Are you wondering how to create a compelling value proposition?
A value proposition that ACTUALLY helps to convert visitors into sales, and doesn’t send them to sleep…😴
Smart move… because your value proposition, or at least your ability to clearly articulate it; will ultimately make or break your marketing success!
So in this article, I’m going to help you get crystal clear on what you’re actually offering the market and how to make you offer truly irresistible to potential clients.
Whether you’re looking to create one from scratch or just revitalise a value proposition that is no longer working; I’ve got you covered!
But just be careful, this method REALLY works…

The Three Components To A Compelling Value Proposition
So there are three core components to your offer and value proposition:
- The WHO
- The WHAT
- The HOW
The first step is figuring out exactly who your value proposition is for. Who is that particular individual or company your product or service is really going to benefit.
Asked another way; who is our PERFECT customer?
How To Find & Communicate Your Niche
Not having a clearly defined WHO is one of the biggest mistakes a lot of businesses make (and we also made when starting)
They assume their business can just help everyone (which may well be true) but this leaves you struggling to clearly define your message.
As a result, you’ll struggle to get anyone to take action AND where to find your water hole of customers so to speak.
If you can somehow tie your “who” intro your OWN story, it’ll serve for some great marketing collateral.
For example, let’s pretend you’re a female business/lifestyle coach who started her business from home to spend more time with her kids after a near death experience…
A great WHO would be busy female entrepreneurs who have been consumed by their business and are now desperate to spend more time with their own kids.
Because not only do you intimately know this audience and their struggles. But you can weave in your own personal story into the offer.
And after all, people buy with EMOTION and justify with LOGIC.
Now, this doesn’t mean you can only ever work with a single segment of your market.
But at these initial stages, it is CRITICAL, you focus your messaging on a defined segment to gain some initial traction. Once you’ve got momentum, you can then look at expanding your marketing message to a wider audience.
This doesn’t even need to be about demographics or industry; this is more about asking what specific kind of problem is my audience having.

For example, if you’re an Agency providing remote workers or VA’s.
A lot of businesses would say that their WHO is:
“Anybody who needs a VA.”
But if we were to get more specific, we could say:
“We help startups who are struggling to juggle their list of tasks and seem to have a never-ending to do list. They know this is limiting their growth but they simply can’t afford to hire a full time employee.”
Now let’s pretend we saw the two in our social media feeds (or anywhere online for that matter)
The first statement is very generic, you might get a few bites from just being in the right place at the right time. But you’ll end up heavily commoditised and unable to charge what you’re really worth and actually grow.
The second statement however, speak to a very specific audience and a PAIN that they have. It commands attention from that audience because it demonstrates understanding. You are now seen as a specialist and the perceived value and appeal of the offer increases.
The irony here is that most people feel scared that by being specific, they are limiting their audience.
But there is a saying in marketing “if you speak to every, you speak to nobody”
You have to remember, people are bombarded with THOUSANDS of messages every day. If your messaging is broad and generic, you become noise.
If you can be razor sharp and specific, by speaking to a particular pain/problem, you cut through the noise.
As such, if you take two startups, one with broad and the other with specific messaging. The specific messaging will almost ALWAYS grow exponentially faster.
This also helps because we are now able to identify where our specific audience is going to be hanging out online, instead of being scattered because we’re trying to speak to everyone.
If you want a deeper dive on crafting the WHO for your value proposition, check out our guide on How To Create A Customer Avatar where you’ll also be able to grab a handy worksheet!
Now that we’re clear on WHO we’re serving.
Let’s get onto the WHAT…
”Want
Defining The “What” Of Your Value Proposition
Getting clarity over what you’re ACTUALLY offering is a critical component of creating a compelling value proposition.
You’re probably saying to yourself “come on Tom, I already know WHAT I do!!”

But stick with me!
See, the key thing to remember here, is people do NOT care about your product or service.
In all honesty, they don’t really care what you do full stop.
I know it might be hard to here but it’s true.
Write this one down…
Your product or service is nothing but a vehicle to get people to their desired outcome.
As such, your WHAT should be focused on the transformation.
Whether that be:
- Increased social status
- Less anxiety/More happiness
- Better health
- More money/wealth
This list is endless, think about the REAL reason, people are buying your product/service – What are you rescuing them from?
Making A Truly Irresistible Offer
There are also a number of components that help to make the WHAT of an offer truly irresistible
- You clearly articulate the transformation you offer
- You demonstrate the before and after
- You have clearly defined steps you take people through to get them that results (make it as simple as possible)
- There is a repeatable system for getting results
- You have created some form of IP (your own unique system or framework)
- It is emotionally compelling and solves a big problem
- Risk reversal – can you offer some form of guarantee?
Now that we’re clearly on the WHO and WHAT
The final stage is the HOW – this is the nitty-gritty and the way you help people get their desired result.
This isn’t so important and will likely evolve over time as you grow the business, but you’ll likely already know this very well so I won’t teach you to suck eggs.
To help you understand how this looks in action, here are two example of an offer by a personal trainer (this concept also applies to physical products):
Average offer
WHO: People who want to lose weight
WHAT: Help them get thinner
HOW: 1 on 1 training over zoom
Not particularly exciting is it?
Yet it sounds like the THOUSANDS of personal trainers out there. Oh and offering special seasonal discount isn’t going to help much either!
Now let’s look at a different version of this offer that calls out and commands attention from a SPECIFIC audience.
Power offer
WHO: Overweight, busy executives who have tried multiple diets, weight has been up and down for years and are starting to have health complications. They don’t even have energy to play with their kids anymore which break their heart! They are sick of FAD diets and are desperate to find something that just works!
WHAT: Help them identify the root issues that keep them stuck in this cycle and empower them to lose weight permanently over the course of 90 days so they can get their life back; whilst feeling fully energised and empowered
HOW: 1on1 coaching and group coaching hybrid using the MindMastery MethodTM
See the difference?
If you’re still struggling to see how this can apply to your business or maybe you think you just work in a dull and boring industry.
Here’s how to change that:
So, What’s Your Value Proposition?
Now it’s your turn!
Hopefully this guide has given you all of the tools you need to create or just revitalise your value proposition in a way that will help you stand out in your market place and attract you dream clients like a magnet.
If you got value from this, be sure to share it and check out our free guide below to help you put that new value proposition to use on your website!
15 Ways To Get More Leads & Sales From Your Website
What's broken in 2026 (and what to do instead)
The original guide above covers the basics of writing a value proposition. The fundamentals haven't changed. What HAS changed is the bar for what counts as a value proposition that converts vs one that gets ignored.
In 2026, attention is more compressed than ever. Customers spend 3-7 seconds on most websites before deciding whether to keep reading. If your value proposition doesn't earn the next 30 seconds in those first 3-7, you've lost them.
Here's the 2026 framework we use with clients.
The four-part structure that works
A value proposition that converts has four parts:
- What you do: specific, not generic
- Who it's for: explicit, not vague
- What outcome they get: tangible, not abstract
- Why you specifically: differentiation, not boilerplate
If any of these are missing or vague, the value prop is broken. Here's what each looks like done well vs done poorly.
Part 1: What you do
Bad: "AI-powered platform for modern marketers"
Good: "Marketing measurement that combines incrementality testing, MMM, and cohort analysis"
The bad version uses buzzwords that mean nothing. The good version names the specific things you do. The customer should understand WHAT you do without needing a follow-up question.
Part 2: Who it's for
Bad: "For growing businesses"
Good: "For DTC brands at £5M-£50M revenue"
The bad version targets nobody specifically. The good version excludes 90% of companies, which makes the 10% who fit feel "this is for me". That feeling is what drives conversion.
