How to Improve Product Messaging

The biggest unlock between $1M and $10M ARR wasn’t product or sales. It was messaging. At $1M ARR, I kept hearing the same question on sales calls: ”So you’re like [consumer notetaking app], right?” We aren’t a notetaker. We are the API powering them. But if every lead is comparing you to the wrong product, that’s a messaging problem. Here’s what I changed: 1/ Clarified WHO we serve, not WHAT we do Before: “Capture and transcribe your meetings with ease” After: “The API for developers to get recordings, transcripts and metadata from meetings” 2/ Positioned as infrastructure, not a tool Before: “Works with Zoom, Meet, and Teams” After: “One API to access raw meeting data across Zoom, Meet and Teams” 3/ Used technical language with technical buyers Before: “Get meeting insights and transcripts” After: “Programmatic access to real-time meeting data” The transformation was immediate: - Wrong-fit leads dropped by 68% - Demo to close rate jumped from 12% to 31%. - Average deal size increased by 67%. Your messaging doesn’t describe your product. It determines who shows up to buy it.

What if your biggest pricing problem... isn't your price? . . It’s a question that keeps founders and product leaders up at night. The pressure to cut prices in a competitive market is immense. But more often than not, the problem isn’t the number on the tag; it’s the story you tell. I recently worked with a fantastic B2B SaaS client. They had a superior product, but their trial-to-paid conversion rate was stagnating. The feedback from lost leads was almost unanimous: "It's too expensive." They were about to slash their prices by 20%. I convinced them to pause the price cut. We simply re-engineered their messaging to stop describing features and start demonstrating value - translating technical specs into tangible business results and peace of mind for their customers. For example: "100 GB of storage" became "Never delete a critical file again. Your entire team's history, secure in one place" The result? In the following quarter, their conversion rate increased by 40%.  The "too expensive" complaints vanished. We didn't change the price; we changed the perception of value. This isn't a fluke. It's a fundamental principle of value-based marketing. For example:  Starbucks doesn't sell you coffee. They sell you a reliable "third place" between home and work, a sense of community, and a personal treat. The messaging justifies the $5 cup. 💡 My Key Learnings from this journey: - Price isn't the issue; value perception is. Use messaging to close the gap. - Sell the destination, not the airplane. Focus on outcomes over features. - Frame your price against the problem, not the competitor. Context makes you a bargain. Before you consider discounting your product, take a hard look at your messaging. You might be sitting on a goldmine, just telling the wrong story. 👇 When has a change in messaging, not price, made a difference for you or your company? Share your story below! #PricingStrategy #Marketing #ProductManagement #Copywriting

Underrated positioning and messaging tactics that work in 2025 and that will still work in 2026 (with examples): 1. Say what you DON’T do right upfront (draw sharper lines than your competitors dare). E.g. “We don’t do branding. We don’t do ads. We only fix B2B homepages—because that’s where deals bleed.” 2. Pick a villain and make it personal. E.g. “Your real enemy isn’t competitors—it’s the corporate mush that makes your homepage sound like everyone else.” 3. Write copy you’d text your friends. 4. Name the uncomfortable truth your industry hides under the rug (e.g. “Everyone’s selling you ‘AI agents.’ What they don’t say: you’ll spend hours babysitting outputs and fixing sloppy drafts. The work doesn’t disappear—it just changes shape.” 5. Make your product sound smaller (specific, exact) instead of “the platform for everything.” 6. Flip aspiration into embarrassment. Mock industry’s cliché dreams and make buyers see the absurdity. E.g. “‘Seamless collaboration’? If Slack threads at 11pm is your dream, keep chasing it.” 7. Expose the industry’s addiction. Point out the dirty little drug competitors sell. E.g. “Everyone’s selling ‘dashboards.’ Because they know you’re addicted to charts, even if they don’t move revenue.” 8. Give your message a scar. Show the wound that created your product. E.g. “We built this after losing a $2M deal to a stupid spreadsheet error. Never again.” 9. Weaponize comparison. Don’t just say you’re different—show the absurdity of the alternative. E.g. “Still sending 20 PDFs to close one deal? That’s not ‘process,’ that’s punishment.” 10. Contrast confidence with vulnerability. Call out where you’re not for everyone, then double down on where you are unbeatable. E.g. “We’ll never be the cheapest. But we’ll always be the fastest.” I’ve been using these exact techniques with my B2B clients—either for homepage messaging engagements or more recently during 1:1 coaching calls—and they work. They'll still work in 2026 because clarity, contrast, and guts are wired in how humans operate. And that will never go out of style.

