I’ve been thinking a lot lately about positioning—thanks in no small part to both April Dunford (whose work I return to constantly) and a recent post from Agency Habits on Specialization vs. Positioning that stopped me mid-scroll (and prompted me to write this post).
If you know Dunford’s book Obviously Awesome, you’ll know she defines positioning not as a slogan or a snappy one-liner, but as the context that makes your offering make sense. It’s the frame that tells your audience what category you’re in, who you serve, and why you’re the best choice… in their eyes, not just yours.
Agency Habits puts it succinctly:
“Specialization is what you master. Positioning is how you say it.”
Chef’s kiss: so well said. And such a beautiful pairing.
But here’s something I see every day working with founders and marketing teams: Even when your positioning is rock solid, you still have to express it clearly. And consistently. Across proposals. Across content. Across your team.
And yes—also across every AI tool that’s now helping you draft or edit your content.
Which leads to a question I find myself asking again and again: How do we say it the same way every time?
This, my friends, is where messaging comes in.
Messaging is what turns your positioning into a repeatable, confident, unmistakably-you language system. It’s the missing link between having clarity in your strategy and actually delivering clarity in your communication.
And once you start looking at messaging this way—as the connective tissue between what you mean and what people actually hear—the rest of the work suddenly becomes a whole lot clearer.
For me, then, positioning defines your place. Messaging defines your presence.
What Messaging Really Is (and Why It Matters)
If positioning defines where and how your brand fits in the market, messaging is how you bring that positioning to life—day after day, post after post, conversation after conversation.
Messaging isn’t a one-liner. It isn’t a tagline. And it’s definitely not a set-it-and-forget-it brand document buried somewhere in your Google Drive.
Messaging is a living framework for:
how your brand sounds
what you stand for
and how to express your ideas with consistency and confidence
When your messaging is clear and documented, everything else becomes clearer too:
Your content becomes easier to create (and far more consistent).
Your team starts to sound aligned.
Your proposals, emails, and posts begin to feel unmistakably you.
This is the moment your brand shifts from sounding good to sounding cohesive—and that’s when people truly remember you.
Messaging Captures the Many Ways You Talk About Yourself
For us, a strong foundational messaging framework usually includes:
💛 Core Brand Message
The essence of who you are, what you offer, and why it matters.
💛 Purpose, Vision, and Values
Your compass—the things that keep your communication grounded, aligned, and meaningful.
💛 Brand Voice & Tone
The guide that helps your words always sound like you (critical in a world where collaborators and AI tools are touching your content).
💛 “About” Statements
The reusable versions of your story you rely on for your website, proposals, pitches, and partnerships.
💛 Positioning & Service Statements
Clear articulations of what you do, who you serve, and how it ties back to your mission.
💛 Content Marketing Mission
Defines who your content is for, what you share, and why it matters.
💛 Belief Statements & Storylines
The human truths and narrative threads that help your audience connect with you emotionally—not just intellectually.
Why Documenting Your Messaging Changes Everything
Most founders know exactly what they stand for, and their teams generally understand that, too. But in my experience, very few have those ideas and beliefs written down in a clear, usable way.
And from a communications and marketing perspective, the absence of documented messaging can create small but persistent gaps in your brand presence and content. It might, for example, lead to proposals that tell slightly different versions of your story, service descriptions that are rewritten from scratch each time, and/or content that drifts in tone because each writer or AI tool interprets your brand voice just a little differently.
But when you do take the time to formally capture your core brand message, positioning statements, voice and tone guidance, value proposition, brand beliefs, and messaging pillars, things begin to change.
Suddenly, your whole team is pulling from the same source of truth. Content becomes easier to create, not harder. Your language grows more consistent, and your communication more confident. Trust builds almost naturally, through the simple act of saying the same clear things in the same clear way, wherever your brand shows up.
Crafting your own brand messaging is not about adding bureaucracy. It is about creating the kind of clarity that frees you and your team to move faster, to create more intentionally, and to express your brand in a way that finally feels like itself.
The Real Outcome: Content That Connects
When your messaging is documented and shared, something meaningful begins to happen. Your content grows more consistent because everyone understands not only what to say, but how to say it. Your voice becomes more recognizable, shaped by the beliefs and perspectives that make your brand distinct. And your work feels more authentic, because your values aren’t added on at the end; they’re there from the first draft, showing up naturally in everything you create.
This is how content begins to connect—and to do the hard work to help you grow your brand and business.
About Forge & Spark’s Foundational Brand Messaging Sprint
If you’ve ever felt like your brand is clear in your mind but hard to articulate on the page, our Foundational Brand Messaging Sprint may be the grounding you need.
It’s a focused, collaborative process where we (our senior strategists and journalists) listen deeply, ask the right questions, and help you translate what you mean into words that finally feel true.
Together, we define your core message, voice, purpose, and positioning—and document it all in a practical, living messaging guide your whole team (and your AI tools) can use with confidence.
If you’d like to explore whether this Sprint could support your next stage of growth, you can learn more here: 👉 forgeandspark.com/contact-us
To Leave You With: A Few FAQs About Messaging
Q: What’s the difference between brand messaging and brand positioning?
A: Brand positioning defines where your offering fits in the market. Brand messaging is how you communicate that position consistently across every channel.
Q: Why is brand messaging important for marketers and founders?
A: Messaging turns strategy into clear language your team—and your AI tools—can use to sound consistent, confident, and aligned.
Q: How do I create a brand messaging framework?
A: Start by defining your core message, audience, voice and tone, beliefs, and reusable statements, then document them in a guide your whole team can use.
Remember: the clearest message wins. Let’s help you find—and document—yours.
This post was inspired by Agency Habits’ “Specialization vs. Positioning.” I wrote it with much gratitude to all the founders and marketers who remind me that clarity is an act of care. ~SE
