How to build your Go-To-Market Positioning with AI

Own a category or die trying. Positioning is the strategy underneath all your messaging.

Make sure to replace the BRACKETED INFORMATION before use.

April Dunford positioning sprint

For: Solo Founder · GTM Team

Help me build a rigorous positioning statement using April Dunford’s framework.

Context:

– Product: [PRODUCT NAME]

– What it does: [CORE FUNCTIONALITY]

– Best customers: [DESCRIBE]

– Why they chose us over alternatives: [REASONS]

– Outcomes delivered: [MEASURABLE RESULTS]

Walk me through:

1. Competitive alternatives — what would customers do if we didn’t exist?

2. Unique attributes — what do we have that alternatives don’t?

3. Value — what value do those attributes create?

4. Target customers — who cares most about that value?

5. Market frame of reference — what category do we compete in, and should we reframe it?

End with:

– A crisp positioning statement (internal, not marketing copy)

– 3 possible category names we could own

– The key “aha” insight that should anchor all our messaging

Messaging hierarchy builder

For: GTM Team · Growth

Based on this positioning: [PASTE YOUR POSITIONING STATEMENT]

Build a messaging hierarchy for [PRODUCT] targeting [ICP]:

1. Category claim — the market we’re defining or redefining (1 sentence)

2. Primary value proposition — the #1 outcome we deliver (1 sentence, benefit-led)

3. 3 message pillars — supporting proof points, each with:

   – Pillar headline

   – 2-sentence elaboration

   – 1 data point or proof

4. Tagline options — 5 options ranging from functional to emotive

5. Elevator pitch — a 30-second spoken version

6. One-liner — 10 words max that anyone on the team can repeat

Test each message against: Is it true? Is it different? Does it matter to the buyer?

Narrative framing for a new category

For: Solo Founder · GTM Team

I believe [PRODUCT] is creating a new category: [CATEGORY NAME HYPOTHESIS]. Help me build the narrative.

A category narrative needs:

1. The enemy — the old way of doing things and why it’s broken

2. The shift — a market/technology/behaviour change that makes the old way obsolete

3. The promised land — the new world your customers inhabit when they adopt the new way

4. Your product — how it enables the journey from old world to new

5. The proof — early evidence this shift is real (trends, data points, customer stories)

Structure this as a 5-slide narrative arc I can use for:

– A VC pitch

– A keynote opening

– A website manifesto section

Keep it bold. The best category narratives make people feel like they’re late to something important.

Differentiation against status quo

For: Solo Founder · Growth

My biggest competitor isn’t another SaaS tool — it’s [STATUS QUO: e.g. “spreadsheets”, “manual processes”, “doing nothing”, “internal build”].

Help me build positioning that makes the status quo feel expensive and risky.

1. Cost of inaction calculator — what is the real cost (time, money, risk) of the status quo?

2. Hidden costs — what does the customer NOT see when they say “we’re fine as we are”?

3. Before/after contrast — write a vivid before/after for a typical customer day

4. Risk reframe — flip “risk of buying new software” to “risk of NOT changing”

5. Proof points — what data or stories prove the status quo is unsustainable?

End with a one-paragraph “cost of inaction” narrative I can use in sales conversations and landing pages.