** “Write me a logo and brand identity.”\nResponse: decline visual identity work; offer to produce positioning/messaging and a brief for a brand designer.\n\n**Boundary example 2:** “Analyze our top 5 competitors and tell me how we stack up.”\nResponse: a full competitive landscape analysis is better served by `competitive-analysis`. This skill uses your competitive context as an input to positioning, but does not produce a standalone competitive analysis.\n\n## Anti-patterns (common failure modes)\n\n1. **Positioning by committee**: Trying to be everything to everyone by including every stakeholder's wish in the messaging. Strong positioning requires explicit trade-offs and non-goals--you must choose who you are NOT for.\n2. **Feature-first messaging**: Leading with technical features (“AI-powered analytics engine”) instead of the customer outcome or transformation (“see what's driving churn in 30 seconds, not 30 days”).\n3. **Undifferentiated superlatives**: Using words like “best”, “leading”, “innovative”, or “cutting-edge” that every competitor also uses. Differentiation must be specific and provable.\n4. **No “against” alternative**: Positioning in a vacuum without naming what the buyer is comparing you to (status quo, competitor, manual workaround). Without an explicit alternative, the positioning has no anchor.\n5. **Messaging without validation**: Shipping messaging based on internal brainstorming alone, without testing for comprehension and recall with real prospects. The validation plan is not optional.","tags":["positioning","messaging","lenny","skills","plus","liqiongyu","agent-skills","ai-agents","automation","claude","codex","prompt-engineering"],"capabilities":["skill","source-liqiongyu","skill-positioning-messaging","topic-agent-skills","topic-ai-agents","topic-automation","topic-claude","topic-codex","topic-prompt-engineering","topic-refoundai","topic-skillpack"],"categories":["lenny_skills_plus"],"synonyms":[],"warnings":[],"endpointUrl":"https://skills.sh/liqiongyu/lenny_skills_plus/positioning-messaging","protocol":"skill","transport":"skills-sh","auth":{"type":"none","details":{"cli":"npx skills add liqiongyu/lenny_skills_plus","source_repo":"https://github.com/liqiongyu/lenny_skills_plus","install_from":"skills.sh"}},"qualityScore":"0.474","qualityRationale":"deterministic score 0.47 from registry signals: · indexed on github topic:agent-skills · 49 github stars · SKILL.md body (8,685 chars)","verified":false,"liveness":"unknown","lastLivenessCheck":null,"agentReviews":{"count":0,"score_avg":null,"cost_usd_avg":null,"success_rate":null,"latency_p50_ms":null,"narrative_summary":null,"summary_updated_at":null},"enrichmentModel":"deterministic:skill-github:v1","enrichmentVersion":1,"enrichedAt":"2026-04-22T00:56:24.151Z","embedding":null,"createdAt":"2026-04-18T22:16:52.671Z","updatedAt":"2026-04-22T00:56:24.151Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-04-22T00:56:24.151Z","tsv":"'/taglines':878 '1':235,339,420,843,1004 '2':313,348,464,886,953,1042 '3':236,314,357,362,516,555,583,1074 '30':1069,1072 '4':367,565,1098 '5':100,295,382,622,761,860,957,1129 '6':394,676 '7':406,724 '8':418,762,785 'access':735 'action':429,477,527,579,635,688,738,792 'ad':277 'adapt':46 'add':587,801 'agenc':258 'ai':849,1052 'ai-pow':1051 'alon':1139 'also':1090 'altern':27,161,251,315,353,468,481,499,513,910,1101,1123 'alway':412,834 'analysi':171,177,971,978,997 'analyt':1054 'analyz':954 'anchor':1128 'answer':301,453 'anti':999 'anti-pattern':998 'app':279 'aren':302 'as-i':815 'ask':292 'asset':220,680 'assum':156 'assumpt':308,822 'audienc':239,576 'avail':304 'avoid':668 'b2b':844 'bank':603 'base':1135 'best':1080 'better':439,973 'boundari':926,951 'box':287,734 'brainstorm':1138 'brand':129,183,193,933,949 'brand-storytel':192 'brief':350,520,534,547,575,866,946 'build':117,257,566 'buyer':917,1110 'campaign':215 'case':159,244,345,433 'categori':22,351,469,489,500,505,674,906 'chang':148,200,463 'channel':45,217,732 'chat':333 'check':449,503,548,604,662,712,774,810 'checklist':621 'choos':465,487,1036 'churn':1067 'clarifi':430 'clear':782 'clearer':62 'committe':1007 'common':1001 'compar':1112 'competit':169,176,969,977,983,996 