Question 1

What makes a good value proposition?

Accepted Answer

A strong value prop names a specific audience, states a concrete and measurable outcome, and does it in plain language — no buzzwords. The best ones are 8–20 words and include at least one specific number or concrete noun. If you removed the company name and dropped the sentence into a competitor's pitch and it still made sense, it's too generic.

Question 2

How long should a value prop be?

Accepted Answer

8–20 words is the sweet spot. Short enough to repeat in conversation, long enough to communicate who it's for and what they get. Shorter than 8 words usually means you've cut so much there's no substance left. Longer than 20 words and people stop reading before they reach the payoff.

Question 3

Why does jargon hurt a value proposition?

Accepted Answer

Words like 'seamless', 'robust', and 'cutting-edge' signal a template, not a position. They're interchangeable across thousands of companies and tell the reader nothing specific about what you actually do. Plain language forces you to be precise — and precision is what makes a value prop believable.

Question 4

Should I include a specific number in my value prop?

Accepted Answer

Where you can, yes. 'Saves sales teams 6 hours a week' is more credible than 'saves time'. 'Closes 30% more deals' is more compelling than 'improves close rates'. Numbers create a concrete picture and signal that you've measured your impact — which implies you've actually delivered it.

Value Proposition Tester

What separates a value prop that converts from one that gets ignored

Common questions