2 min lesson
Positioning frameworks, applied
Use the lesson to respond to this: "In April Dunford's model, where do you start when positioning Cursor Agent?" Keep the answer plain.
Step 1 of 3
Positioning is the context you set so a feature's value is obvious to the right person before they read a single adjective. Most weak marketing skips this step and jumps straight to claims, which is why it bounces off engineers.
The cleanest model for a PMM interview is April Dunford's. It treats positioning as deliberate, not as a tagline you brainstorm. You start from what the customer would do instead of you and you reason forward to the category you want to be judged in.
Interactive diagram. Step through it with the Next and Previous controls below, or Tab to a region to read its detail.
Run it left to right on a real feature; each step constrains the next.
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Full explanation
Get positioning wrong and even great copy is aimed at the wrong target
- Question it answers
- Positioning
- What is this and why should this person care?
- Messaging
- What exactly do we say and what proves it?
- Output
- Positioning
- Category, target, the value frame
- Messaging
- Headline, pillars, proof points, channel copy
- Changes when
- Positioning
- The market or strategy shifts
- Messaging
- You learn what actually lands with users
- Failure mode
- Positioning
- Judged in the wrong category
- Messaging
- True positioning, hollow or buzzword copy
| Positioning | Messaging | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | What is this and why should this person care? | What exactly do we say and what proves it? |
| Output | Category, target, the value frame | Headline, pillars, proof points, channel copy |
| Changes when | The market or strategy shifts | You learn what actually lands with users |
| Failure mode | Judged in the wrong category | True positioning, hollow or buzzword copy |
Get positioning wrong and even great copy is aimed at the wrong target.
Learn more
Optional practice