example of value proposition in a business plan

How to Write a Great Value Proposition [7 Top Examples + Template]

Published: August 06, 2024

Your company’s competitive advantage lives or dies by its value proposition. If you can’t clearly distinguish your product or service from your competitors — and then deliver on your brand promise — why should customers choose you ?

The stakes are high, but writing a great value proposition shouldn’t strike fear into your heart. (And if it does — deep breath. We’ll get through this together.)

In this article, we’ll define what a value proposition is, and just as importantly, what it isn't . We’ll also break down examples from seven well-known brands.

I’ve also talked to a handful of marketing experts to bring you tactics and tips for creating value props that will help you lift sales, boost conversion rates , connect and engage with customers, and solve world peace. (Just kidding on that last one. But a good value proposition does address a lot of marketing problems.)

Free Value Proposition Templates

15 templates to help you brainstorm, write, and promote your value prop.

• Value Proposition Writing Templates
• Value Proposition Canvas Template
• Brand Hierarchy Template

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We'll cover:

What is a value proposition?

• Value Proposition vs. Mission Statement (vs. Others)

Elements of a Value Proposition

How to write a value proposition, 4 methods to build great value propositions, value proposition templates, value proposition canvas examples, value proposition examples, what makes a good value proposition.

• Value Proposition FAQs

A value proposition is a short statement that communicates why buyers should choose your products or services. It's more than just a product or service description — it's the specific solution that your business provides and the promise of value that a customer can expect you to deliver.

A value proposition, sometimes called a brand proposition or core proposition, might be the difference between losing a sale and closing it. In other words: A great value prop is an essential conversion factor.

For that reason, it‘s important to create one that accurately represents your products and services, distinguishes you from competitors, and makes it clear why you’re the best choice.

Let us help you make this process easier: Download our templates below and follow along with the rest of the post.

Your value proposition is yours — it distinguishes your business from your competitors, and it clearly communicates that to customers.

Without it, buyers won't have a reason to purchase what you sell. They may even choose a competitor simply because its marketing campaigns and sales processes have a clearer value proposition.

You might think: Isn't my value prop interchangeable with, say, my slogan?

Nope. It's easy to confuse your value proposition with other similar brand assets , such as your mission statement, slogan , or tagline. We break down the differences below.

Value Proposition vs. Mission Statement

Some questions you will ask yourself when using the HubSpot templates include:

• Why do you do what you do?
• How do you do what you do?
• What do you do for your customers?

Before you write the statement itself, it's important to create a value proposition canvas.

Value Proposition Canvas

35 Vision And Mission Statement Examples That Will Inspire Your Buyers

31 Companies With Really Catchy Slogans & Brand Taglines

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What Makes a Slogan Successful? [Infographic]

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Quiz: Can You Guess the Brands Behind These 16 Slogans?

Before & After: 11 Brands That Gave Their Slogans a Makeover

10 Cliché Marketing Taglines We Should All Stop Using

10 Marketing Jingles That Make Your Ears Bleed

15 free value proposition templates to help you brainstorm, write, and promote your value prop.

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10 Best Value Proposition Examples (and How to Create a Good One)

Consumerism in 2022 and beyond is serious business.

Shoppers are inundated with options, which means competition among businesses can get pretty fierce.

According to research, you only have 15 seconds to wow a new website visitor before they potentially lose interest and leave.

That’s why your value proposition is so important – if you can’t prove your worth fast, you’ll unfortunately be left in the dust.

But what is a value proposition , and how do you go about ensuring that you’re nailing yours?

That’s just what we’ll do in this article.

I’ll define the term and walk you through 10 awesome brand value proposition examples. Then, I’ll give you some pointers on how to create a value proposition for your own business.

Let’s do this.

What Is Value Proposition?

In a nutshell, your value proposition is a succinct explanation or illustration of why a customer should do business with you.

Your value proposition should cover three elements:

• The promise of what you’ll deliver to your customers
• The benefits that your customers will reap
• Why they should choose you over your competition

There’s no “correct” approach to creating a value proposition.

But there’s a big rule to follow: your business value proposition should be among the first things website visitors see when they interact with your business.

This means that you should aim to put this information above the scroll on the homepage of your website, which is the area that visitors see first when the page loads, before they scroll down the rest of the page.

And those messages should be reinforced throughout many – if not all – of the touchpoints in your customer’s journey with your brand.

If you have one, your value proposition should also include your unique selling proposition , or the thing that sets you apart from all of your competitors.

To give you a better idea of the many ways to express a strong value proposition, let’s look at some awesome examples.

10 Best Value Proposition Examples

Shopify’s customer value proposition essentially says that it can do everything you need it to, all on a single platform.

This speaks to some of the fundamental needs and concerns of someone who’s starting a new business : it can all get real overwhelming, real fast.

But Shopify soothes that anxiety and comforts visitors in knowing that they have a helping hand.

The company’s website says that the platform supports customers “from first sale to full scale,” and features everything you could need to start, sell, market, and manage your business.

To back it all up, those four items have their own page in the website’s main navigation, allowing users to directly explore how Shopify can help with each of those facets of starting, running, and growing a business.

2. Luxy Hair

Luxy Hair does a solid job of “selling” its clip-in hair extensions below the scroll on their homepage.

The product value proposition starts with an “As seen and featured in” section that lists out all the big names that have promoted the brand, like Teen Vogue, The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and Glamour.

This technique is called social proof , and it’s a slam-dunk approach for generating trust fast.

The site goes on to give five strong points that explain the product, its benefits, and how it solves the common pain points that many people face when looking for the right hair extensions.

It also shows great “before and after” photos for a visual display of real results.

3. charity: water

The non-profit organization charity: water is dedicated to providing communities around the world with clean drinking water.

The company’s leaders state that they believe they can end the water crisis during our lifetime. Above the scroll of the website, you see a headline that says that 100% of your donations will go to the cause.

This is an example of using their company value proposition to cut straight to the heart of controversy in the non-profit sector. A lot of organizations use donations to cover their operational costs, which can upset some donors when they discover that only a portion of their donation went to the cause.

4.  Crossrope

Crossrope is a unique jump rope with a very clear product value proposition. They flat-out say that they’ve perfected the jump rope with “meticulous engineering” and “hours of testing.”

It’s clear that the makers behind the Crossrope have put a lot of work into it, and they clearly explain the elements of their design that make these workout tools unique and high-quality.

Right below the fold on the homepage, you’ll see four points that support why it’s the perfect jump rope: they’re weighted, durable, interchangeable, and they have high-performance handles.

The company also has clever names for the two types of Crossrope: the “Get Lean” set and “Get Strong” set. These differentiate the two types while clearly stating the benefit for the customer.

5. Evernote

Everyone is busy. Evernote’s homepage showcases right off the bat how it can help save you time and boost your efficiency on a daily basis.

It immediately speaks to the key desires of their customers, which include things like effortless organization, taking notes anywhere, sharing them with anyone, and finding all of their information faster.

Anyone with their notes scattered around various physical notebooks, emails, and Word docs can attest that this is an inconvenient problem, which makes Evernote’s promises all the more appealing.

Plus, the call to action (CTA) button brings you straight to a free signup, which is extremely useful for proving value in the face of competitors.

6. ClassPass

Above the scroll on the company’s homepage, ClassPass swiftly gives you the key benefits of their business model:

• There’s no need to commit to a single gym or type of workout
• You can choose any gym or workout directly through the ClassPass app

This tool fulfills a specific niche in the health and fitness industry, which is that some people find it inconvenient to limit their fitness options to a single location or type of gym or studio.

Sometimes you just wanna take a Krav Maga class on Monday and a Bikram yoga class on Wednesday. And no one’s judging you for that.

As you scroll down the homepage, you find more juicy benefits and unique selling points like the ability to save on drop-in rates and the ability to stream classes from home for free.

7. hardgraft

Hardgraft has a beautiful website that showcases everything that it promises it’s about: “luxury lifestyle accessories with down to Earth aesthetics.”

The headline also notes that the company is “driven by instinct,” which suggests that the products are a natural extension of the lifestyle they cater to.

It instills confidence in the reader by saying something like, “Relax, we’re experts. We’ve got this.”

This is a good example of a brand value proposition that’s short, but extra sweet – too many words here would probaby lessen the luxurious image they’re after.

8. Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg is a website optimization platform that offers heatmaps and A/B testing .

Above the scroll on the homepage, the website says that you can instantly make your website better.

I don’t know about you, but that strikes me as a pretty enticing offer.

Of course, you’ll need to be sure that you’re putting your money where your mouth is when you make a bold claim like this – which is what Crazy Egg goes on to do.

The next line says that over 300,000 customers use the platform, and how they make their websites better (improving what’s working, fixing what isn’t, and testing new ideas).

This follows right into the ability to get a 30-day free trial to see for yourself.

9. Manitobah Mukluks

Manitobah Mukluks has a more purpose-driven story and brand value proposition than many other ecommerce stores .

On the homepage of the website, you’ll learn that the company is Indigenous-owned, with products that are handmade by Indigenous artists who receive 100% of the proceeds.

The company states its vision above the scroll, which is to build a vibrant brand that impacts Indigenous communities.

Throughout the website, the team at Manitobah Mukluks does a great job of weaving the stories of their ancestors throughout the brand’s products.

It’s building a more intimate relationship with visitors, and appealing to those who want to feel more connected and contributing to the brands they choose to do business with.

10. Mailchimp

If you’ve never heard about Mailchimp, it’s a popular all-in-one marketing platform that had a humble start as an email marketing platform.

After it exploded, it expanded into a full-service marketing company.

Above the scroll of the homepage, Mailchimp shows its key customer value proposition of helping businesses scale and grow.

As you scroll down the homepage, you see four key benefits that the platform offers for growing businesses, with the option to click each one for more information.

The company goes a great job of addressing the needs of a growing company while clearly showing how it can help fulfill those needs.

Now that you’ve seen some juicy value proposition examples, let’s go over a few tips for writing a value proposition for your own brand.

Tips on How to Write a Value Proposition

Clarify the purpose and vision of your company.

If you want to create an effective value proposition, you need to identify who you are and why you’ve set up a company in the first place. The easiest way to do this is by documenting your:                                                                                            

• Mission statement, which explains why your business exists
• Vision, which includes the current and future objectives of your business
• Core values, which are the key principles that guide and direct your company and its culture

This simple measure will help you define your value proposition with better clarity, which is crucial to creating a more powerful identity for your business.

Research your audience

Your value proposition isn’t written to appeal to you. It’s written to appeal to the audience you want to do business with. It is, therefore, crucial to understand who your buyers are and what motivates them. This can be done with the help of interviews.  

You can interview your existing or prospective customers about:

• What companies they like
• What they look for in an industry-specific product or service
• What type of language resonates with them

This research will help guide the language and voice you’ll use to communicate with your audience .

Conduct a competitive analysis

Your interviews with existing or prospective customers may reveal other companies they’ve worked with before discovering your business. Analyze those businesses and figure out whether they’re in competition with your firm.

If the analysis reveals any potential competition, consider using your value proposition to communicate how and why you’re different from other similar businesses.

Examples of differentiators include higher quality, better service, and cheaper or faster shipping.

Jot down the benefits of using your solution

Consider what challenges or pain points your customers have and how you are addressing those problems. Think about both the practical and psychological benefits your solution provides.

For example, if you’re a property management firm, you aren’t just buying and selling real estate on behalf of your customers. Hopefully, you also offer specific advice that makes them feel their money is safe and well-invested.

Reiterating exactly how you can make people’s lives better and more fulfilling will help you guide your value proposition clearly. 

Whether you’re on track to becoming a million-dollar company or you’re the proud owner of a startup, taking these measures will help you put together a compelling value proposition every time around.    

A Strong Value Proposition for a Strong Business

In the wide world of business – especially ecommerce – you only have a sliver of time to prove that you’re worth a customer’s attention, let alone worth their hard-earned money.

When it’s clearly defined and clearly communicated, a customer value proposition can be the make-or-break between winning a customer over and falling into obscurity.

What makes you so great? Why are you the better choice over all the others? Customers need to know these answers ASAP, and a strong value proposition is one of the best ways to do so.

Whether you’re just starting a new business or looking to improve and strengthen your existing business, take some time to think critically about the value that you provide your customers and how you deliver that value.

Do you have any favorite value proposition examples that we didn’t discuss? Let us know in the comments below.

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How to Write a Value Proposition (+ 6 Modern Examples)

Leaders often work tirelessly to improve their company’s product or service, thinking that it’s the most valuable role they can play. But for your business to “click” with your target audience, you need to stay just as close to your customers as you do to your offerings.

The details of customers’ needs and wants should be just as familiar to you as the features of your product or the details of the service that you provide. A value proposition serves as the bridge between these two aspects of your work. It’s a mantra that unites the two halves of the whole business.

We’ve demystified the nuts and bolts of how to write a value proposition, complete with examples, so you can ensure that all your hard work manifests in value for your customers every day.

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What is a value proposition?

A value proposition is a simple statement that summarizes why a customer would choose your product or service. It communicates the clearest benefit that customers receive by giving you their business. Every value proposition should speak to a customer’s challenge and make the case for your company as the problem-solver.

A great value proposition may highlight what makes you different from competitors, but it should always focus on how customers define your value . Likewise, conversations around brand strategy and taglines should stem from a value proposition, but they aren’t one and the same.

You may be wondering: Why bother learning how to write a value proposition? It’s like investing in the foundation of a house. You may not see the foundation, but everything you do see — and the long-term safety and security of your home — rest on it having a strong place to start from.

How to write a value proposition: 3 options

If you’re intentional about creating a value proposition, it can help clarify the way forward for your entire company. However, including too many voices early on can water down your intent in an effort to make everyone happy, and, ironically, the results won’t work for anyone.

Rather than get everyone involved, start with a small group of people (no more than three) who can set aside the time to hone a few compelling options.

Here’s how to write a value proposition three different ways, from complex mapping to a simple formula. Start with one or try all three in a workshop to refine your ideas with greater precision.

1. Map out a value proposition canvas

Peter Thomson’s value proposition canvas explores the different components of a company that contribute to a strong value proposition. Thomson believes that a process like this can help team members get to “minimum viable clarity,” which can be whittled down into a one-sentence value proposition.

Thomson calls a value proposition “a crunch point between business strategy and brand strategy,” and he created a model that syncs the two strategies. There are seven areas to explore, each of which takes up a section in the map:

When you explore each section of the canvas, do so from the perspective of the customer. While writing out the benefits of your product, imagine how it increases pleasure or decreases pain for the person using it. Approach the features and the experience that way, too: How do the features make the customer’s life better? How does the product experience make a customer feel?

Next, you’ll dive into the customer’s wants (emotional drivers), needs (rational motivators), and fears (undesired outcomes). Remember that even when consumers are making purchases or investments on behalf of a company, they can still be guided by emotions .

In particular, try to understand whether a product or service affects a buyer’s perceived likelihood of failure, their anxiety, or their reputation at work. You can use Bain & Company’s 30 “ Elements of Value ” and its B2B counterparts as a roadmap for articulating the ways your company gives the customer value within this context.

2. Ask Harvard Business School’s essential questions

Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy & Competitiveness simplified how to write a value proposition with just three prompts. Just as Thomson does, Harvard argues that a value proposition serves as the connection between a company and its customers:

“While the value chain focuses internally on operations, the value proposition is the element of strategy that looks outward at customers, at the demand side of the business. Strategy is fundamentally integrative, bringing the demand and supply sides together.”

To create an integrated, cohesive value proposition, start by brainstorming as a group around these three questions:

Which customers are you going to serve?

Which needs are you going to meet?

What relative price will provide acceptable value for customers and acceptable profitability for the customer?

Depending on your product and service, it may make sense for you to start with the first or second question in the list. Together, all three create a triangle that can lead you closer to a succinct value proposition.

As you move through the exercise, consider which one is the primary “leg” of the triangle. For example, is the greatest value that you offer in cost savings? Or is it that you’re offering a better product or experience at a premium?

Also, think about whether your company is expanding the market by meeting a need that hasn’t been realized. Harvard’s experts use a great example — the iPad. Apple created a new demand that hadn’t existed before the technology hit the market.

3. Try the Steve Blank formula to distill your insights

Steve Blank , a former Google employee who runs the Lean Startup Circle , noticed that many startup founders emphasize features instead of benefits when they try to transform more detailed insights into a succinct value proposition. Instead of summarizing how a company offers value to customers, leaders often get stuck in the weeds.

