The Insider Guide to Defining Your UVP
Your brand might not be the best. Or the first. Or the only.
But it needs to be different.
Too many brands rely on the competitive landscape and the trends to guide their brand strategy, but the key is figuring out why your brand exists, and why people should pay attention to it over the competitors. Before investing in PR, marketing or amplification, you need to figure out what makes your brand stand out.
I help brands do the PR before PR: identifying their ‘why’, building their purpose, and establishing core values and stories that will resonate with audiences and get attention. I’m sharing below my step-by-step starter checklist for brands to help brainstorm and find the foundation that makes their stories relevant (you’re welcome).
This checklist is a great starting point to pinpoint your values, what your brand specifically brings to the table, and where your gaps might be that you need to strengthen before moving to amplification.
Step 1: Clarify Your Core Why
Ask yourself:
Why does this product/service exist?
What problem does it solve better than anything else?
Who exactly needs it?
Insider tip: If you can’t explain your brand’s “why” in one sentence without jargon, it’s not clear enough.
Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience
Define:
Who experiences the problem you solve?
Who will notice, care, and act on your solution?
What motivates them, beyond price or convenience?
Insider tip: The more specific, the better. “Women ages 25-34 who feel dismissed by traditional wellness products” beats “everyone who likes health products.”
Step 3: Map Out Your Competitive Landscape
Research:
Who else is solving this problem?
How are they positioning themselves?
Where are their strengths and weaknesses?
Insider tip: BE HONEST. In your research you may find that other brands have popped up doing the same (or similar) thing – and that’s okay. The key is figuring out what is meaningfully better or more relevant to your audience than the alternatives.
Step 4: Define Your Differentiators
Ask:
What do you do that competitors can’t (or won’t)?
What makes your product, service, or experience distinct?
Which aspects of your brand story are unique and worth amplifying?
Insider tip: Focus on experience, identity, and impact, not just product specs.
Step 5: Connect Your UVP to an Emotional Hook
Identify:
How does your brand make your audience feel?
What cultural or lifestyle ideals does it align with?
What story does it allow customers to tell about themselves?
Insider tip: People remember emotion + relevance far more than features.
Step 6: Test Your Statement
Draft your UVP in one clear sentence. For example:
“Love Wellness helps women take control of their health with supplements designed for real life, not just the lab.”
“Barry’s Bootcamp delivers the most intense, personalized group workouts in an energizing, community-driven environment.”
Ask:
Can someone unfamiliar with the brand understand it in 10 seconds?
Does it communicate your advantage and “why it matters”?
Does it feel authentic to your brand story?
Step 7: Refine, Simplify, Repeat
Your first draft is rarely perfect.
Test internally with your team: “Does this resonate?”
Test externally with your target audience: “Do they get it?”
Simplify language, focus on clarity, and strip away filler.
Insider tip: A strong UVP is foundational for PR, messaging, and growth. Without it, you’re amplifying noise.
Quick Checklist
Clear “why” exists (beyond making money - that one’s obvious)
Specific target audience identified
Competitive landscape mapped
Unique differentiators defined
Emotional / cultural hook included
Concise 1-sentence UVP drafted
Tested internally and externally
Ask a publicist what they think
