When growth stalls—even with a great product—the issue is often upstream: your messaging.
If people don’t understand what you do, how it helps them, or why they should care, they won’t convert. They’ll scroll, skim, and move on. And that disconnect? It’s not their fault. It’s yours.
Here’s how to tell if your startup messaging is costing you growth—and how to fix it.
Why Messaging Matters
Messaging isn’t copywriting. It’s not branding. It’s the foundation of how your company communicates value.
Good messaging:
- Clarifies who you’re for
- Articulates the pain you solve
- Differentiates you from noise
- Creates a narrative your audience wants to join
If you get this wrong, nothing downstream—ads, emails, demos—will land the way it should.
5 Signs Your Messaging Is the Problem
- You describe your product differently every time
If your founder, marketer, and AE give three different answers to “What do you do?”, you have a messaging issue. - You get weird feedback on your website
If visitors misinterpret what you do—or worse, think you’re a completely different kind of tool—you’re not clear enough. - Low engagement on high-effort content
Thoughtful blog posts, LinkedIn carousels, or explainer videos fall flat? The message likely missed. - You’re attracting the wrong leads
If your sales pipeline is full of bad fits, your top-of-funnel message might be casting too wide or vague a net. - You’re obsessed with features, not outcomes
If your pitch is a list of what it does—not what it changes—you’re making your buyer do all the mental work.
How to Run a Messaging Audit
Step 1: Collect Everything
Pull copy from your homepage, sales decks, cold emails, social posts, and product pages. You need a full view.
Step 2: Check for Alignment
Is the same story showing up everywhere? Or is it a Frankenstein of styles, voices, and angles?
Step 3: Read Like a Stranger
Ask someone outside your company: “What do you think this product does?” Their answers will be illuminating.
Step 4: Map Benefits to Personas
For each target persona, list their core problem—and make sure your messaging speaks directly to that pain.
Step 5: Look for Gaps
Where are you assuming too much? Using jargon? Offering features instead of outcomes?
Common Startup Messaging Mistakes
- Talking like a product manager instead of a buyer
- Leading with how it works, not why it matters
- Using generic buzzwords (“scalable,” “innovative,” “end-to-end”)
- Targeting “everyone” and resonating with no one
- Changing tone based on platform instead of owning one consistent voice
How to Fix It
- Simplify ruthlessly: If a 7th grader wouldn’t understand it, revise it.
- Start with the pain: Lead with what your audience is trying to escape or achieve.
- Use real words from real customers: Pull phrases from sales calls, DMs, and testimonials.
- Test and tweak: Run A/B headlines. Test new intros on LinkedIn. Watch what hits.
Final Thought
Your messaging isn’t a one-time exercise—it’s a living system. It should evolve as your product, audience, and market shifts.
But one thing stays the same: if you’re not crystal clear on who you help and why it matters, no amount of traffic or hustle will save you.
Audit it. Fix it. Own it. Then watch your growth catch up.