Blank saw the need for a simple formula to transform a brainstorm into a simple sentence. We love distilling more detailed insights with his method:

We help (X) do (Y) by doing (Z).

Use Blank's intuitive template to come up with your own value proposition. Remember that the first thing that comes to mind may be the best. Your gut instinct could be spot on here, and that’s what makes this simple solution so valuable.

Here’s my value proposition for my copywriting business, for example:

I help marketing teams to resonate with their target audiences by communicating with clarity and compassion.

Your local coffee shop may have a value proposition that’s similar to this one:

We help our local customers to feel good and do good by fueling them up with artisanal coffee in a community-focused space.

Although you may have brainstormed as a group with the other two methods, this time, ask team members to complete this exercise individually. Comparing and contrasting answers afterward can yield helpful insights about each person’s priorities.

Most importantly, as you draft your value proposition, use the language your customers use. At Help Scout, we say things like “emails slipping through the cracks,” because that’s what our customers say about the problem we help solve. If you don’t write your value proposition the way your customers would write it, there will be a big gap between what you say and what they hear. When you use their voice, you cut through the noise.

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6 value proposition examples

Beyond grasping how to write a value proposition, it helps to see how a strong statement influences and infuses a company’s strategy. Because value proposition examples aren’t necessarily the same thing as brand copywriting , we don’t have access to the exact words a company uses internally.

However, if a company does a great job situating their value proposition within the market, you can tell because their message resonates far and wide. Here are six modern value proposition examples that will help you to understand how value propositions can help you break into a market or create a new one.

Slack is a collaboration tool for teams with a simple, easy-to-use platform and instant message capability. The platform is equally beloved by enterprise teams and scrappy startups for its ability to keep work flowing, no matter the everyday barriers or the complexity of a project.

Everything that the company does hinges on their value proposition: Slack saves time by tearing down communication and systems silos. Their product aspires to take the pain out of working together online — and maybe even make it fun. That’s something no other product has tried or claimed to do.

Because they’ve built such a powerful value proposition, Slack is perceived as an enjoyable alternative to the dreaded email inbox and other tools. Their approach works. Slack is the fastest-growing SaaS startup ever, and it’s used by 77% of Fortune 500 companies.

Despite this legendary growth, Slack famously said it was a business with a pared-down sales team, which is only possible because of the foundation they set with a formidable value proposition.

2. Bloom & Wild

Bloom & Wild is an online flower delivery company that simplifies the process of ordering and receiving luxury flowers. Aron Gelbard, founder and CEO, explained their value proposition in their 2017 funding announcement: “We’re enabling [our customers) to order flowers and gifts from the palm of their hand with better product, designs and payments.”

Bloom & Wild makes it possible for customers to deliver flowers in under a minute using their smartphone or computer; going from thought to action is almost instantaneous. As Gelbard says, “Our mission is to make sending and receiving flowers a joy, using technology to turn emotions into an action in the simplest and most beautiful way possible.”

The flowers are just as simple to receive. They’re packed in flat boxes so they can be delivered through letterboxes (or mailboxes) so there’s no need for someone to be on hand to receive them, and they’re sent as closed flower buds for a longer bloom.

While many companies deliver flowers, Bloom & Wild differentiates itself by offering a smooth customer experience for everyone, as well as competitive pricing, with significantly cheaper blooms than average.

Bloom & Wild communicates its value proposition so clearly that its customers perform much of the hard task of marketing for them through word-of-mouth referrals.

When Airbnb began to disrupt the hospitality industry, it needed to market to two separate groups: guests who wanted a place to stay and hosts who wanted to rent out their spaces. Their two-in-one value proposition: Travelers benefit from a truly local experience and hosts benefit from extra income.

In their own words, “Airbnb exists to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, providing healthy travel that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable.”

Their rooms often have more character than hotels, and they’re usually located in neighborhoods people live in. Guests learn from local knowledge shared by hosts and feel at home wherever they go. These different sources of value wrap together into Airbnb’s tagline: Belong Anywhere.

As a business goes through different stages of growth, its value proposition is likely to change, too. Originally marketed as much cheaper than staying in a hotel, Airbnb has now become an experience-driven, mainstream staple with a premium wing called “Airbnb Plus,” with its own value proposition.

4. Fjällräven

The classic Swedish outdoor clothing and equipment company Fjällräven was founded by Åke Nordin in 1960. He designed functional (and warm) products for professional researchers taking expeditions into northern Scandinavia.

Now, the 60-year-old brand is experiencing a resurgence amongst younger generations across Europe and North America. Their core proposition is that they sell high-quality, sustainably made products that balance form and function. Yes, customers look great wearing their backpacks and they can still hike up a mountain in the middle of winter.

Their commitment to sustainable business practices appeals to the same conscious consumers who value the outdoors, which fortifies their value proposition. Fjällräven manufactures many of its own products using its own G-1000 material, as well as its own Greenland Wax, contributing to its value proposition of offering quality and durability.

Because they “craft products for a lifetime of memories,” customers are more than willing to pay their premium prices.

5. Juniper Print Shop

When Jenny Komenda launched her first blog, Little Green Notebook, in 2007, she was a young designer sharing her DIY projects with the world. An entrepreneur at heart, Komenda evolved her skillset and online following into another award-winning blog, Juniper Home, and its beloved counterpart, Juniper Print Shop .

Komenda built a cohesive brand that championed affordable design and spoke to a key value proposition that motivated her customers: helping non-designers create a beautiful home without breaking the bank.

Her content answers this question in thousands of different ways, and the new arm of her business offers a simple fix for finding affordable art — one of the most difficult challenges along the way. She launched a print shop featuring the work of women artists and photographers with simple digital downloads and physical prints that are cost-effective and easy to install.

Juniper’s value proposition comes to life in the details of the print shop — from links to affordable IKEA frames — and Jenny’s one-of-a-kind suggestions (buy a vintage frame, invest in a custom mat).

6. Found My Animal

Found My Animal is a company for rescue dogs and their owners. In 2006, Bethany Obrecht and Anna Conway met by coincidence — they both had rescue dogs named Walter, and they quickly became friends.

Their shared interest in crafts (and a fisherman relative) led the two dog moms to design and create leashes from nautical rope that withstand hundreds of pounds of pull. Each leash has a brass tag with the word “FOUND” written on it in simple font.

The company has since expanded their product lines to include other dog accessories and supplies like dog beds, totes, and toys.

Found My Animal’s value proposition is simple: Support a company that donates a portion of its profits to animal rescue groups by outfitting your own rescue in quality products. The company has given money (and leashes) to over 64 nonprofit organizations that help abandoned or neglected pets, so customers know their purchases are making a difference.

This value proposition is baked into every aspect of Found My Animal, especially their marketing. Their team features rescue dogs in need of homes front and center on their website and their social media accounts. Plus, their social media tag #foundmyanimal brings awareness to animal adoption.

They even launched The Rescue Orange Project: A buy-one-donate-one leash program. For dog owners who are as devoted to rescuing other pups as they are to their own, buying from this company is a no-brainer.

The best value propositions evolve with your customers

Now that you can answer the question “What is a value proposition?” a few different ways, you’re ready to get to work. Even if you already have a value proposition in place, consider carving out the time to revisit it.

As customers and markets change over time, your company should evolve as well. Rather than make assumptions about your community based on their past needs and buying behaviors, create feedback loops so you’re always in the know.

By listening to customers in real time, you set your company up to evolve its value proposition and meet the needs of your community as it grows.

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Elizabeth wellington.

Liz writes about business, creativity and making meaningful work. Say hello on Twitter or through her website.

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How to Create an Effective Value Proposition

• 28 Jul 2020

Starting a business comes with many unknowns, but the value of your brand shouldn't be one of them.

Before launching a venture, all entrepreneurs should determine what market need their product or service fulfills, and what separates their offering from other available options. Without this differentiation and definition of opportunity, a new business isn't likely to succeed.

To communicate the need your product fills and its differentiating factors, you need to create an effective value proposition.

Before diving into how to craft yours, here's a look at what a value proposition is and why it's important for your business.

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What Is a Value Proposition?

A value proposition is a statement that conveys what a brand does and how it differs from competitors. It's typically developed as part of a broader marketing strategy and no more than a few sentences long. The initial proposition can be bolstered with statistics and facts that prove the brand's stated value.