Part 3: What outcome they get
Bad: "Improve your marketing ROI"
Good: "Cut wasted spend on non-incremental channels by 25-40% within 90 days"
The bad version is abstract. The good version is specific, time-bound, and credible. Specific numbers + specific timeframes + a believable claim = trust.
Part 4: Why you specifically
Bad: "Trusted by leading brands worldwide"
Good: "Built by an ex-Klaviyo VP who managed measurement for 200+ DTC brands"
The bad version is generic credibility theatre. The good version is specific provenance that explains why YOU specifically have the right to make the claim.
The full structure in action
Combining all four parts: "We do [specific thing] for [specific audience] who want [specific outcome]. We're different from alternatives because [specific differentiation]."
Worked example for a B2B SaaS client: "We provide marketing measurement combining incrementality testing, MMM, and cohort analysis for DTC brands at £5M-£50M revenue who want to cut wasted spend by 25-40% within 90 days. Built by an ex-Klaviyo VP who managed measurement for 200+ DTC brands."
That's their hero copy. Same product as before. Conversion rate from homepage visit to demo signup tripled.
12 real examples (and what makes them work or not work)
Example 1 (great): Stripe
"Financial infrastructure for the internet."
Specific (financial infrastructure), broad-but-targeted audience (the internet), implicit outcome (infrastructure that just works), differentiation through brand. This works because Stripe is so dominant the brand alone signals trust.
Example 2 (great): Notion
"Write, plan, share. With AI at your side."
Specific use cases (write, plan, share), broad audience implied, outcome (AI helps you do these). Differentiation through the AI angle. Concise and specific.
Example 3 (bad): generic SaaS company
"Powering the future of business with intelligent automation."
What does "future of business" mean? What's intelligent automation? Who is this for? Reads like a wedding speech written by ChatGPT.
Example 4 (great): Plaid
"The plumbing for thousands of fintech apps."
Specific metaphor (plumbing), specific audience (fintech apps), implicit credibility (thousands of). Memorable.
Example 5 (bad): generic agency
"Strategic marketing solutions for forward-thinking businesses."
Strategic. Forward-thinking. Solutions. Three meaningless words. Could describe 10,000 agencies.
Example 6 (great): Hampton
"A community for high-growth founders."
Specific (community), specific audience (high-growth founders), implicit outcome (you join high-growth founders). Differentiation through exclusivity (you have to apply).
Example 7 (great): Wirecutter
"Reviews for the real world."
Specific use case (reviews), differentiation against the alternative (reviews that aren't "for the real world"). Sets up the brand position in five words.
Example 8 (bad): generic consultancy
"Helping ambitious leaders unlock growth potential."
Help. Ambitious. Unlock. Potential. All abstract. No specifics. Could be a sales coach, a CEO coach, a personal trainer, or a horoscope service.
Example 9 (great): Webflow
"The visual web design platform."
Specific category (visual web design), specific audience (web designers), differentiation through being THE visual one. Confident.
Example 10 (bad): generic ecom brand
"Premium quality at affordable prices."
Every brand says this. Says nothing.
Example 11 (great): Linear
"The issue tracking tool you'll enjoy using."
Specific category (issue tracking), specific outcome (enjoyment), differentiation against the alternative (most issue trackers people don't enjoy using). The promise is brave because it's testable.
Example 12 (bad): generic agency
"Your trusted partner in digital transformation."
Trusted. Partner. Transformation. Generic-buzzword bingo. The opposite of what works.
What to do with this
Most value propositions are broken in the same ways: too generic, too abstract, too buzzword-heavy, and not differentiated. The fix is the four-part structure: what you do, who it's for, what outcome, why you specifically. Be specific in every part.
If your value proposition could describe 100 other companies, it's not actually a value proposition. It's marketing-speak. Rewrite it.
Want a second pair of eyes on this?, book a free 15-min review. We'll run customer interviews, identify the real differentiation, and rewrite it together.


