What are good messaging framework resources that you use?

We think of messaging in three tiers and have different frameworks for each. Product marketing usually collaborates with PR and brand for Level 0 and Level 1, while we own Level 2. Level 0 Messaging: Highest-level company messaging, found in press releases, first sales decks slides, the “about us” section Mission — Your battle cry; why you wake up and work every day Vision — Where you’re going if your mission is successful, aspirational and inspirational Audience — Who you sell to (be as specifi ...Read More

We’ve developed a few of our own frameworks over the years based on jobs-to-be-done. It’s an approach that runs counterintuitive to classic, persona-based marketing, and does so purposefully. Focusing on customer attributes really means focusing on what you want to sell, rather than what your customers actually need. Those customers come from a variety of backgrounds, industries, and verticals, but their one commonality is their motivation, the Job-to-be-Done. I had to fundamentally change my ap ...Read More

A couple to try out. Here’s a combined messaging source doc that I use every time I start working with one of our portfolio companies. Inherited from Citrix days and then adapted over time. Hope it’s helpful! The second one is one I've been working on for a year and am sharing with the Sharebird community before publishing for feedback. The core idea is that I've that that a lot of messaging focuses too much on product/benefit and not enough on fitting the narrative into a broader context of how ...Read More

MESSAGING FRAMEWORK Andy Raskin broke down our Zuora messaging framework perfectly: The Greatest Sales Deck I’ve Ever Seen This messaging framework we use has 5 elements:  Name a Big, Relevant Change in the World Show There’ll Be Winners and Losers Tease the Promised Land Introduce Features as “Magic Gifts” for Overcoming Obstacles to the Promised Land Present Evidence that You Can Make the Story Come True Another good messaging framework Andy Raskin breaks down well is a keynote by Elon Musk  E ...Read More

There are a lot of messaging frameworks out there. If you are on the hunt for templates, check out April Dunford's website (Obviously Awesome is a must-read of Product Marketers) or the Product Marketing Alliance. In general, a messaging doc should be the single source of truth and act as the building block for any external-facing language used in your marketing. Also, it's likely that you won't always be there to walk folks through the document, so it should be as clear and self-explanatory as ...Read More

With messaging, simpler is better. Messaging should be crisp and devoid of jargon. There are three resources I use, and the resource would depend on the project, e.g. company messaging vs. product messaging:  Mother story: write a 3-4 narrative about your company. What is the change that inspired its creation and your vision for the future state? I am a huge fan of this because you can tackle narrative, mission, and values at once.  I also use a "Mad Lib" format that many PR/comms people use:  _ ...Read More

I usually have one or several resources of the following resources open when I'm developing a new messaging strategy. 1. Doug Kessler's "Irresistable Content for Immovable Prospects " [Slideshare] 2. Andy Raskin's "Promised Land " pitch [Medium] 3. Donald Miller's "Storybrand " template [Blog] - I recommend you buy his book for it to fully make sense I also developed my own product messaging framework which I use to audit/teardown existing a company's existing messaging.  I would recommend using ...Read More

Hmmm … this depends on what you’re launching. The most important things to understand when you’re creating any messaging is who your audience is, what is the benefit to them, and how you'll reach them. This is a great read if you’re just getting started (and something I make my new hires read): https://medium.com/startup-grind/people-dont-buy-products-they-buy-better-versions-of-themselves-2ce85fdb5ff1   In general, the framework is only as important as the message you’re trying to deliver. Play ...Read More

The positioning framework I use was developed by my partner and co-founder when he was at Microsoft in the mid-80s. After he became a consultant I engaged him extensively over a two-year period during which we positioned more than 15 B2B software products, fine-tuned the framework and continued to do so once we founded Messages that Matter in early 2001. The framework is simple, logical and helps you create the ideal positioning statement for your B2B product. All you do is answer seven question ...Read More