Having a value proposition is important because it clearly and concisely communicates what customers can gain from selecting your brand over that of your competitors. This statement can be used in several ways, including:

• On your company's website to help convert potential leads into customers
• When pitching your company to investors
• As an answer to the question, "So, what exactly does your company do?"

As an entrepreneur, it's your job to be your organization's number one advocate and garner the support of others. A short, clear value proposition can stick in the minds of investors, potential customers, friends, and relatives, ensuring your brand's value isn't lost in translation.

To begin crafting your brand's value proposition, start with an understanding of the jobs to be done theory.

Related: 6 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Business

Understanding Your Customers' Jobs to Be Done

The jobs to be done theory was developed by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen. It asserts that customers "hire" products and services to get "jobs" done, rather than purchasing them based on their attributes and buying behaviors.

"A 'job to be done' is a problem or opportunity that somebody is trying to solve," Christensen says in the online course Disruptive Strategy . "We call it a 'job' because it needs to be done, and we hire people or products to get jobs done."

One example of a successful brand that's used this framework is Warby Parker , founded in 2010 by Neil Blumenthal, Dave Gilboa, Andy Hunt, and Jeff Raider.

The eyeglass company got its start when one of the founders lost his glasses on a backpacking trip. Unable to swing the steep price of a new pair, he spent the next semester " squinting and complaining " to three of his friends, who realized they had been in similar situations.

"We were amazed at how hard it was to find a pair of great frames that didn't leave our wallets bare," Warby Parker states on its website . "Every idea starts with a problem. Ours was simple: Glasses are too expensive."

This statement describes the job to be done discovered by Warby Parker's founders. They realized people had a need to purchase affordable eyewear and, after some research, found there weren't many options in the market.

"Understanding that the same company owned LensCrafters and Pearle Vision, Ray-Ban and Oakley, and the licenses for Chanel and Prada prescription frames and sunglasses—all of a sudden, it made sense to me why glasses were so expensive," Gilboa explains in an interview with Forbes .

The team decided to take things one step further by adding a social justice component to their business model. For every pair of eyeglasses purchased, Warby Parker donates a pair to someone in need.

"There's nothing complicated about it," the company states on its website . "Good eyewear, good outcome."

This satisfies another job to be done: providing customers with a convenient means of helping others. This dual-pronged jobs to be done framework proved to be a success, as the team hit its first-year sales goal in just three weeks .

Warby Parker continues to build its value around jobs to be done and can expect its customers' needs to "purchase affordable eyewear" and "help others in a convenient way" to endure.

"Because a job to be done remains stable over time, it provides a North Star in innovation," Christensen says.

When crafting your brand's value proposition, think about the job to be done it addresses. How does its value center on a persisting need you can fill in a unique way? It's this positioning that can allow your brand to provide the same value for customers as the market advances.

Related: Jobs to Be Done: 4 Real-World Examples

Creating a Value Proposition

You can use the jobs to be done framework as a starting point to craft your brand's value proposition.

Ask yourself:

• What is my brand offering?
• What job does the customer hire my brand to do?
• What companies and products compete with my brand to do this job for the customer?
• What sets my brand apart from those competitors?

For example, Warby Parker's founders could answer these questions as follows:

• Warby Parker offers affordable designer eyewear, including contacts.
• Customers hire Warby Parker to provide high-quality eyewear at affordable prices and give back to the community in a convenient way.
• All other eyewear brands compete with Warby Parker.
• Warby Parker's commitment to giving back to the community and its affordable prices set it apart from competitors.

Next, summarize your points in a clear, concise value proposition. Continuing the example above, Warby Parker's value proposition, as published on its home page , is:

“Buying eyewear should leave you happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket. Glasses, sunglasses, and contacts—we’ve got your eyes covered.”

This value proposition is reinforced throughout the company's website, along with its stated commitment to social justice :

“Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.”

To ensure your value proposition is effective, consider running it by a few people who are unfamiliar with your business. If confusion arises, edit your statement to address those points.

Once you have a value proposition you're proud of, make it known. Publish it on your website, incorporate it into your marketing materials, and memorize it for sharing during networking events, pitch opportunities, and dinner conversations.

Related: 3 Disruptive Strategy Skills For Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders

Setting Yourself Up for Success

By positioning your brand as a solution to a job to be done, you can set your company up for success. Creating a value proposition is a reflective exercise that prompts you to take stock of the need your brand fills, who your competitors are, and how you provide a different experience from other products and services.

Condensing these reflections into a succinct value proposition can enable you to convert leads into customers, effectively pitch to investors, and communicate the value of your brand at scale.

Do you want to craft winning, innovative strategies? Explore Disruptive Strategy , one of our online entrepreneurship and innovation courses . If you aren't sure which course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

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How To Write a Strong Value Proposition With Examples

Writing a value proposition helps you stand out from the competition in the eyes of your target audience—and a free template can guide your efforts.

Why do your customers buy from you? What motivates people to choose you, to choose your products over the hundreds of alternatives? What makes your company, and your products, better than the rest?

The answer: Your value proposition.

If you can perfect it, you can increase your conversion rate and improve your marketing strategies across many channels. Learning to present the value your company delivers in a compelling way is one of the most high-value, wide-reaching marketing activities.

In this article, you'll learn what makes a great value proposition, how to write a value proposition, and look at some real-world examples of unique value propositions .

Plus, a simple template with a winning formula you can use to craft your own powerful statement.

What is a value proposition?

A value proposition is a concise statement that communicates the unique benefits and value a product or service offers to its target audience . It highlights the specific problem it solves, the advantages it provides, and why it is superior to its competitors. A good value proposition helps differentiate a business and attract customers.

Three elements of a successful value proposition 

A compelling value proposition meets three criteria:

• It’s specific: What are the specific benefits your target customer will receive?
• It’s pain-focused: How will your product fix the customer’s problem or improve their life?
• It’s exclusive: How is it both desirable and exclusive? How well does it highlight your company’s competitive advantage and set you apart from competitors?

“At its core, a value proposition is a promise you make to your customer post-purchase,” Unbound Merino cofounder Dan Demsky says on Learn With Shopify . “You’re essentially saying, this purchase will outperform your expectations and solve the problem that needs solving.”

Don’t confuse brand slogans, catchphrases, or even a positioning statement with a unique value proposition, as they’re different things.

Your value proposition should focus on the superpowers that potential customers get, not the product. Rarely is your value proposition the product itself or its features. Instead, it’s the way the brand or product fixes a meaningful pain point, improves the lives of your target market, and the way it makes them feel (like they have superpowers, for example).

A value proposition should be front and center when a visitor arrives on your site. Although it’s often found above the fold on the homepage, you should be aware of other common entrance points (e.g., a landing page, category pages, blog posts, and product pages ).

Even if you manage to create an effective customer value proposition, it won’t drive sales if it’s tucked away in a dusty corner of your website or absent on high-purchase-intent pages.

Value proposition formula

The basic value proposition formula is:

Value proposition = [adjective] [product or service] for [aspiration]

This version of the formula is adaptable enough that any business can use it.

For example, here’s the value proposition from canned food brand Heyday Canning Co. :

“Create flavor-packed meals presto pronto with our line of canned (but never bland) beans.”

Compare that to the value proposition from underwear brand ThirdLove :

“In-demand bras that make you look great and feel even better.”

At first glance, the value props from Heyday and ThirdLove couldn’t be more different—one sells beans and the other sells bras—but they actually follow the same structure. Both value props position their product as the path to a better life, one in which you look and feel amazing in your bra while you whip up a meal in no time using canned beans.

How to write a unique value proposition

• Understand your customer and their voice
• Focus on clarity before creativity
• Emphasize benefits, not hype
• Use a template

Where to begin writing a value proposition statement:

1. Understand your customer and their voice

A good value proposition uses the exact words of your current customers to hook your future customers.

For example, if they were interviewed for a case study, how would your target customers describe your company's product? How does it improve their lives? How do they describe your company? Why do they choose to associate with your brand?

Interview your customers or send out a survey to better understand how they speak about you, both to other people and to themselves. Pay attention to common words and phrases they use. You can keep track of responses and phrases in a simple Google doc.