I’ve spent years helping B2B companies build and standardize sales messaging. Here’s my model, in five acts. 1️⃣ Define the problem Your prospect called because they have a problem to solve. Help them tell you. ▶ Reflect domain knowledge about the big issues that trigger buying cycles ▶ Land on a clear, simple, mutually agreed statement getting to the heart of the problem 2️⃣ Frame the decision You’re talking to someone trying to understand their options and choose the right one. Help them make sense of what’s in front of them. ▶ Offer your expert perspective on their options, what makes them different, and where your product sits ▶ Be honest about the advantages and disadvantages 3️⃣ Share your unique value Your company or product solves your buyer’s problem in a certain way, which unlocks value that’s hard to get anywhere else. ▶ Tell them what the unique value is ▶ Make it short, sharp, and simple 4️⃣ Break down product capabilities What new abilities do buyers gain from your product? ▶ Tell them what they will do with it that they couldn’t before ▶ It will probably come down to 3-5 short present-tense action statements ▶ Then, reinforce this narrative with your demo 5️⃣ De-risk the decision Prospects are looking for reasons to say no. Take them off the table. This means speaking directly to things like: ▶ Your bona fides ▶ Relevant case studies  ▶ Value relative to cost (i.e., the price and the business case) ▶ How you support the implementation ▶ How you stand by your product ▶ Support after the sale And anything else you need to say to diffuse concerns. After that, you’ll have your obligatory call-to-action/next steps section. But you know all about that already because you’re smart. That’s pretty much it. PS: I am sharing this as a highly distilled, foundational mental model, not a template. You can use it as a framework for writing a deck, developing a sales elevator pitch, or as a jumping-off point for deeper sales messaging and assets. This framework can support a big, lofty narrative as well or a nitty gritty, in-the-weeds approach. Treat it as a springboard, not a Mad Libs exercise.

Been studying a ton of B2B businesses lately, and I noticed something… Is it just me, or does most B2B copy talk waaaay too much about the product? 🫣 It’s a bad habit. And if I’ve learned anything from marketing in DTC, it’s this: the best copy talks about the 𝘣𝘶𝘺𝘦𝘳…in a very specific way. Not their job title. Not their pain points. But who they 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 when they choose your product. Want to write sharper LinkedIn hooks, ads, and landing pages that hit identity-first? Steal the prompt below.👇 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁: 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝘀 & 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 You’re a senior brand strategist helping B2B companies write sharper copy that connects with decision-makers—not just with features, but with how they see themselves. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹: Reframe product messaging to resonate with the identity, aspirations, and daily reality of your target buyer. Skip the jargon. Speak to how they want to operate and be seen. ⸻ Step 1: Define the Buyer Identity From the product/service description, infer the buyer’s self-image: • What kind of operator are they? • What do they value in how they work? • What do they reject or feel superior to? • What identity are they reinforcing by choosing this solution? Write 2–3 sentences that nail this down. ⸻ Step 2: Write 3 Identity-Based Messaging Hooks These should sound like something your buyer would proudly nod at, share, or say out loud when describing how they work. Use one or more of these proven structures: • “Built for [identity signal] operators who…” • “The go-to for teams who believe [operational value or mindset]” • “Not for everyone—just for [tight segment with pride in how they work]” • “If you [action or belief], this was made for you.” Avoid fluff. Lean into specificity. Make it feel like a mirror, not a sales pitch. ⸻ Input: • Product/service description: [Insert B2B offering here] • Audience: [CMOs, RevOps, founders, etc.] • Optional: Choose a tone (Straightforward, Confident, Challenger, Witty) ⸻ Output: 1. Buyer Identity Summary 2. Three Messaging Hooks for Ads or Landing Pages (Thank me later 😊)

