How Specific Should Your Startup's Positioning Be?

Overly broad positioning confuses investors and customers. Specific positioning targets beachhead markets addressing acute pain points. Specificity builds defensibility—harder for competitors to copy. As startups scale, positioning evolves. Clear positioning guides hiring, product development, and marketing decisions. Specificity signals conviction.

Positioning is one of the most crucial—and often misunderstood—aspects of early-stage startup growth. How you define and communicate your product’s value to the market can either accelerate your traction or leave potential customers confused about what you actually offer.

A common dilemma founders face is finding the right level of specificity in their positioning:

• Too broad, and your message becomes vague, making it difficult for anyone to understand what you do or why they should care.

• Too narrow, and you risk excluding large parts of your potential market, limiting growth opportunities.

So how do startups strike the right balance?‍

‍The Two-Tiered Approach to Positioning: SAM and SOM Levels

For most startups, effective positioning hinges on mastering two complementary levels of messaging: SAM-level positioning and SOM-level positioning

1. Build Your SAM-Level Positioning

SAM stands for Serviceable Available Market. This level of positioning articulates your product clearly across multiple segments without being overly broad. It strikes a middle ground between an expansive Total Addressable Market (TAM) statement and a highly targeted message.

Characteristics of SAM-Level Positioning:

• More specific than a broad visionary claim but flexible enough to allow experimentation and growth

• Aimed at creating broad understanding and awareness across different audiences

• Serves as your “north star” messaging for early-stage communication

Ideal Use Cases:

• Your startup’s homepage, where first impressions matter and you need to communicate clearly what you do

• Introductory slides in your sales or investor decks, providing a simple yet precise description

• Content marketing materials designed to educate and build awareness among a diverse audience

By focusing on SAM-level positioning early on, startups provide clarity without boxing themselves into a niche too soon.

2. Layer in SOM-Level Positioning

SOM refers to Serviceable Obtainable Market. This positioning is laser-focused on specific segments or use cases. It is highly precise messaging crafted for defined personas or verticals.

Key Aspects of SOM-Level Positioning:

• Tailored to specific market segments or buyer personas

• Drives higher engagement and conversion rates because the messaging directly addresses particular needs and pain points

• Typically employed in targeted marketing campaigns and personalized sales outreach

When and Where to Use SOM-Level Positioning:

• Dedicated landing pages optimized for particular use cases or industry verticals

• Persona-driven advertising and email campaigns

• Customized sales materials designed to resonate with individual buyer groups

While SOM-level positioning delivers the highest performance in go-to-market efforts, it demands more resources to develop and execute. Startups should adopt this level only after their broader SAM-level messaging has proven effective.

A Real-World Example: Airtable’s Positioning Evolution

Airtable offers a clear illustration of how positioning evolves with growth:

• TAM-Level (Broad Vision): Initially, Airtable positioned itself with a broad, visionary message: “Organize everything.” This cast a wide net but lacked specificity.

• SAM-Level (Clear Definition): As the product matured, Airtable refined its messaging to: “We’re a better spreadsheet.” This clarified the product’s value while still appealing across various segments.

• SOM-Level (Targeted Focus): Today, Airtable runs multiple go-to-market motions with segment-specific messaging, such as “Solutions for marketing teams.” These targeted campaigns allow them to address the precise needs of different user groups effectively.

Final Thoughts

Positioning is not static. It evolves as your startup grows, gains customer insights, and experiments with the market. Early-stage startups benefit from clear, understandable SAM-level positioning that educates and attracts a broad audience. As your understanding deepens and resources increase, layering in SOM-level positioning enables you to engage specific market segments with tailored messages, maximizing impact and conversion.

By thoughtfully calibrating your startup’s positioning between these two levels, you create a scalable communication strategy that balances clarity, flexibility, and precision—essential ingredients for sustainable growth.