How specific should your startup’s positioning be?

It’s one of the most important (and misunderstood) part of early-stage growth.

❌ Too broad, and no one gets what you do.

❌ Too narrow, and you risk ignoring too much of the market.

So how do you strike the right balance?

For most startups, there are two key moves:

1. Build your SAM-Level Positioning

This is how you explain your product clearly across multiple segments.

It’s more specific than a big, visionary TAM play -- but still leaves room to grow and experiment.

It’s perfect for:

• Early homepages
• Intro slides in your sales deck
• Content to build broad understanding

2. Layer in SOM-Level Positioning

This is your focused, high-precision messaging for specific segments.

You’ll use it in:

• Use-case landing pages
• Persona-driven campaigns
• Personalized sales materials

It’s the highest-performing positioning in go-to-market.

But it’s also the most expensive -- so only double down once it’s proven to work.

———

Take

Airtable

as an example:

They started with broad TAM positioning:

“Organize everything.”

Then they shifted to SAM positioning:

“We’re a better spreadsheet.”

Today, they run multiple GTM motions built around SOM-level segment messaging

(ex: “Solutions for marketing teams”).