To every copywriter masquerading as a positioning expert, try this experiment. And if you’re hiring one, do this first.

Here’s the test:

Take these exact words: “We make AI work for you.”

Now imagine three companies saying it:

• ChatGPT
• A random AI wrapper startup
• IBM Watson

Feel the difference?

When ChatGPT says it, you believe it. They own AI conversation in your mind. When the startup says it, it’s noise. Another “revolutionary” AI tool. When IBM Watson says it, you remember they lost Jeopardy relevance years ago.

Same words. Completely different meaning.

The words didn’t change. The identity behind them did.

This is the difference between copywriting and positioning. And it’s why most “positioning experts” are actually copywriters with confidence.

Now Try It with Humans

Take these exact words: “I help companies grow.”

Now imagine three people saying it:

• Elon Musk
• Your LinkedIn “growth hacker” connection with 47 followers
• The McKinsey partner who killed your last company’s culture

When Musk says it, you think Tesla, SpaceX, PayPal — undeniable proven scale. When the growth hacker says it, you scroll past. When the consultant says it, you remember the crater they left behind.

Same promise. Wildly different belief.

This isn’t about credentials. It’s about identity. What you own in minds before you speak.

The reality:

Copywriters perfect what you say. Positioning determines what you are.

A copywriter can craft “We make AI work for you” into beautiful landing pages, compelling headlines, and persuasive frameworks.

But if you don’t own a concept in the mind (if you haven’t claimed mental territory), those words are just decoration on an empty house.

Try this second experiment:

Tesla says: “Accelerating sustainable transport.” Now imagine Volkswagen saying the exact same thing. One owns “future.” The other owns “diesel scandal.” One has architectural proof. The other has articulation. One IS the position. The other is SAYING words.

The market doesn’t hear your words. It hears your identity.

The Identity Test

Real positioning passes this test:

1. Remove all your words. No taglines, no messaging, no copy. Just your company name.
2. What concept immediately comes to mind?

ChatGPT = AI itself
Volvo = Safety
Amazon = Everything
Google = Search
Tesla = Future

Now try it with companies that only have copywriting:

Most AI startups = ???
Most SaaS companies = ???
Most agencies = ???
Your competitors = ???

Nothing. Because they perfected articulation without owning anything.

What This Means for Founders

Stop asking copywriters to “develop your positioning.” They’ll give you messages, not mental ownership. Stop confusing better articulation with stronger position. You can word-perfect your way to irrelevance.

Stop believing that what you SAY shapes what you ARE. It’s exactly backwards.

Your positioning isn’t your words. It’s what the market believes about you before you open your mouth.

The Copywriter’s Trap

Watch copywriters try to solve positioning problems:

• “Let’s A/B test different value props”
• “We need stronger differentiators”
• “Our messaging hierarchy needs work”
• “The tagline doesn’t resonate”

They’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Perfecting words when the problem is the absence of identity.

A great copywriter with strong positioning creates magic. They help uncover what you already own (uncover it) and then articulate it. A great copywriter without positioning creates beautiful, yet forgettable, noise.

How to Spot Real Positioning Work

Fake positioning expert: “Here’s your messaging framework, value props, and taglines,” and the dumbest of all, “Your positioning statement.”

Real positioning work: “Here’s the mental territory you can own and the architectural changes (inside out business strategy, capital allocation and so on) to claim it”

Fake: Starts with your product and works outward
Real: Starts with available mental territory and works inward

Fake: Delivers words
Real: Delivers identity

Fake: Can be implemented by marketing
Real: Requires CEO commitment and organizational change

The Personal Positioning Truth

This applies to individuals too. Watch LinkedIn “thought leaders” use identical words:

• “I help founders scale”
• “I unlock growth”
• “I drive transformation”

But when Naval says something, you listen. When your feed’s 50th “growth expert” says it, you scroll. Naval owns “wealth creation philosophy.” The others own nothing. They have words, not position.

The Uncomfortable Conclusion

Most companies hiring “positioning consultants” are actually hiring expensive copywriters. They get a beautiful articulation of what they do, not a transformation into what they are.

They get messages that sound strategic. They get frameworks that feel comprehensive. They get words that test well. They don’t get positioning. Because positioning isn’t about words.

It’s about owning a noun in the mind.

ChatGPT doesn’t say “AI” in every sentence.
They don’t need to. They own it.

Volvo doesn’t say “safety” constantly.
They ARE safety.

Tesla doesn’t explain “future.”
Their existence proves it.

Amazon doesn’t claim “everything.”
Their behaviour demonstrates it.

The Test for Your Company

1. What noun do you want to own? (Not adjective. Noun.)
2. What would you have to sacrifice to own it?
3. What architectural changes would make ownership inevitable?
4. How would your business model have to change?
5. What would you have to stop doing?

If your “positioning expert” isn’t asking these questions, you hired a copywriter.

If they’re delivering messaging guides instead of organizational transformation, you hired a copywriter.

If they’re wordsmithing instead of demanding strategic sacrifice, you hired a copywriter.

There’s nothing wrong with great copywriting.
Just don’t confuse it with positioning.

One decorates the house. The other builds the foundation.

Next time someone claims to be a positioning expert, ask them: “What noun will we own?” Watch how quickly they pivot to adjectives, messages, and frameworks. That’s your answer. The market remembers what you own, not what you said.

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Uncover your position

Before you hire a messaging consultant to wordsmith your homepage, or an agency to “refresh your brand,” or someone to fix what they’ll call positioning (but is really just tactical framing), try this first.

The CEO Clarity Starter Kit

It does exactly what we just read. It helps you find and own your noun.

What you do:

• Run the Position Audit (reveals what noun you might already own without knowing it)
• Complete the 8-Question Advisor (the same questions that would surface “Command” for Cluely)
• Feed the output into ClarityGPT (included)

What you get:

• Your noun. The concept you can actually own, not just claim
• A 4-Level Positioning Canvas showing how to move from saying it to OWNING it
• ClarityGPT translates your position into landing pages, offers, and LinkedIn profiles (written in your buyer’s voice, not consultant-speak)
• A 30-day positioning course so you can apply this method without me

Time required: About an hour (less time than reading three more case studies about tactics that won’t work without position)

Who’s used it: 200+ CEOs and founders who were tired of pushing uphill

Investment: $249 USD

Most realize they don’t need the consultant or agency after this. Or they need far less than they thought. Because once you know your noun (your position), the tactics become obvious. The distribution chooses itself. The customers explain you better than you explain yourself.

And yes, if you buy the kit, it nudges me closer to that Porsche in the photo. Thanks in advance for supporting excellent positioning and questionable life choices.

Stop competing on features. Start owning concepts.

Get your CEO Clarity Starter Kit