How I used Claude to write a positioning statement

I used Claude to write Shft's new positioning statement.

We're in the midst of rebranding the company — new strategy, new offer, new message, new design.

We've been attracting larger, more sophisticated companies, putting us up against branding agencies 10x our size.

Our current positioning wasn't cutting it.

Now, I've written 145+ positioning statements for B2B service businesses, all that have helped those companies stand out, attract higher-paying clients, and make a sh*t ton more money.

But writing Shft's? That was a challenge.

So I turned to Claude to help shape my thinking and ideas.

Together, we crafted a statement I love:

Shft is the only brand positioning agency that makes B2B service companies the only choice by turning what they do, not who they are, into a brand OS.

It covers everything that's true of Shft:

We work with B2B service companies
We help them become the only choice for their ideal customers
We extract differentiation from what businesses do (operations), not who they are (personality, vibes, why)
We turn that differentiation into an operating system, not just a nice look and feel

Now, let me be clear: Claude did not write this for me.

It took an extreme amount of context, my ideas, the parts of our brand strategy that existed, and used that to ask me questions and help me think through a better way to position Shft.

Using Claude to Write a Positioning Statement

Here are the steps I took to have Claude help me write a positioning statement.

Step 1: Create a Claude Cowork Project

I'm an avid user of Claude Cowork. It's far more thorough and analytical than a regular Claude chat.

Go to Claude Cowork in your desktop app

Click Projects and the "New Project" button.

Choose how you will set up your new project. I chose "Import a Project" because I already had a Shft project under Chat with dozens of documents I wanted Claude Cowork to have access to.

Name your project and choose the location.

You now have a Claude Cowork project to use to write your Positioning Statement.

Step 2: Upload Documents for Context

Next, you need to give Claude context about your business.

You'll need to work through quite a bit before engaging Claude to write your positioning statement.

I had already been crafting our brand strategy before starting this process with Claude, meaning I was able to provide a sh*t ton of context, including our personality, word choices, purpose, mission, vision, and values.

You don't need all of that to write a positioning statement.

I recommend creating a single Google Doc that includes your:

Ideal customer profile
Demographics, psychographics, problems, ideal state, transformation, DNA, buying journey, and direct quotes from clients. The more you have, the better.
Competitive analysis with takeaways
Research your competitors and uncover 3-5 key ways you can stand out in your offer, marketing, content, and experience. This will help you and Claude know what you're positioning against.
Offer stack
Create a table with information about your offers — name, description, category (main offer, low-cost offer, digital product), price, and problem it addresses.
Sales staircase
Think of this as your upsell stack — how do you take prospects from a lead magnet to your main offer? Low-cost offers, digital products, or funnels. What upsells prospects to your offer?
Existing messaging
Include any messaging you have that already aligns with your brand. Think tagline, one-liner, customer vision, differentiation copy — anything you have written for your website, marketing, or sales materials.
Process and Differentiation
Include a breakdown of your fulfillment process and your differentiation. What makes you unique, and how do you provide that uniqueness to your customers? This doesn't have to be pretty. I gave Claude a rambling brain dump of what we do and what I think makes us different.

Grab this Google Doc template to fill out and upload to Claude.

Step 3: Prompt Claude to Write a Rough Draft

Now comes the fun part! It's time to prompt Claude to write the rough draft of your positioning statement.

Here's the prompt I used:

I want to help me write a positioning statement so that I can communicate what makes shft unique in 3-7 seconds. Here is the structure to use: (Company Name) is the only (category) that provides (unique value) by (differentiated method) for (ideal customers) who struggle with (main problem). First, read the uploaded files completely before responding. DO NOT start executing yet. Instead, ask me clarifying questions (use AskUserQuestion) so we can refine the approach together step by step. Only begin work once we’ve aligned.

Step 4: Refine Claude's Outputs

The statement Claude writes for you is a rough, rough, rough draft.

Do not take it at face value or start implementing it immediately. AI is an intern, not a trusted advisor. Treat its outputs as such.

I went through 21 revisions to get the positioning statement I shared above. Claude's first draft was absolute garbage.

So, how do you refine its output?

Send voice notes with what you liked and didn't like
Adjust the context document you uploaded and ask it to try again
Rewrite the statement it provided and ask it to roast it

You can see some of my responses to Claude below:

Go all SassyJason on Claude. You need to push back on its outputs and explain yourself more. That process is the real gem here — forcing yourself to think deeper about your business.

Understand, Claude did NOT write my positioning statement.

The statement you read above was not an output from Claude. It was me taking Claude's outputs, refining them, and writing my own statement.

Step 5: Roast Your Finalized Statement

Once you've landed on a positioning statement you like, ask Claude to roast it.

Here's the prompt I used:

I'd like you to roast the positioning statement we wrote: "INSERT YOUR STATEMENT HERE" Please evaluate it based on clarity (how clear it is to those inside and outside of the company), uniqueness (how unique is the value and differentiator), and boldness (does it present enough of a bold take to be memorable and impactful). Provide your evaluation and any suggestions for improvement.

Claude will evaluate your statement and provide suggestions for improvement.

It's up to you if you want to take those suggestions.

I didn't. My team and I liked the statement above, believe it reflects who we are and how we are different, and it's easy for us to remember.

Some of Claude's suggestions weakened it.

Remember: Claude is an intern, not a trusted advisor! Use your discernment about what works for your business.

Position Your Business

Claude is a powerful tool for crafting a positioning statement for your business.

But it's just that: a tool.

Ultimately, you need to provide context about your business — your ideal customers, competitive takeaways, differentiation, offers, sales staircase, messaging, and process.

The more you have determined in advance, the easier it will be to nail a positioning statement that aligns with your business.

Understand, though, you may need to make changes to what you provide to Claude after your positioning statement is written.

A positioning statement will help refine your offers, messaging, and experience.

Give this process a try.

And don't forget to download the context document, fill it out, and upload it to Claude.

And if you're still struggling with Claude's outputs, reply to this email with the most recent version of your statement. I'll roast it and offer suggestions for improvement.

Because I'm awesome like that.

Until next week,

#SassyJason out.

✌🏼