If your company’s messaging makes people say, “Wait… so what do you actually do?”—we have a problem. I’ve seen it happen too many times. A B2B SaaS company builds a great product, hires a rockstar team, and starts selling… but the messaging? It’s vague, jargon-heavy, or—worst of all—indistinguishable from everyone else in the market. Messaging and positioning are the foundation of how your entire company communicates its value. From sales conversations to investor pitches to customer onboarding—if your messaging is unclear, everything else suffers. Good messaging attracts the right audience. If you’re trying to sell to “everyone,” you’re selling to no one. It sets you apart from competitors. If your pitch could be swapped with another company’s and still make sense, you’re missing your unique value. It makes marketing and sales go faster. A documented messaging and positioning framework is like a cheat code for your marketing team. No more starting from scratch on every campaign—just pull from the guidebook and go. More speed, more consistency, better results. It strengthens your brand and builds trust. When everyone in the company—from the CEO to customer support—describes the business the same way, it reinforces credibility. Prospects hear the same value prop everywhere they turn, which builds confidence and trust. So, how do you get it right? → Talk to your customers—constantly. Your messaging shouldn’t be based on internal brainstorming alone. Interview and survey your customers to understand what they see as the real value of your product and how they naturally describe it. Then, validate your messaging with them to ensure it actually resonates. → Be painfully clear. If a stranger outside your industry can’t understand what you do, refine it. Read it out loud. Is it something you would say in an actual conversation? Would your grandmother get it? → Lead with the problem. No one wakes up thinking, “I need AI-powered, next-gen, cloud-based synergy software.” They think, “I need to close my books faster” or “I need to stop drowning in spreadsheets.” → Document it and make it accessible. Messaging isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it exercise. It should be a living, breathing resource that every team can use and refine over time. The best messaging evolves as your company grows and as you continue learning from your customers. If your messaging is solid, everything else—marketing, sales, product adoption—works better. If it’s not? Well, you’ll keep hearing, “Wait… so what do you actually do?” What’s the best (or worst) messaging you’ve ever seen? Drop it in the comments! 👇

Stop confusing your prospects with technical jargon. You're killing your conversion rates. We've all seen it - technical founders and product teams getting way too deep, way too fast. The result? Confused prospects who bounce from your site because they can't understand what you actually do. Let's fix this with the "Dive Deeper" approach to messaging: Level 1 - Surface Level (For Everyone) ↳ Crystal clear problem statement ↳ Simple value proposition ↳ Obvious business outcomes ↳ Zero technical terms Level 2 - Mid-Level (For Engaged Prospects) ↳ Product capabilities ↳ Use cases ↳ Integration overview ↳ Basic technical requirements Level 3 - Deep Dive (For Technical Buyers) ↳ API documentation ↳ Technical specifications ↳ Advanced features ↳ Implementation details The key is to let YOUR AUDIENCE choose when they want to dive deeper. Don't force technical details on someone who just wants to understand if you can solve their problem. Remember: Confusion breeds contempt. Clarity breeds conversion. Want to test this? Show your website to someone outside your industry. If they can't explain what you do in 30 seconds, your messaging needs work. #Marketing is not magic; it's a means of communication. #demandgen #demandgeneration #b2b #b2bsaas #saas #paidmedia #advertising

