Messaging Isn’t Step One—It’s Step Five

Messaging isn’t where product marketing starts. It’s where all the hard work comes together. It’s not a copywriting exercise; it’s a culmination. Messaging is what you earn after doing the real work.

What Comes First?

• Talking to your customers to understand their pain, language, and mental models
• Partnering with Product to fully grasp what’s possible, and what’s not
• Listening to the market to uncover where competitors are strong… and where they’re just loud
• Mapping real use cases and buyer journeys to understand context and triggers
• Aligning the story to business outcomes, not just product features

Only then can you write messaging that actually resonates.

Why This Matters for Growth

In my work, I’ve had the most impact when I’ve had the space to start with insight and end with enablement, not just ship messaging in a vacuum.

Because when positioning is clear, messaging flows. And when messaging is tight, launches don’t feel like scrambles.