Maybe you’ve built something truly valuable or you’re in charge of bringing it to market — and it’s quite special: something that solves a real problem — but when it comes to selling, customers just aren’t getting it. Instead of feeling an immediate “aha” moment, they seem confused. Your marketing team is trying different angles, but nothing sticks. Your sales team keeps saying, “We need better leads.”
At this point, you might be wondering: Why don’t people get our product? Is the messaging wrong?
This is one of the most critical yet misunderstood aspects of go-to-market strategy. If your messaging isn’t dialed into the right audience, speaking their language, and addressing their pain points, customers won’t recognize why they need your product—let alone why they should choose it over alternatives.
And yet, most brands fail to do this well.
Instead of crafting sharp, specific messaging that makes the right people feel seen and understood, they default to generic, broad statements—hoping to appeal to as many people as possible.
Why?
Because narrowing your message feels risky.
I’ve experienced this time and time again. It baffles me each time, as I know I’m working with smart people, who wants to do the right thing. I’ve come to realize that it for many people feels a bit scary to dial in the messaging to be more specific, and even the CEO would prefer to stick to a more all-encompassing type of mesaging.
Businesses often fear that by getting too specific, they’ll exclude potential customers. They believe that casting a wider net gives them a greater chance of making a sale.
This is a completely sensible human instinct—and also completely wrong.
The reality is, broad messaging weakens your positioning and makes it harder for the right customers to recognize themselves in your product.
The more specific your messaging, the stronger the connection you create—and the easier it is to stand out from competitors.
It can feel daunting to narrow your focus, but it’s always the right approach.
Here’s why—and how to do it effectively.
Broad messaging might feel safe, but it’s actually a liability. When you try to speak to everyone, you end up saying nothing memorable at all.
As Seth Godin puts it in This Is Marketing:
“When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one.”
Customers don’t connect with brands that use vague, one-size-fits-all messaging. They connect with brands that understand their specific problems, speak their language, and offer a solution that fits into their world.
Positioning expert April Dunford, in Obviously Awesome, reinforces this idea:
If you don’t clearly define who your product is for, even the best product will get lost in the noise.
You need to get hyper-specific about:
Let’s say you sell a project management tool.
It’s tempting to try this generic Messaging:
"Our software helps teams work smarter and more efficiently together."
This applies to every team, everywhere. But it’s forgettable.
Instead, try this specified, targeted messaging:
"For fast-moving creative teams drowning in email chains, our project management tool brings clarity, priorities, and real-time collaboration—without the chaos."
Now, creative teams struggling with email overload immediately see themselves in this message.
Before you can craft the right message, you need to get painfully specific about who your audience is and what their day-to-day reality looks like.
Instead of targeting “small businesses,” define exactly who they are:
Instead of: “Small business owners”
Try: “Growth-focused SaaS startups with lean teams struggling with inefficient internal processes.”
When you define your ideal customer with precision, your messaging naturally becomes more direct, relevant, and compelling.
Customers trust brands that sound like them.
One of Seth Godin’s core ideas is:
“People like us do things like this.”
Your messaging should mirror the way your customers talk about their own problems.
Ways to find your audience’s language:
If your customers complain about “losing track of tasks in spreadsheets”, don’t say “disorganized workflows.”
Say “no more lost tasks buried in spreadsheets.”
When you use their exact words, your messaging instantly clicks.
Your customers aren’t buying a product. They’re buying a better version of their life or work.
Instead of just listing features, frame your messaging around:
Let's look at an example with Automation Software
Generic messaging could be: “Our tool has built-in automation.”
Where as targeted messaging: “No more copy-pasting between apps—our tool automates busywork so you can focus on real work.”
This speaks to the customer’s real frustration (wasting time on manual tasks) and positions the product as a clear fix.
It’s one thing to write what you think is great messaging. But how do you know if it actually connects with your customers?
When Airbnb first launched, the dominant messaging in the travel industry revolved around luxury hotels and standardized accommodations. Instead of competing on the same grounds, Airbnb focused on a specific type of traveler—those looking for unique, local, and more personal experiences.
“Belong Anywhere.”
Rather than advertising “affordable vacation rentals,” Airbnb speaks to the deeper desire of travelers who want to immerse themselves in a new place, not just visit it. Their messaging resonates deeply with people looking for authentic, non-touristy experiences.
It directly appeals to travelers who crave meaningful connections and personalization rather than just a place to sleep.
Before Notion, project management and note-taking apps focused on efficiency and organization. Their messaging typically highlighted features like “task lists,” “collaboration,” and “workflow automation.”
Notion took a different approach. They positioned themselves for creatives, thinkers, and knowledge workers who needed a flexible and customizable workspace:
“The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.”
Instead of just saying they’re another productivity tool, Notion acknowledges that users don’t just want to be more efficient—they want a workspace that adapts to their way of thinking and can support the specific needs, their user has.
The messaging resonates with users who want a visual and customizable experience, rather than a rigid project management tool.
If you do this right, your customers won’t just understand your product — they’ll feel like it was made just for them.
Obviously Awesome by April Dunford
This Is Marketing by Seth Godin
Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller