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Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every
Bottom line: choosing the right market frame for your product is essential.
Traditionally, this is known as “positioning.” But most resources on positioning are too disconnected from strategy for my taste. They are useful, but only tell you how to execute on a position. They don't help you choose the right one.
Traditionally, this is known as “positioning.” But most resources on positioning are too disconnected from strategy for my taste. They are useful, but only tell you how to execute on a position. They don't help you choose the right one.
Nathan Baschez • Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every
1. Start wide open
Be on the lookout for different types of people who like your product for different reasons. Don’t assume the default path is the right one.
This advice is dangerous so I’m going to start by saying what it doesn’t mean: “wide open” does not mean “unfocused.” It does not mean “a product that tries to be all things to all people.” In... See more
Be on the lookout for different types of people who like your product for different reasons. Don’t assume the default path is the right one.
This advice is dangerous so I’m going to start by saying what it doesn’t mean: “wide open” does not mean “unfocused.” It does not mean “a product that tries to be all things to all people.” In... See more
Nathan Baschez • Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every
stay focused with the market and the customer that you are targeting but be opened for newer possibilities and other people that may not totally fit “the ideal client avatar” right away. This is where you are able to find product-fit - through allowing changes to who you are offering to.
Again, reminds me of my last client that I’ve had.
Thankfully, the founders figured out a subtle shift in positioning around the time I joined that made a big difference. They kept all three core elements in place, but started pitching it as a newsletter platform rather than a paid publishing platform.
Every • Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every
In Sum
If you remember just a few key ideas:
Positioning is choosing the market context for your product that makes growth easiest
Often the “default position” that came with the original idea isn’t the best one
In the early days, keep an open mind and consider many alternatives
Once you have some early usage and feedback, identify the circumstances tha... See more
If you remember just a few key ideas:
Positioning is choosing the market context for your product that makes growth easiest
Often the “default position” that came with the original idea isn’t the best one
In the early days, keep an open mind and consider many alternatives
Once you have some early usage and feedback, identify the circumstances tha... See more
Nathan Baschez • Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every
When you try and pitch people on a new category, typically you are met with a blank stare. People won’t listen to your whole spiel about what it is that you do. Much better to anchor on an existing category that they already understand, that way they can infer all sorts of features they assume you probably have without you having to explain anythin... See more
Nathan Baschez • Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every
It’s much better to “anchor & twist”—start with something easily understandable, and have one big new thing that is different. Substack is a newsletter platform—with payments. Superhuman is an email client—that’s absurdly fast. Figma is a design tool—in a web browser. (You get the idea.)
Nathan Baschez • Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every
Communicating “what you do”, and the value proposition behind your service clearly and concisely, is key.
Make it easy for people to know what they get out of you.
Needless to say, competing in the “newsletter” category made life easier. It wasn't perfect: most of the writers we acquired this way did not start paid subscription newsletters, and we generated no revenue off them. But still, it was absolutely worth it. The “newsletter” positioning served as a wedge, and generated a viral distribution loop where ... See more
Every • Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every
In a business context, a "wedge" strategy or "wedge approach" refers to a focused, early-stage strategy that aims to quickly establish a foothold in a market by solving a specific problem for a defined group, enabling efficient scaling later.
Here's a more detailed explanation of wedges in business:
What it is:
A wedge strategy involves identifying a... See more
Here's a more detailed explanation of wedges in business:
What it is:
A wedge strategy involves identifying a... See more
Nathan Baschez • Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every
(AI response)
All else equal, you should pick the position that makes it easier to grow, even if you have to de-emphasize something that you assumed was “core” to do it. It’s much easier to introduce a new idea once you already have a large existing audience.