Your visitors should see themselves in your value proposition. The language you use plays a big role in shaping their perspective. If you want to go the extra mile, spend some time looking at value proposition examples of your competition. What are they doing right? What could they improve?

Take note of how your competition talks to their customers by signing up for their newsletters and email flows.

2. Focus on clarity before creativity

Above all, you must ensure your value proposition is clear. Sounds obvious, right? Your value proposition needs to serve many purposes, so achieving crystal clarity can be quite difficult.

When evaluating your draft, ensure it answers the following questions:

• What product are you selling?
• Who should buy your product?
• How will buying your product improve the visitor or their life?
• Why should the visitor buy from you and not your competitors?
• When will the value be delivered?

Your value proposition should be relatively short—two or three short sentences, maximum. Every word should improve clarity or make your main selling point more compelling, otherwise it needs to be cut.

3. Emphasize benefits, not hype

How many “World’s Best Coffee” signs would you see in store windows walking down just one busy New York City street? Dozens. Each sign you encounter would make it a little more difficult to believe the previous one.

Hype, which can come in the form of superlatives (“best”) and exaggerations (“world’s best”), can be dangerous. Instead, focus on distinct benefits and the concrete value your product delivers.

If you need to use hype to sell your products, it’s a sign that your value proposition is not well defined. Or, perhaps, even that your product is not as valuable as you think. Don’t let the love for your product or service get in the way of viewing your brand objectively.

4. Use a template

When it comes to something as daunting as distilling your product’s value into a sentence or two, having a guide can help. This is where you can use value proposition templates to help you organize your thoughts. Consider printing out a hard copy of this free downloadable template so you can brainstorm without digital distractions.

Sell more with a unique value proposition

Understand your audience, perfect your sales pitch and take your business to the next level, with our free value proposition template.

What is a value proposition canvas?

Customer jobs, customer pains, customer gains.

The value proposition canvas is a framework developed by business consultant Alex Osterwalder for the book Value Proposition Design . It involves identifying customer jobs, customer pains, and customer gains and then using those insights to help you write an acceptable value proposition.

Your product should help the customer accomplish specific jobs—tasks they might struggle to achieve without it.

“Think of your product from the perspective of being hired to do a job,” says Unbound Merino ’s Dan Demsky on Learn With Shopify .

What job would your target customer hire your product to do? What would its job description look like?

For Unbound Merino, its clothes are hired to streamline and upgrade a customer’s wardrobe with a few quality pieces of gear that perform day in and day out.

You can also use your value proposition to highlight how your product addresses customer pains, or common frustrations. Think of your product as a solution to your customer’s pain points. What problems or obstacles or risks does your product help alleviate?

Take the first product launched by Dieux Skin , the Forever Eye Mask.

“That was an idea that I came up with because I was so tired of throwing out eye masks,” says Dieux cofounder and CEO Charlotte Palermino on the Shopify Masters podcast .

The pain point was the wastefulness of single-use moisturizing under-eye masks.

Dieux launched its reusable silicone gel eye pads with the tagline “The last eye mask you’ll ever need.”

The product page highlights the Forever Eye Mask as the solution to the problem of overconsumption:

“We all deserve deliverance from the plight of discarding sheet masks after every use. These masks allow you to treat yourself daily without accumulating unnecessary waste.”

Customer gains are the positive outcomes your target customers want: saving money, saving time, feeling good, looking good, etc. For example, Unbound Merino sells clothing made from merino wool—a lightweight, odor-resistant fabric. Some of the gains could include time saved by not having to wait for checked luggage or not having to do as much laundry. That simplicity is the value prop.

Value proposition template

It’s easy to create a clear value proposition for your brand by using a template. This free downloadable template offers three variations you can customize to your brand, each with real-world examples from successful companies.

Value proposition examples

Unbound merino, city seltzer.

Use these value propositions from major brands to inspire your own:

Unbound Merino has multiple value propositions. Let’s break down two of them. The first is:

“Simple. Versatile. High performance.”

On the homepage of its website, Unbound Merino is promising high-performance clothing. But the quality claim must run deeper than promise.

The next value proposition makes the logical jump from high performance to the product’s holistic impact on the customer’s life:

“Pack less. Experience more.”

This value prop translates the quality and versatility of the product into its real-world application. Since merino wool is odor-resistant, you can get more wear out of a single t-shirt, and therefore pack less when traveling. With this value proposition, Unbound Merino is making a promise about quality of life, not just quality of product.

Graza’s value proposition features prominently on its homepage:

“High-quality olive oil that’s meant to be squeezed, not saved.”

This value proposition effectively sums up the problem Graza solves: Home cooks want good olive oil, but since it tends to be expensive, they may only use it for special occasions rather than everyday cooking.

“Olive oil in North America has always been positioned as something that you shouldn’t cook with,” Graza founder Andrew Benin says on the Shopify Masters podcast . “On one side, things were really luxurious, and on the other side, things were really pared-back and private-label and no investment in product quality. I found a way to cut right through the middle.”

Graza’s one-sentence value proposition emphasizes the product’s quality and immediately differentiates it from the competition with “squeezed, not saved”—indicating that it’s meant for everyday use. The “squeezed” part of the tagline highlights another unique feature of Graza’s product: the squeezable bottle.

Skin care company Dieux’s value proposition is:

“Rituals, not miracles.”

Featured on the brand’s homepage, this short and sweet sentiment emphasizes what sets Dieux apart from other brands: a commitment to consistency.

Dieux focuses on education rather than promising overnight effects.

“I want people to understand what our products do and what they don’t do,” cofounder Charlotte Palermino says on the Shopify Masters podcast . “I would not tell you that Instant Angel [Dieux’s lipid-rich moisturizer] on its own is enough. I would tell you in a routine how to use it and how it may work for you. And I find that when you do it that way, you have a high loyalty rate.”

City Seltzer’s value proposition is:

“Fizz without the shizz.”

This playful value statement emphasizes that its seltzer is made with 100% natural flavors—no “shizz.” Since City Seltzer is a small brand, it has to differentiate itself from large, entrenched competitors.

“We have to reach people and communicate some of that humanity, authenticity,” City Seltzer cofounder Josh McJannett says on the Shopify Masters podcast . “I think people want to feel something in the choices that they make.”

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Value proposition FAQ

What is the difference between a value proposition and a positioning statement.

A positioning statement is an internal document describing what’s unique about your brand or product and how you plan to market it. A value proposition is a shorter, customer-facing statement that communicates the same unique value.

What is the purpose of a value proposition?

A value proposition shows potential customers why they should choose your product or service over the alternatives.

What are four types of value propositions?

• Company Value Proposition: Describes the overall value the company provides, distinct from its products.
• Homepage Value Proposition: The main value statement on the homepage, tailored to the type of store and range of products.
• Category Value Propositions: Specific value propositions for each product category, often seen on search engine results pages.
• Product Value Propositions: Individual value statements for each product, highlighting specific benefits and features.

What if my value proposition fails?

If your value proposition fails, it means you're not effectively communicating the unique benefits of your product or service. You'll get less sales, lower customer retention, and ultimately less profit for your brand.

What is Nike's value proposition

Nike has four primary value propositions, which are accessibility, innovation, customization, and brand/status.

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12 value proposition templates, plus real-world examples to help you craft your own

My nephew has recently hit the delightful developmental stage where his response to anything you say is "Why?" It's like being on a game show where every answer you give is met with another question, and the grand prize is needing to lie down.

"Why is this rock round?" he recently asked, eyes wide with genuine curiosity.

"Because...erosion?" I ventured. (There's a reason why I'm a marketer and not a geologist.)

"Why erosion?"

And so began a philosophical ping-pong match that left me questioning the very fabric of reality and my nephew with a newfound appreciation for the Grand Canyon. This endless loop of curiosity is how businesses should approach using a value proposition template. Like a four-year-old's relentless questioning, businesses should keep asking "Why?" to uncover the real reasons people buy their products.

In this post, I'll break down the ins and outs of value propositions and show you real-world examples of companies that are nailing it. You'll walk away with a clear understanding of value props and how to craft the perfect one for your unique business.

Value proposition definition

A value proposition is a simple message that describes the benefit your product or service offers customers. It's a promise of value that helps convince people why they should choose you over your competitors. In short, your value prop is your secret sauce—it's what makes your product special and attractive to customers.

Similar to my nephew's interrogations, it's important to understand the "why" behind your product. If nothing in your value proposition tells you why a customer should choose you, then you haven't scratched the surface enough into the value you offer.

A compelling value proposition will tell you:

Who the target audience is

Their biggest need or challenge

The benefit or value offered to them

What makes the offering different or better than competitors

You're probably familiar with a few other marketing terms that are commonly conflated with value propositions, so let's go over some of those differences.

Value proposition vs. positioning statement

Unlike a value proposition, which is customer-focused, a positioning statement outlines your brand's position in the market and how your product is different from alternatives.

A positioning statement is an internal tool used to guide your marketing and business decisions. It's broader in scope than a value proposition and is often written in this format:

For [target audience] who [target audience need], our [product or service name] is a [product or service category] that [statement of differentiating benefit]. Unlike [competitors], our [product or service name] [statement of primary differentiation].

Value proposition vs. mission statement

A mission statement outlines your company's purpose and vision. It captures your fundamental reason for being and guides strategic decision-making. It should drive your value prop, not the other way around.

Value proposition vs. USP

A unique selling proposition (USP) is what distinguishes you from competitors. It highlights what's unique about your product or service to give you a competitive edge. Though related, it's not exactly the same as a value proposition. It's like what the nice lady at Sephora explained to me about eyebrows—they're sisters, not twins.

USP examples include:

Trader Joe's sells high-quality, grid-worthy groceries at affordable prices.

Peloton offers studio-quality spin classes from home.

UGG boots allow you to walk comfortably without socks (a crime).

A USP is about a unique feature, while a value proposition is about the overall value to customers. The USP sets your product apart in the market, and the value proposition shows the benefits of using it. It's the difference between "Here's why we're awesome" and "Here's why you'll love that we're awesome."

12 value proposition templates

I've compiled some value proposition templates, inspired by widely-used formulas, to help you get started. Included are common use cases for each example, but these frameworks are adaptable enough for any industry.

1. Classic benefit-oriented

Though simplistic, this value proposition statement template works for a reason. It gives your target customers an easy-to-digest reason why they need your product or service in their lives. Just remember, undersell and overdeliver for the best results. Savvy customers can smell empty promises from a mile away.

"For [target customer] who [need/want], our [product/service] is a [product category] that [statement of benefit]."

Use cases: Consumer electronics, automotive, household appliances, and other industries that benefit from clearly articulating the specific advantages of their products

2. Addressing a pain point

Coming up with a product that solves a problem is the hard part. Creating a value proposition for it should be like shooting fish in a barrel. Except shooting at a barrel full of captive fish seems overcomplicated and messy. Let's just say creating your value prop should be easier than picking up a fish flopping on the ground after you dumped it out of a barrel.

Addressing a pain point in your value prop helps potential customers quickly understand how your product can improve their lives. Be specific about who benefits and what problem is solved. If you can articulate your audience's aggravation and demonstrate how to assuage it, you'll have customers lining up to hand over their cash. 

"We help [target audience] [solve a specific pain point] by [product feature or benefit]."

Use cases: Health care, IT services, home improvement, and other industries that often deal with specific issues or challenges that their products or services are designed to address

3. Outcome-based

An outcome-based value proposition framework focuses on the end result your customers desire. It's all about helping them achieve their sought-after objectives through your one-of-a-kind method.

To craft an effective outcome-based value proposition:

Identify your target audience's biggest challenge.

Determine the end result they want to achieve.

Figure out how your product or service enables them to achieve that outcome.

Combine these elements into a concise statement following this formula:

"We help [target audience] achieve [desired outcome] through our [unique approach]."

Use cases: Education, professional training, fitness, and other industries that focus on helping the target audience achieve specific results

4. Emotional appeal

With an emotional appeal value proposition, you're selling an experience and a feeling, not a specific feature or benefit. This type of value proposition template aims to motivate customers in a deeply personal way. But use sparingly, as constant emotional manipulation can seem, well, manipulative.

"Experience [emotive benefit] with our [product/service], designed for [target audience]."

Use cases: Beauty and wellness, travel and hospitality, entertainment, and other industries that thrive on creating emotional connections and experiences

5. Convenience-driven

"We make [task or goal] easier and more efficient for [target audience] through [specific feature or benefit]."

Use cases: Fast-moving consumer goods, eCommerce, on-demand services, and other industries that thrive on providing quick and easy solutions to daily needs

6. Exclusivity appeal

We all want what we can't have, right? This value prop template plays on the psychological principles of scarcity and social status. Exclusivity triggers a sense of belonging to an elite group, which can be a powerful motivator. It also creates a perception of higher value, making the product or service more desirable.

"Join a select group of [target audience] who enjoy [exclusive feature or benefit] with our [product/service]."

Use cases: Luxury goods, high-end fashion, premium services, and other industries with consumers seeking unique, high-status products

7. Expert endorsement

In a world where everyone's an armchair expert, this value proposition brings in the big guns to build trust and confidence in a product or service.

When an expert or industry leader recommends your product, it acts as a stamp of approval for your target customers. It's social proof that your solution is the real deal, giving you a competitive edge that's hard to beat. 

"[Expert or authority in field] recommends our [product/service] for [specific benefit or solution]."

Use cases: Health care, fitness, finance, technology, and other industries where expert validation can significantly influence purchasing decisions

8. Testimonial-based

A testimonial-based value proposition showcases the experiences of existing users to build credibility and humanize your brand. It's peer pressure put to good use.

"See why [number] [target audience] trust our [product/service] for [specific problem or goal]."

Use cases: Travel and hospitality, home services, personal care, and other industries that impact personal or professional life considerably

9. Aspirational message

This proposition framework aims to inspire and motivate your target audience by aligning your product or service with their self-improvement goals. It's like a motivational poster but with fewer dangling kittens.

An aspirational message value prop works by tapping into the audience's desire to be a better version of themselves, or at least look like it on Instagram.

"Elevate your [aspect of life or business] to the next level with our [product/service]."

Use cases: Lifestyle, personal development, luxury brands, and other industries that appeal to customers' desires for self-improvement and status

10. Cost-efficiency emphasis

Focused on practicality, this value proposition appeals to your audience's rational side by highlighting the economic benefits of a product or service. It appeals to budget-conscious consumers and those looking to maximize value.

A cost-efficiency framework emphasizes how much time, money, or resources a customer can save by using your product or service. This strategy is widely used in competitive markets where price and value are significant deciding factors.

The key is to quantify potential savings to grab attention. A strong cost-efficiency value proposition convinces target customers that your offering is a smart investment by using a tangible value.

"Save [time/money/resources] and achieve [solution/goal] with our [product/service]."

Use cases: Retail, consumer electronics, utility services, and other industries where consumers are particularly price-sensitive

11. Innovation highlight

As someone who suffers from shiny object syndrome (I've been glued to some version of an iPhone since they dropped in 2007), I'm a total sucker for the innovation highlight value proposition.

This strategy is all about showcasing those cool, innovative features that make life easier, better, or just way more fun (like no longer having to use T9 to text). It appeals to the consumer's curiosity and desire to be part of something new and revolutionary. It can create excitement and anticipation, which are strong motivators for those early adopters and tech enthusiasts who camp outside stores for the latest gadget.

"We feature [technology/innovation] that [solution or benefit] for [target audience]."

Use cases: Technology, automotive, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and other industries where innovation and cutting-edge developments are key differentiators

12. Risk reduction

By focusing on reducing potential risks, this value proposition appeals to the type of people who only buy non-habit-forming multivitamins and other risk-averse consumers. This approach reassures the audience by highlighting safety, reliability, and security features, thereby reducing the perceived risk associated with the purchase or use of the product or service.

"With our [product/service], reduce the risk of [specific problem or issue] in [specific scenario]."

Use cases: Finance, health care, insurance, cybersecurity, legal services, and other industries where the cost of error is high

10 examples of value propositions

This list peels back the curtain on the value propositions of well-known companies. It's worth mentioning, however, that businesses usually keep their value proposition close to their chest. 

Some of these examples are pieced together from what's publicly available and might not be the word-for-word gospel straight from the company's playbook. But it's a solid snapshot of the value these companies offer to their target customers.

Slack: "Slack is a new way to communicate with your team. It's faster, better organized, and more secure than email."

Domino's Pizza: "Fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less—or it's free."

