value-proposition

Value Proposition Skill

A value proposition is the single sentence that makes someone think "that's for me." Most are vague

feature-soup ("the all-in-one platform for modern teams"). This skill writes one that names the

audience, the outcome they actually want, and why you beat the alternative — the foundation every

landing page, ad, and pitch is built on. (For the category/competitive frame, pair with

[product-positioning-doc](../product-positioning-doc/SKILL.md); this writes the words.)

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:

• What it is — the product/service in one plain line.
• Who it's for — the specific audience (sharper segment = sharper value prop).
• The outcome — the result or transformation they get (not the features).
• The alternative — what they use today, and why you're better/different.
• Proof — any evidence (a metric, a mechanism) that backs the claim.

Output Format

Value Proposition: [product]

1. Primary statement — the canonical form:

> For [audience] who [need/struggle], [product] is the [category] that [key outcome]. Unlike [alternative], it [differentiator].

2. One-liner — the plain-language version a customer would say to a friend (≤12 words, no jargon). This is the headline candidate.

3. Three variations — benefit-led alternates in different angles (outcome-led, pain-led, identity-led), so you can A/B them.

4. Before → After — the transformation in two columns (their world without you → with you). This is what the copy dramatizes.

| Without [product] | With [product] |

|---|---|

| [the painful status quo] | [the better state] |

5. What to avoid — the generic phrasings to cut (e.g. "all-in-one", "seamless", "next-generation") because they say nothing.

Quality Checks

• [ ] Names a specific audience — not "teams" or "businesses"
• [ ] Leads with the outcome/transformation, not features
• [ ] States the differentiator vs. a named alternative
• [ ] The one-liner is jargon-free and repeatable by a customer
• [ ] Claims are backed by (or flagged as needing) real proof

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not list features — a value prop is the outcome, features are the proof later
• [ ] Do not write for everyone — "for modern teams" resonates with no one; pick the segment
• [ ] Do not use empty superlatives ("revolutionary", "seamless", "all-in-one") — they're noise
• [ ] Do not skip the alternative — value is relative; "better than what?" must be answered
• [ ] Do not make an unbacked claim the headline — if the proof isn't there, soften or earn it first

Based On

Value-proposition design (Osterwalder) + April Dunford positioning as the upstream frame.