Positioning for Founders

How to be *only* option for your ideal customer

Ben Putano

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Why does audience growth seem to happen effortlessly for some people, but not others?

It's a complex question, but there's one mistake I see founders make over and over again:

Poor positioning.

Positioning is the real estate you occupy in the mind of your customer.

For example, when I say Stoicism, you might think of Ryan Holiday.

When you want to sell your solo SaaS business, you probably think of Microacquire.

Like all real estate, positioning real estate is finite.

And without strong positioning, you and your brand are simply forgotten.

How do you avoid this fate? By being FIRST.

I don't mean the best or biggest or cheapest or loudest.

You need to be first in the mind of our customer... for being you.

1st Place Positioning means being remembered for your unique combination of experience, expertise, delivery, and customer promise.

To build your 1st Place position, you need a deep understanding of:

  • Yourself -- Your story, skill set, passions, and interests
  • Your customer -- Their wants, needs, and challenges
  • Your competitive alternatives -- What customers would do or use if you didn't exist

From there, you combine your answers into a unique blend that only YOU can create:

Here are some examples of 1st Place Positioning:

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✏️ Exercise: Rewrite your Twitter or LinkedIn bio

What does 1st Place Positioning look like in action?

If you're building an audience, it all starts with your social media bios.

Using the 1st Place Positioning framework, re-write your Twitter or LinkedIn bio.

Try to answer 3 questions in your bio:

  1. Who are you? (Role, expertise, experience)
  2. Who are you for? (Topics you discuss, who you help)
  3. Why should they care? ("What's in it for me?")

Note: This is a framework, not a template. That means it's like putting together a puzzle rather than painting by numbers. It's a little more difficult at the start, but the result will be much more interesting.

Send me your re-written bios. I'd love to see them!

📚 Quick Read: Obviously Awesome by April Dunford

Want to dive deeper into positioning?

The best modern book on the subject is Obviously Awesome by April Dunford.

Highly recommend you reading, but since this is the "Quick Read" section, here's a summary from April:

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