Understanding the difference between to two CAN be a bit confusing - especially if you're new to marketing your business.
Here’s the cleanest way to think about it:
Positioning is what you mean.
Messaging is how you say it.
They are related, but they are not the same.
Positioning = Your Market
Stance
Positioning answers these strategic questions:
Who is this for?
What specific problem do they have?
Why should they choose you instead of the alternatives?
You're looking to determine... in what situation are they most likely to buy?
It’s the invisible frame behind
everything.
Think of your positioning as the mental box you occupy in the buyer’s mind.
For example...
“I help private practice physical therapy clinics reduce no-shows and cancellations so they can stabilize monthly revenue.”
THAT'S positioning.
It defines:
- A specific audience
- A specific pain
- A specific outcome
And that's before you ever write a headline.
Messaging = The Words You Use to Express It
Messaging is HOW that positioning shows up in the real world:
Think...
Your homepage headline
Your emails
Your sales page
Your social posts
Your ads
Using the same example, messaging might look like:
- “Stop Losing 20–30% of Your Appointments Every Month"
- “Fill Your Schedule Without Discounting”
- “The No-Show Fix for Busy PT Clinics”
Those are different messages - but they all come from the SAME positioning.
Why This Matters So Much
Many businesses try to fix messaging when they really have a positioning
problem.
So they rewrite:
- Headlines
- Emails
- Ads
- Website copy
…but, nothing improves.
The fact is, you can’t "out-copy" unclear positioning.
If you don’t know...
...Exactly who it’s for
...Exactly what pain you solve
...Exactly why you’re different
...NO amount of clever words will make people feel,
“This is for me.”
The Shortcut Test
Here’s how to tell which problem you have:
If
prospects say stuff like...
“Sounds good, but not sure it’s for me”
“Interesting, but I don’t quite get it”
“So… what exactly do you do?”
You don’t have a messaging problem.
You have a positioning problem.
WANT A FAST START TO
2026?
Book a 60-minute consultation with me.
I GUARANTEE our hour together will be profitable time or you'll get you money back.
Here's how it works:
Step 1: Email me and put "consultation" in the subject line.
Step 2: Tell me in the email what you want help with. (website or emails not producing sales etc.)
Step 3: Once I
understand that, I may ask you to send me a couple of examples or your website URL. I will also send you a payment request.
Step 4: We book our call at a mutually convenient time. I can send you a Zoom invite or we can talk on the phone.
Step 5: YOU
decide whether or not our time together was well-spent. If you don't feel you got a TON of value, I will gladly refund your USD$250. (in 20 years, I've only refunded 2 clients. One who agreed he tied my hands behind my back and that his project was doomed from the start. The other? Someone who was so difficult to work with, I made the decision to give him his money back!)
If you're having issues holding you back, this is a quick way to solve the problem and get unstuck! Small hinges can open BIG doors!
