Positioning, Messaging, and Brand Voice

Why “We’re the Best” Doesn’t Work

In the previous lesson, we explored market research and competitive intelligence. Now let’s build on that foundation. Every company thinks they’re the best. Their website says something like: “The leading solution for modern businesses. Powerful, flexible, and easy to use.”

That describes literally everyone. It positions you nowhere.

Positioning isn’t about being the best. It’s about being the best at something specific, for someone specific. It’s the answer to: “When [this type of person] has [this specific problem], they should choose us because [this specific reason].”

AI can help you find that answer. Not by inventing it—by analyzing your market research, testing options, and stress-testing your positioning against real objections.

The Positioning Statement Formula

Start with this framework. Fill in the blanks:

For [target customer]
who [key problem or need],
[your product] is a [category]
that [key benefit].
Unlike [primary competitor],
we [key differentiator].

Here’s a weak example:

For businesses who need marketing help,
MarketPro is a marketing platform
that helps you grow.
Unlike competitors,
we're easy to use.

And a strong one:

For solo content marketers at growing SaaS companies
who can't produce enough quality content to keep up with demand,
ContentEngine is an AI writing platform
that maintains your brand voice across 10x more content.
Unlike Jasper and Copy.ai which produce generic output,
we train on your existing content so every piece
sounds like you wrote it.

The difference: specificity. The second version names the exact customer, the exact pain, the exact differentiator. It gives AI clear guidance for every piece of content it’ll generate.

Using AI to Generate Positioning Options

Don’t settle for your first positioning idea. Generate multiple options:

Based on our market research:

Target customer: Solo content marketers at SaaS companies (10-100 employees)
Key pain points:
1. Can't produce enough content to meet demand
2. AI tools generate generic content that doesn't match brand voice
3. Spend more time editing AI output than writing from scratch

Competitors all position around:
- Speed ("create content 10x faster")
- Team collaboration features
- Enterprise security

Market gap: Nobody emphasizes brand voice consistency or "sounds like you."

Generate 5 different positioning statements using the formula:
For [target] who [problem], we are [category] that [benefit].
Unlike [competitor approach], we [differentiator].

Make each one take a distinctly different angle.

AI generates five options. Maybe one focuses on “brand voice preservation,” another on “content quality over quantity,” another on “the anti-AI-sounding AI tool.” Each takes the same data in a different strategic direction.

Stress-Testing Your Positioning

Once you have a favorite, stress-test it:

Here's our positioning statement:
[your chosen positioning]

Act as each of these people and give me their honest reaction:

1. Our target customer (solo content marketer, overwhelmed, skeptical of AI)
2. A competitor's loyal customer (uses Jasper, generally happy)
3. A CEO evaluating tools for their marketing team
4. A marketing agency evaluating tools for their clients

For each:
- What would they find compelling?
- What would make them skeptical?
- What questions would they ask?
- What objection might stop them from choosing us?

This is like a focus group that takes five minutes instead of five weeks. AI surfaces objections you’d never anticipate because you’re too close to your own product.

Building the Messaging Hierarchy

Your positioning statement is the root. From it, you build a messaging hierarchy—a structured tree of messages that ensures every piece of content connects back to your core position.

Create a messaging hierarchy based on this positioning:
[your positioning statement]

Structure:
Level 1: Core message (one sentence)
Level 2: Three supporting pillars (key benefit areas)
Level 3: For each pillar, 3 proof points
Level 4: For each proof point, specific evidence

Example format:
Core: "Content that sounds like you, at 10x the speed"
├── Pillar 1: Brand Voice Consistency
│   ├── Proof: Trains on your existing content
│   ├── Proof: Style guide integration
│   └── Proof: Tone matching across formats
├── Pillar 2: Quality Without Compromise
│   ├── Proof: Industry-specific knowledge
│   ├── Proof: Fact-checking built in
│   └── Proof: Human-AI collaboration workflow
└── Pillar 3: Scale Without Hiring
    ├── Proof: One person can manage 10x output
    ├── Proof: Multi-channel content from one brief
    └── Proof: Consistent quality at any volume

This hierarchy is your content strategy guardrail. Every blog post should connect to a pillar. Every email should reinforce a proof point. Every ad should echo the core message.