If you’re a Product Marketing Manager, get out of the office. Seriously. The best messaging, positioning, and value props don’t come from brainstorming sessions or internal meetings. They come from being out in the field, standing where your customers stand, and seeing the world the way they see it. PMMs need to walk the floor. Sit with users. Watch workflows. Listen to the language customers actually use when they talk about their pain points. Because here’s the truth: you can’t fully understand a problem from behind a desk. And you definitely can’t understand how your solution fits into someone’s day unless you see it in action. When I stepped into my most recent PMM role supporting solutions that manage inventory in procedural areas like the OR, I knew the hospital world well, but I hadn’t spent much time inside an actual OR suite. So in my first two months, I spent three days onsite at a hospital in Philly. I talked to everyone we targeted: clinicians, the OR director, the IT director. I watched how they moved, what slowed them down, what frustrated them, and where our solution actually made a difference. I heard how manual tasks, like hunting for expired products, were eating up time and creating risk. And how automatic alerts changed the game for them. That trip completely reshaped my messaging. I moved from “manage your inventory better” to something far more powerful: “Take back control of your inventory.” And once that clicked, everything else, content, campaigns, sales enablement, fell into place. But this post isn’t about my visit to Philly. It’s about the bigger point: PMMs need to get out into the field. Go where your customers work. Listen to their words, not yours. Watch their workflows, not your assumptions. Then bring those insights back and sharpen your story until it resonates. Great product marketing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in the real world, shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the people you’re building for. #productmarketing #saasmarketing #b2bmarketing

Want to see the exact process I use for messaging? No? Oh well, I am going to share anyways. If you want to write great messaging, you need to answer two questions first: 1. Do you understand the customer? 2. Have you discovered the most compelling way to express your point You don't need to follow a boring messaging template to get there. You just need to develop a process for answering those questions. Here's my step-by-step messaging process: 1️⃣ Start listening ➖Have chats with 5-7 customers ➖Record the exact words describing their problems ➖Note when their tone changes or they get animated ➖Capture screenshots of their current solutions or workarounds 2️⃣ Experience what they do ➖Use your product for half a day ➖Document your honest reactions ➖Use competing products to identify differences 3️⃣ Test ➖Create headlines using customer language, not marketing-speak ➖Ask salespeople which messages they'd use in conversation ➖Record yourself explaining the product different ways ➖Share recordings to see which explanations resonate 4️⃣ Write story ➖Start with the customer problem in their exact words ➖Develop analogies that connect your product to familiar concepts ➖Create before/after scenarios that feel real 5️⃣ Adapt ➖Tailor your core narrative for different channels without diluting ➖Develop a messaging hierarchy with what to lead with in different contexts ➖Create conversational responses to likely questions or objections ➖Create a message evolution plan for changes post-launch

If your audience isn’t immediately grasping the value of your offer, these 7 tweaks will change that: 1️⃣ Stop listing features first I learned this: prospects don't buy features. They buy solutions to their daily struggles. Start with their problems, not your product. 2️⃣ Listen before you pitch Review your sales calls and customer feedback. Note their exact complaints and frustrations. These become your messaging foundation. 3️⃣ Capture their actual words Skip the tech jargon and fancy terms. Write down how they describe their challenges. This is your real sales language. 4️⃣ Map features to their problems Connect each feature to a specific pain point. Show exactly how you solve their struggles. Make the value instantly clear. 5️⃣ Simplify your message Cut out technical complexity. Focus on the outcome they want. Make it easy to understand and share. 6️⃣ Test your new approach Use it in real conversations. Watch how prospects respond. Adjust based on their reactions. 7️⃣ Create your messaging system Document what works. Build a clear framework anyone can follow. Turn successful patterns into consistent results. The result? - Lighter sales conversations - Faster prospect engagement - Clearer value proposition - Better conversion rates Remember: Features don't sell themselves. Show you understand their struggles first. Then connect your solution to their specific needs. __________________________ Struggling to explain your product's value? Let's chat! I'm Marina Kogan 🌊 I help founders position tech products as must-have solutions.