Zoom: "Connect with anyone, anywhere, on any device with Zoom's reliable video conferencing platform."

Dropbox: "Safely store and share your files from multiple devices with Dropbox, the secure cloud storage solution."

Zappos: "The world's largest shoe store delivered to your door with free shipping and returns."

Tinder: "With 55 billion matches to date, Tinder is the world's most popular dating app, making it the place to meet new people."

Airtable: "Airtable is a low-code platform to build next-gen apps. Move beyond rigid tools, operationalize your critical data, and reimagine workflows with AI."

M&M's: "The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand."

Disney theme parks: "Creating magical experiences for guests of all ages through immersive storytelling and high-quality execution."

Zapier: "Workflow automation for everyone. Zapier automates your work across 6,000+ app integrations, so you can focus on what matters."

These companies have crafted value propositions that pack a punch in their own way, but they all effectively summarize why their offering is valuable. They provide a clear reason for target audiences to choose them over the competition, paving the way for brand loyalty and success.

Value proposition canvas

Customer jobs: What's your customer trying to get done? Are they trying to impress their boss, save time, or just not cry after a haircut? This covers everything from practical stuff to emotional needs.

Pains: What makes them want to pull their hair out while trying to perform these jobs? Is it slow internet, bad coffee, or existential dread?

Gains: What outcomes and benefits does the customer want to achieve? Are they looking for convenience, bragging rights, or just a good night's sleep?

Value map: This section is where you match what you offer to what your customer needs by relieving pain or creating gains:

Products and services: What are you offering? These are the products and services that help your customers complete jobs.

Pain relievers: How does your product make the lambs stop screaming? This is where you list how your offerings alleviate customer pains.

Gain creators: How do your products improve the customer's life? Maybe you're making them faster, smarter, or better-looking.

By using a value proposition canvas, you can map out the fit between what you offer and what customers want. Spending the time to align these elements will help set your business up for success. You'll have a product that solves real problems in a way that's truly valuable. 

How to write a value proposition

Crafting an irresistible value proposition is key to standing out from the competition and attracting your ideal customers. If you can't articulate what makes you special, you might as well start rehearsing your pitch for when you have to beg friends and family for their pity purchases.

Using the value proposition canvas above and following the four steps below, you'll be able to hammer out your value prop in no time.

Step 1: Identify your target customers

To write a stellar value proposition, you first need to figure out who you actually want to buy from you. Get specific about the types of people or businesses that would benefit most from your product or service. Don't be afraid to exclude people. If you try to please everyone, you'll end up pleasing no one.

Ask yourself questions like:

Who needs what you're selling?

What keeps them up at night?

How can you make their lives easier or better?

What do they value?

How do you stack up against the competition?

The better you understand your target customers, the easier it will be to create a value prop that speaks directly to them.

Step 2: Define your benefits

A value proposition tells your customers why they should buy from you. To craft an effective one, you need to define your benefits.

Think of your value prop like the old "sell me this pen" challenge. Instead of droning on about features like ink viscosity or ergonomic grip (yawn), you'd emphasize the pen's benefits, like how owning it will make your customer feel like the kind of person who always knows where the nearest post office is. It's about shifting the spotlight from the pen's specs to the adventures it can scribble into existence.

That said, in order to know your benefits, you have to know your features. List out all your product or service's features. Then, write out one or more benefits next to each feature. From there, you should be able to find and prioritize the most relevant benefits to your target customer.

Step 3: Differentiate yourself

Once you've defined your benefits, you need to give customers a reason to choose you over the other guys. It's not necessarily about being better—it's about being different in a way your target audience values.

What makes you unique in your industry or market? Vague claims like "high-quality products at reasonable prices" won't cut it. No one is hoping to buy low-quality garbage for an exorbitant price. That's like going to a restaurant where they brag about their food not poisoning you.

Need help coming up with a key differentiator? Start by going over the features and benefits you documented in the previous step. Note the ones that are unique to your company.

Additionally, one of these common competitive advantages may apply:

Longer-lasting products

Exceptional customer service

Convenience

Special ingredient or attribute

Best-selling product

Highest-rated

Environmentally friendly

Hassle-free

Customizable product

Same-day service

Step 4: Communicate your value

The final step is to put it all together in a simple statement that taps into your customers' wants and highlights your competitive advantage.

Speak their language: Because your value prop is the foundation for all your marketing, you'll want to communicate in a way that resonates with your audience. This might involve using specific words, tone, or style that appeals to them. Echo those words and phrases in your messaging.

Keep it snappy: Aim for two to three sentences, max.

Communicate your benefit: I know I sound like a broken record, but this part is just that important. Focus on the outcomes and advantages for customers, not just what you do or offer.

Be bold yet believable: This isn't the time for modesty, but don't overpromise with exaggerated benefits. Stick to plausible perks to avoid disappointed customers calling your bluff.

Crafting your value proposition may be one of the most important things you do for your business. It's about connecting with your target audience, understanding their desires, and maybe convincing them that they need your hand-knitted toilet seat covers more than they need to pay rent this month.

Deliver on your value proposition with automation

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Allisa Boulette

Based in New England, Allisa is a content marketer and small business owner who hopes to make the internet a more interesting place than she found it. When she’s not working, you can find her lying very still not doing anything.

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What Is a Value Proposition?

Understanding value propositions, special considerations, frequently asked questions.

• Value Proposition FAQs
• Business Essentials

Value Proposition: How to Write It With Examples

A value proposition in marketing is a concise statement of the benefits that a company is delivering to customers who buy its products or services. It serves as a declaration of intent, both inside the company and in the marketplace.

The term value proposition is believed to have first appeared in a McKinsey & Co. industry research paper in 1988, which defined it as "a clear, simple statement of the benefits, both tangible and intangible, that the company will provide, along with the approximate price it will charge each customer segment for those benefits."

Key Takeaways

• A company's value proposition tells a customer the number one reason why a product or service is best suited for that particular customer.
• A value proposition should be communicated to customers directly, either via the company's website or other marketing or advertising materials.
• Value propositions can follow different formats, as long as they are "on brand," unique, and specific to the company in question.
• A successful value proposition should be persuasive and help turn a prospect into a paying customer.

Investopedia / NoNo Flores

A value proposition stands as a promise by a company to a customer or market segment . The proposition is an easy-to-understand reason why a customer should buy a product or service from that particular business. A value proposition should clearly explain how a product fills a need, communicate the specifics of its added benefit, and state the reason why it's better than similar products on the market. The ideal value proposition is to-the-point and appeals to a customer's strongest decision-making drivers.

Companies use this statement to target customers who will benefit most from using the company's products, and this helps maintain a company's economic moat . An economic moat is a competitive advantage. The moat analogy—coined by super-investor  Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway—states that the wider the moat, the bigger and more resilient the firm is to competition.

A great value proposition demonstrates what a brand has to offer a customer that no other competitor has and how a service or product fulfills a need that no other company is able to fill.

Components of a Value Proposition

A company's value proposition communicates the number one reason why a product or service is best suited for a customer segment. Therefore, it should always be displayed prominently on a company's website and in other consumer touch points. It also must be intuitive, so that a customer can read or hear the value proposition and understand the delivered value without needing further explanation.

Value propositions that stand out tend to make use of a particular structure. A successful value proposition typically has a strong, clear headline that communicates the delivered benefit to the consumer. The headline should be a single memorable sentence, phrase, or even a tagline. It frequently incorporates catchy slogans that become part of successful advertising campaigns .

Often a subheadline will be provided underneath the main headline, expanding on the explanation of the delivered value and giving a specific example of why the product or service is superior to others the consumer has in mind. The subheading can be a short paragraph and is typically between two and three sentences long. The subheading is a way to highlight the key features or benefits of the products and often benefits from the inclusion of bullet points or another means of highlighting standout details.

This kind of structure allows consumers to scan the value proposition quickly and pick up on product features. Added visuals increase the ease of communication between business and consumer. In order to craft a strong value proposition, companies will often conduct market research to determine which messages resonate the best with their customers.

Value propositions can follow different formats as long as they are unique to the company and to the consumers the company services. All effective value propositions are easy to understand and demonstrate specific results for a customer using a product or service. They differentiate a product or service from any competition, avoid overused marketing buzzwords , and communicate value within a short amount of time.

