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Positioning statement examples (and the template behind them)

A positioning statement is one internal paragraph. It names who you are for. It also tells you what category you are in. It names the key benefit. And it names what sets you apart from the alternative. Geoffrey Moore's classic template is the fill-in-the-blank version most teams start from. Below is the template plus worked examples. Then the real debate: does a template help you? Or does it box you in? Moore and April Dunford part ways there.

Why this matters. Teams reach for a positioning statement to get everyone saying the same thing. But most fill in the template with vague benefits and a category nobody searches. The examples below show the difference. One statement guides the work; the other just fills a slide.

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The short answer

The classic positioning statement template

Moore's template (from Crossing the Chasm) has five blanks. Each one is a real decision. It's not a fill-in.

  1. 1

    For [target customer]

    The specific segment you're the best option for. Not everyone.

  2. 2

    who [need or opportunity]

    The problem or job that segment cares about most.

  3. 3

    [product] is a [market category]

    The frame that tells buyers what to compare you to. It also tells them what to expect.

  4. 4

    that [key benefit]

    The one reason to buy that matters to that customer.

  5. 5

    unlike [primary alternative], we [differentiation]

    The competitive alternative and the thing only you do about it.

Worked example: "For product teams tired of generic advice, Gavel is a framework assistant. It surfaces what named operators said about your decision. Unlike a generic chatbot, Gavel cites every answer. It shows where the experts disagree."

The cited playbook

How to write a positioning statement that guides work

A template is a starting point, not the finish. Here's how positioning experts fill each blank so the statement means something. Each step links to its source.

  1. 1

    Start from the template, then earn each blank

    Moore's format gives you the skeleton: target customer → need → category → benefit → alternative. The work is making each blank specific and true, not clever. A statement full of vague benefits is a filled-in template, never decided.

    Geoffrey Moore · Crossing the Chasm
  2. 2

    Fill the 'unlike' from your competitive alternatives

    The differentiation blank only means something relative to what the customer would otherwise use. Start from the competitive alternatives, including doing nothing. Then your unique attributes and their value fall out of the comparison. That's what keeps the statement honest.

    April Dunford · Obviously Awesome
  3. 3

    Remember the statement is internal, the pitch is not

    The positioning statement aligns your team on what you are. It is not the words you say to a buyer. Turn it into a sales pitch as setup plus differentiated value. Then you won't ship a stiff template sentence onto your homepage.

    April Dunford · Sales Pitch
  4. 4

    Avoid the generic-category trap

    The fastest way to waste a positioning statement is to drop yourself into a bland, crowded category with a generic benefit. Be familiar enough that buyers can place you. Be distinctive enough that they notice. Distinctiveness beats optimized sameness at winning attention.

    Rory Sutherland · Alchemy

Where experts disagree

Where experts disagree: is a template even the right tool?

Geoffrey Moore

gives you a fixed fill-in-the-blank statement. Category comes first. That lets a whole team align fast on one crisp sentence. The structure is the feature: it forces the decisions. It keeps everyone consistent.

April Dunford

argues positioning is contextual. A rigid template can box you in on the category choice. She'd have you derive positioning from your competitive alternatives first. Treat any statement as an output, not the starting form.

ChatGPT hands you a filled-in template. It calls the job done. Gavel shows you both approaches. Then you decide whether the template is guiding your positioning or just decorating it.

FAQ

Positioning statement questions, answered

What is a positioning statement?

It's a short internal paragraph. It captures who you're for. What category you're in. The key benefit you deliver. How you differ from the alternative. It aligns your team on what you are. That happens before anyone writes a homepage or a pitch.

What is the positioning statement template?

Geoffrey Moore's classic template: "For [target customer] who [need], [product] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [alternative], we [differentiation]". Each blank is a real decision. The category and the differentiation carry the most weight.

What makes a good positioning statement?

Specificity. A named target customer instead of everyone. A category buyers understand. One key benefit that segment cares about. A differentiation grounded in your real competitive alternatives. Vague benefits and a crowded category are the usual failures.

Positioning statement vs value proposition, what's the difference?

A positioning statement is the internal frame of who you are. And who you're for. A value proposition is the promise to the customer: the benefit they get. The statement guides the value prop, not the other way around.

Can ChatGPT write my positioning statement?

It can fill in the template with plausible words. But it doesn't know your real competitive alternatives or which customers value your edge most. So it defaults to a generic category and benefit. That context is what Gavel asks for. It grounds the answer in named operators.

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