Quick Check: Message Alignment

Your core message is: “Content that sounds like you, at 10x the speed.”

Which blog post topic aligns with this positioning?

A) “10 Productivity Hacks for Marketing Teams” B) “Why AI Content Doesn’t Have to Sound Like AI” C) “The Complete Guide to Social Media Marketing”

The answer is B. It directly supports the “sounds like you” pillar. Option A is generic productivity content with no connection to your positioning. Option C is too broad—it doesn’t reinforce what makes you different.

Establishing Brand Voice with AI

Here’s the problem with AI-generated content: it all sounds the same. “In today’s fast-paced world…” “Looking to take your marketing to the next level?” “Here’s the thing…”

Your brand voice should be distinct. And you can teach AI your voice systematically:

Analyze these 5 pieces of content we've written
(our best-performing blog posts):

[paste 5 content samples]

Identify our brand voice characteristics:
1. Formality level (casual to formal, on a scale)
2. Sentence structure (short/punchy vs. flowing)
3. Vocabulary preferences (simple vs. sophisticated)
4. Tone (serious, playful, authoritative, conversational?)
5. Unique patterns (do we use questions? Lists? Metaphors?)
6. What we NEVER do (clichés to avoid, tones we don't use)

Compile this into a Brand Voice Guide that we can include
in every AI prompt to maintain consistency.

AI produces a voice guide like:

BRAND VOICE GUIDE - ContentEngine

Tone: Confident but not arrogant. We know our stuff and
share it directly. Think "smart friend at a dinner party,"
not "professor at a podium."

DO:
- Use contractions (we're, it's, you'll)
- Start with a specific example or story
- Use "you" more than "we"
- Include data when making claims
- End sections with actionable takeaways

DON'T:
- Use "In today's fast-paced world" or similar clichés
- Start with "Are you looking to..." questions
- Use jargon without explaining it
- Make claims without evidence
- Sound like a press release

Sentence style: Mix short punchy sentences with longer
explanatory ones. Never more than 3 sentences in a row
at the same length.

Vocabulary: Plain English preferred. "Use" not "utilize."
"Start" not "commence." "Help" not "empower."

Include this voice guide in every AI prompt and your content suddenly sounds consistent—like one brand, not a random AI generator.

From Positioning to Content Themes

Your messaging hierarchy translates directly into content themes:

Based on our messaging hierarchy, create a content theme
calendar. For each pillar, suggest:

1. Three blog post topics that demonstrate this pillar
2. Three email subject lines targeting this message
3. Three social media angles for this theme
4. One case study or customer story concept

Pillar 1: Brand Voice Consistency
Pillar 2: Quality Without Compromise
Pillar 3: Scale Without Hiring

Every piece should reinforce our positioning:
"Content that sounds like you, at 10x the speed."

Now every content idea is strategically connected to your positioning. When someone on your team asks “what should we write about?"—the answer comes from the hierarchy, not from inspiration.

Practical Exercise

Build your own positioning foundation:

Write a positioning statement using the formula
Generate 3 alternative angles with AI
Stress-test your favorite with the role-play prompt
Create a three-pillar messaging hierarchy
Draft a brand voice guide from your best content

This exercise produces the strategic foundation for every marketing activity that follows. Take your time—getting positioning right is the highest-leverage activity in marketing.

Key Takeaways

Positioning is about being the best at something specific, for someone specific
Generate multiple positioning options—don’t settle for your first idea
Stress-test positioning by having AI role-play different audience perspectives
The messaging hierarchy ensures every content piece connects to your core position
A brand voice guide makes AI-generated content consistent and distinctive
Positioning drives content themes—never create content that doesn’t reinforce your position

Next up: campaign planning. Your positioning defines what to say. Now you’ll learn how to plan when, where, and how to say it—at scale.

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Campaign Planning and Execution.