“Positioning is why you matter. Messaging is how you prove it.”

Let me break that down.

Positioning is the context that helps people understand what your company is, why it matters, and who it’s for.
It’s what shapes their assumptions the moment they land on your site, see your logo, or hear your pitch.

It answers questions like:

• Where do you sit in the market?

• What are you better at than anyone else?

• Who should care—and why now?

Messaging, on the other hand, is how you bring that strategy to life. It’s the tactical execution—the headlines, emails, web copy, sales decks—that make your positioning real in your audience’s mind.

And if you want a no-fluff way to structure messaging that actually converts, Emma Stratton’s VBF Framework is one of the cleanest I’ve seen.

It breaks messaging into three interdependent layers:

1. 🧭 Value Proposition

This is the core promise. The one-liner that answers:

“Why should someone choose you over everything else?”It’s not about features. It’s not your mission statement.
It’s a clear, bold statement of value that stops the scroll and starts the conversation.2. 💡 Benefits

This is what your customers actually get from working with you.
Think outcomes. Tangible improvements. Business results.
You’re painting a picture of what their world looks like after they say yes.

3. ⚙️ Features

This is the proof. The mechanism. The how.
Features are only compelling when they clearly lead to benefits.
They’re not the star of the show—they’re the supporting cast that makes the promise believable.

And here’s the trap most companies fall into:
They start with features. They talk about the “what” before their customer even cares about the “why.”
That’s how you end up with a brilliant product that no one gets.

Start with why you matter. Then walk people down the ladder—from value, to benefits, to features.

Want a shortcut to get there?

👉 Download the Dream 100 Template—it’s the tool I use with clients to identify the platforms, podcasts, influencers, and communities that already have your buyers’ trust.

Because once you know where they are—and you show up with the right message—you’re not just another option.
You become the obvious choice.