I read an article today that was trying to equate narrative development and positioning. I don't see these as competing things - I think one is an input to the other. 1/

Positioning defines who your product is best suited for, what the alternative solutions are, what value the product delivers for customers. These are inputs to a narrative - you literally can't write a story until we know who the heroes and villains are 2/

Now, if your company is fairly mature, you might already have solid positioning. If that's the case, focusing on narrative development can help you make that positioning really sing for customers. 3/

But if you aren't totally clear on the value your product delivers, what the exact profile of a good fit prospect is, what other alternatives you need to beat in the market - you aren't ready yet to work on the narrative. In fact, working on it is probably dangerous 4/

Building a story around weak, imaginary, or aspirational inputs can result in a narrative that sounds amazing but may not actually be true, and may not work in the market at all. 5/

Positioning first, story second. If the positioning is already solid, go ahead and work on the story. If the positioning is muddled or weak, you're going to need to nail that down first. /end