For a value proposition to effectively turn a prospect into a paying customer, it should clearly identify who the customers are, what their main problems are, and how the company's product or service is the ideal solution to help them solve their problem.

What Is the Purpose of a Value Proposition?

A value proposition is meant to convince stakeholders, investors, or customers that a company or its products or services are worthwhile. If the value proposition is weak or unconvincing it may be difficult to attract investment and consumer demand.

What Is an Employee Value Proposition?

An employee value proposition (EVP) applies to the job market. Here, a company that is hiring will try to frame itself as a good place to work, offering not only monetary compensation but also a range of benefits, perks, and a productive environment. In return, the job candidate will need to convince the hiring company that they have the appropriate skills, experience, demeanor, and ambition to succeed.

What Happens if a Value Proposition Fails?

If a company cannot convince others that it has value or that its products or services or valuable, it will lose profitability and access to capital and may ultimately go out of business.

Lanning, Michael J., and Edward G. Michaels. "A business is a value delivery system."  McKinsey staff paper  No. 41. July, 1988.

CNBC Warren Buffett Archive. " Morning Session - 1995 Meeting ."

Alexander Osterwalder et al. " Value proposition design: How to create products and services customers want. Vol. 2." John Wiley & Sons, 2015.

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How to write an inspiring value proposition (with template and examples)

A value proposition (VP) explains how customers can benefit from purchasing your product. In this declarative statement, you’ll convince your target audience why they should buy your product instead of your competitors’. Read on to learn how to write an inspiring and effective VP.

Every time someone buys your product or service, they’re making a choice. They’re choosing you over your competitors because they’ve decided your product is more valuable. But when two companies offer similar items with similar features, how do customers reach that decision?

That’s where a value proposition comes in. An effective value proposition convinces your target audience why you’re better than the competition. This statement is a way for you to differentiate yourself from others in your market and explain what customers will gain by purchasing from you. In this article, we walk you through how to craft your value proposition to set yourself apart.

What is a value proposition?

A value proposition (VP) convinces customers to buy your product or service by highlighting your product’s value and unique features. A value proposition goes by various other names, including:

Value statement 

Value positioning

Brand proposition

​​Unique selling proposition (USP)

Unique value proposition (UVP)

Regardless of the term you use, the meaning is the same. Your goal should be to develop a succinct statement—often paired with a visual element—that declares how your services are notable and unique. 

A company can also have multiple value propositions for different campaigns or to show different areas of value. 

The four main types of value propositions include:

Price value: You’re highlighting why your product or service is the most cost efficient option.

Unique product value: You’re highlighting the unique features of your product or service.

Customer ease or convenience: You're highlighting how your product makes your customers’ lives easier.

Customer results: You’re highlighting how your product or service gets customers results.

Value proposition vs. mission statement

You may show your mission statement to others outside of the company, but it’s meant to be your internal “why” statement. The value proposition should be your “why” statement for customers, explaining why they should buy your product.

4 questions of a value proposition

There are a variety of strategies to write your value prop, but all of them harken back to four key questions. If you can answer these questions about your company and the product or service you offer, then you have all the tools you need to write an effective value proposition.

What do you offer? Explain what your product or service is.

Who is your audience? Identify your target audience .

What value do you deliver? Outline the need you’re meeting or the opportunity you’re providing your audience.

What makes you different? Explain the features and benefits that set your product or service apart.

Other tips to consider when crafting your value propositions include:

Be direct with your audience. Clarity is key.

Use your value prop to explain clear results the customer can expect when purchasing your product.

Avoid sales jargon and buzzwords.

Keep it brief.

How to create a value proposition

The tools below will help you dive deeper into the customer experience and get to know your product or service better. Not only will this help you when crafting your value proposition, but it’ll help you in various aspects of your go-to-market strategy .

1. Map your value proposition canvas

The value proposition canvas is a tool where you map out your customer profile and product side by side in order to visualize how they connect. Your potential customers will have needs, expectations, and pain points. Your product should seek to meet these areas.

Jobs to do: Customers use products and services because they have physical, social, and emotional tasks to complete. 

Gains or expectations: When searching for a product or service, a customer will have expectations for the product, including things like price point, ease of use, and design quality.

Pain points: Customers won’t buy products if it has certain pain points, including things like high price point, bad customer service, if they are too complex, or of subpar quality. 

Products or services: Your product or service should help the customer accomplish a specific task.

Gain creators: Your product should seek to create gains for the customer, such as providing the highest quality product for the lowest price.

Pain relievers: Your product should seek to relieve pains, be easy to use, and reliable.

The value proposition canvas is the best way to see how you’re meeting your customer’s needs with your product. This tool is also useful during product creation because you can map out the customer journey first, then use that information to align your product or service to their needs and expectations. 

2. Go deeper with your questions

After you’ve mapped out your value proposition canvas, you’ll have a solid idea of how your product features meet the needs of your customer. But because you can never do too much analysis, here are more questions from Harvard Business School that you can use as you brainstorm possible statements with your team:

Which customers are you going to serve?

Which needs are you going to meet?

What relative price will provide acceptable value and profitability for the customer? 

The unique question here is analyzing the price point of your product. HBS explains that price can be an important factor for your value proposition, depending on your target audience and what needs you’re trying to meet. While companies like Apple place more emphasis on product quality and service, other companies like Walmart rely on low prices to bring in business. 

3. Use a value proposition template

Many business leaders have created formulas to make value propositioning easier. Once you know your customer and your product value, you can input your information into these formulas and the result will be a succinct and powerful statement to your audience. 

Here are a few options from Steve Blank , founder of the Lean startup movement; Geoff Moore , consultant and organizational theorist; and Guy Kawasaki , author and Apple alumni.

Steve Blank’s formula: We help [target customers]do [customer need] by offering [product features and benefits].

Cooper & Vlaskovits’ formula: [customer] with [customer problem]. Our [product] offers [customer solution].

Geoff Moore’s formula: For [your target customer] who [need or opportunity] our [product or service] in [product category] that [product benefit].

An SEO company may use the slogan, “We help others find you.” But when using the above formulas, their value proposition could read something like this: 

Example 1: “We help businesses get seen on the SERPs by offering a user-friendly content optimization tool. 

Example 2: “Get seen with a content companion that makes SEO simple.”

Example 3: “For businesses who struggle to understand Google algorithms, our user-friendly content optimization tool makes SEO simple so you can rank in the SERPs.”

Use the free value proposition template below for each of these formulas.

Value proposition examples

Here are some examples of companies and their value propositions. Many companies use a version of their value proposition in their tagline, but if you go to their website’s homepage, you’ll learn even more about the value they offer. 

Another strategic place for companies to display their value proposition is in the sub-headline on their main landing page. After a short and punchy headline, a sub-headline can be a great place to elaborate on what problem you hope to solve for your customers. Look below. 

1. Asana: “Work works better with Asana.”

Here at Asana , our slogan is, “Work works better with Asana.” The goal of our work management software is to make it easier for companies to perform their work processes. 

One version of our value proposition is, “Asana helps cross-functional teams overcome their organizational growing pains and ensures that goals, processes, and collaboration can continue to scale.” One thing to note is that you don’t have to stick to a single value proposition as long as you stay consistent with your messaging. 

2. Pinterest: “Welcome to visual discovery.”

If you check out Pinterest’s About page, you’ll find a value prop that says, “Welcome to visual discovery.” Their sub-headline expands on the message by tying in the idea-based function of their discovery platform. It says, “When it comes to a great idea, you know it when you see it.”

On the Pinterest homepage, they use visual elements to give you a teaser of how the platform looks once you sign up. It prompts you to scroll down as images appear, tempting you to dive in. 

3. Spotify: “Listening is everything.”

Spotify keeps their message simple with three large words displayed across their homepage: ”Listening is everything.” In the sub-headline, they elaborate on what their platform provides by saying, “Millions of songs and podcasts. No credit card needed.” 

You can find different versions of their value proposition on other parts of their website. For example, on their Contact page, it says, “Soundtrack your life with Spotify. Subscribe or listen for free.”

Put plans into action with Asana

You must set yourself apart if you want to build a strong customer base. When creating your value proposition, remember to point out the needs of your audience, show what you have to offer, and explain how you’re different.

Use work management software , like Asana, to plan, organize, and execute your value proposition. Incorporate your VP into a larger digital marketing strategy so your brand will have room to grow.

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