April Dunford · 6 min read · Product Strategy
Positioning Prep Part 1: Decisions to Make Before a Positioning Exercise
Read the original on aprildunford.substack.com →
The article outlines updates to Obviously Awesome's positioning approach in the book's second edition, emphasizing dedicated prep work and a streamlined five-step process. It highlights critical pre-exercise decisions—timing, audience, and what is being positioned—and argues that pre-launch positioning should be treated as a loose thesis to learn from market feedback before tightening.
Key Takeaways
- Prep work is separated from the five core steps to improve clarity and reduce rework during a positioning exercise.
- Decision: determine the right time to tackle positioning and treat pre-launch positioning as a thesis rather than exact truth.
- Decision: specify who the positioning is for and which persona the messaging should target.
- Decision: define precisely what is being positioned (product, category, and value proposition) before the team begins.
Excerpt
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, a new, updated, and revised edition of Obviously Awesome is coming in mid-February. As part of the book launch, I’ve decided to launch a new mini-podcast series and a set of newsletter posts that cover the new content added to the book. Today, we will examine “Positioning Prep Work,” a new section in the book's second edition. But first, where was the prep work in the last book, and why did this change in the second edition? The Obviously Awesome Positioning Process: From 10 Steps to 5 The first edition of Obviously Awesome…