'competitive-analysi':175,976 'competitor':255,557,958,1089,1117 'competitors/status':473 'compliance/claims':283 'comprehens':444,744,1143 'concret':560,665 'confus':598,706 'consist':383,678,709 'constraint':281,347,779 'content':190 'context':340,426,447,476,984 'convers':443 'copi':15,36,144,368,624,659,663,682 'copyediting/tone-polish':141 'core':30,360,581 'could':551 'cover':20 'craft':181 'creat':4,90,580,677,856 'credibl':267 'cta':380 'custom':265,853,1059 'customers/prospects':737 'cut':1085 'cutting-edg':1084 'day':1073 'decid':114 'decis':342,484,767 'deck':276 'declin':936 'deep':168 'definit':121,423 'deliver':323 'describ':718 'descript':695 'design':950 'differ':556,714 'differenti':24,261,354,525,536,1092 'direct':317,649 'done':249 'draft':528,636,725,790,897 'drive':1066 'edg':1086 'elev':43,373,640,899 'enabl':384,679,710,924 'engin':1055 'especi':655 'everi':1016,1088 'everyon':1013 'everyth':1011 'exampl':841,842,885,927,952 'exist':143 'expect':864,904 'explain':89 'explan':704 'explicit':307,515,824,1026,1122 'failur':1002 'feasibl':777 'featur':263,1044,1050 'feature-first':1043 'file':336 'final':788,806 'first':124,572,607,1045 'first-tim':606 'fit':104,554 'founder':821 'frame':470,490,675,907 'full':128,968 'gate':787,826 'generat':623 'get':79 'give':98 'given':778 'glossari':510 'goal':1033 'guidelin':134 'headline/subhead':42,379,646,880 'headline/tagline':101 'help':654 'hero':75,273,378,645,862,879 'hierarchi':12,29,93,359,569,601,632,913 'high':321 'homepag':74,377,861 'icp':23,343,431 'icp/persona':240 'icp/use':158 'ident':130,133,934,938 'identifi':478 'in-chat':331 'includ':413,760,780,835,1015 'info':290 'innov':1082 'input':225,424,471,524,573,630,681,731,789,987 'instead':1056 'intak':421 'intern':256,389,684,694,1137 'iter':404,772 'job':246 'job-to-be-don':245 'keep':86,647 'kit':137 'known':472 'label':310,562 'landscap':170,970 'launch':214,223 'launch-market':222 'lead':1047,1081 'leadership':189 'lightweight':53,741 'like':1079 'liner':40,72,372,639,877 'listen':571 'listener-first':570 'logo':135,931 'loop':405,773 'manag':895 'manual':259,868,1118 'markdown':330 'market':224,475,819 'marketplac':887 'match':52,495,629,652,672 'mean':440,590,595 'member':716 'memor':619 'messag':3,7,11,18,28,31,54,65,92,327,358,361,462,568,582,600,617,631,808,858,871,912,1022,1046,1130,1134 'minimum':226 'miss':289 'missing-info':288 'mode':1003 'move':890 'must':1035,1093 'name':1107 'narrat':184 'need':61,112,126,139,166,196,687 'new':916 'next':403,410,839 'non':1032 'non-goal':1031 'nouns/verbs':667 'object':366,578 'off':1029 'offer':940 'onboard':280 'one':39,71,371,615,638,876 'one-lin':38,70,370,637,875 'open':408,837 'option':102,376,502,643,863,1154 'origin':185 'outcom':1060 'output':322,446,497,545,599,658,708,769,805 'pack':8,328,791,809,812 'packag':204 'pains/goals':577 'pattern':51,494,628,651,1000 'pattern-match':50,627 'peopl':76 'pillar':32,363,584,872 'pipelin':81,441 'pitch':44,275,374,641,900,918 'plan':56,212,396,728,743,771,775,1151 'plausibl':553 'point':96,365,586 'posit':2,6,9,17,21,63,106,147,163,173,316,326,349,519,530,546,550,574,807,857,865,989,1005,1024,1102,1125 'positioning-messag':1 'positioning/messaging':943 'power':1053 'press':49,278,657 'prevent':597 'price':202,208 'pricing-strategi':207 'primari':242,250,269,434 'primit':37,625 'problem':120 'proceed':305 'produc':324,689,942,993 'product':228,720 'proof':33,95,262,355,364,526,537,558,585,602,874 'prop':14,69 'propos':739 'proposit':35 'prospect':707,1148 'provabl':1097 'provid':312 'qa':850,869 'qualiti':786,825 'question':296,409,764,838,884 'questions/next':803 'quo':254,474,1116 'quo/workaround/competitor':486 'quot':266 're':88,211,847,889 're-explain':87 'reader':609 'real':480,1147 'recal':402,445,730,754,1145 'references/checklists.md':794,795,829,830 'references/intake.md':298,299,427,428 'references/rubric.md':799,800,832,833 'references/templates.md':415,416 'refus':154 'relev':748 'rememb':758 'reposit':892 'request':338 'requir':227,827,1025 'reset':703 'respons':442,935,966 'restat':611 'result':264 'revis':905 'revise/keep':783 'rewrit':66 'risk':407,836 'risks/open':802 'rule':768,784 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