Value Proposition Examples & Free Template (2025 Guide)

Learn to write a value proposition with real examples, free templates, and proven formulas. Master the value proposition canvas to boost conversions.

Why do customers buy from you? What motivates people to choose you over hundreds of alternatives? What makes your brand and products stand out as better than the rest?

The answer: Your value proposition.

If you can perfect a value proposition that resonates with your target audience, you can increase your conversion rate and improve your marketing strategies. Learning to present the value your company delivers in a compelling way is one of the most high-value marketing activities you can prioritize for your business.

Ahead, you’ll learn what makes a great value proposition and how to write a value proposition, as well as take a look at some real-world examples of unique value propositions.

What is a value proposition?

A value proposition is a concise statement that communicates the unique benefits and value a product or service offers to its target audience. It highlights the specific problem it solves, the advantages it provides, and why it is superior to its competitors. 

A good value proposition helps differentiate a business from the competitive landscape and attract more qualified customers. 

There are generally four types to choose from:

• Primary value proposition. This is the big promise your company makes—a single, memorable idea that shows up in every product, campaign, and customer touchpoint. It’s concrete and provable (i.e., backed by a specific outcome you consistently deliver).
• Segment-level. Where you tweak the brand promise for a clearly defined audience. It’s based on customer segmentation data (industry, role, buying triggers, etc.) and the channels that the audience uses. 
• Product-level. Explains why one product or service solves a problem better than any alternative. It ties back to your brand promise, but highlights specific features and credible proof for buyers to consider when making a purchase.
• Process-level. Often overlooked, this promise describes the value of taking action, like clicking an ad or completing checkout. It shows off the benefits (time saved, perks gained, etc.) to overcome inaction and keep momentum high. 

Value proposition vs. mission statement

A value proposition and a mission statement might seem similar, but they serve different purposes. A mission statement is about your brand and serves as your company’s guiding principle, much like a North Star. It tells everyone (employees, customers, stakeholders) why your business exists and what you stand for. 

By contrast, a strong value proposition is all about your customer. It’s the clear-cut reason why someone should pick your product over others. It answers the consumer’s question, “What’s in it for me?” and convinces potential customers that you’re worth their time and money.

Why your value proposition matters

A solid value proposition is the foundation of your business strategy. Consider it an elevator pitch that makes potential customers choose you over competitors. Without a clear value proposition, you’re throwing darts in the dark, hoping to hit something valuable to your audience.

Done right, a value proposition helps you:

• Nail your marketing message. When you know exactly what value you provide, every social post, email, and ad naturally flows from that core messaging.
• Guide product development. Each new feature or update should reflect your core promise to customers, keeping your product differentiated and purposeful.
• Grow revenue faster. Companies that lead on customer experience, which McKinsey links to a clear, differentiated value promise, achieved more than double the revenue growth of laggards between 2016 and 2021. 

💰If you’re seeking investors, keep in mind that they love to see a well-crafted value proposition. It shows you understand your market and have a game plan for success. 

Value proposition examples

Use these value propositions from popular brands to inspire your own:

• Unbound Merino
• Graza
• Dieux Skin
• City Seltzer
• Death Wish Coffee

1. Unbound Merino

Unbound Merino has multiple value propositions. Let’s break down two of them. The first is:

“Simple. Versatile. High performance.”

On the Unbound Merino homepage, the brand promises high-performance clothing—but the quality claim must run deeper than promise. The next value proposition makes the logical jump from high performance to the product’s holistic impact on the customer’s life:

“Pack less. Experience more.”

This value prop translates the quality and versatility of the product into its real-world application. Since merino wool is odor-resistant, you can get more wear out of a single t-shirt, and therefore pack less when traveling. With this value proposition, Unbound Merino is making a promise about quality of life, not just quality of product.

2. Graza

Graza’s value proposition is:

“High-quality olive oil that’s meant to be squeezed, not saved.”

This value proposition effectively sums up the problem Graza solves: Home cooks want good olive oil, but since it tends to be expensive, they may only use it for special occasions rather than everyday cooking.

“Olive oil in North America has always been positioned as something that you shouldn’t cook with,” Graza founder Andrew Benin says on the Shopify Masters podcast. “On one side, things were really luxurious, and on the other side, things were really pared-back and private-label and no investment in product quality. I found a way to cut right through the middle.”

Graza’s one-sentence value proposition emphasizes the product’s quality and immediately differentiates it from the competition with “squeezed, not saved”—indicating that it’s meant for everyday use. Plus, the “squeezed” part of the tagline highlights another unique feature of Graza’s product: the squeezable bottle.

3. Dieux Skin

Skin care company Dieux’s value proposition is:

“Rituals, not miracles.”

This short and sweet sentiment emphasizes what sets Dieux apart from other brands: a commitment to consistency.

Dieux focuses on education rather than promising overnight effects.

“I want people to understand what our products do and what they don’t do,” cofounder Charlotte Palermino says on the Shopify Masters podcast. “I would not tell you that Instant Angel [Dieux’s lipid-rich moisturizer] on its own is enough. I would tell you in a routine how to use it and how it may work for you. And I find that when you do it that way, you have a high loyalty rate.”

4. City Seltzer

City Seltzer’s value proposition is:

“Fizz without the shizz.”

This playful value statement emphasizes that its seltzer is made with 100% natural flavors—no “shizz.” Since City Seltzer is a small brand, it has to differentiate itself from large, entrenched competitors.

“We have to reach people and communicate some of that humanity, authenticity,” City Seltzer cofounder Josh McJannett says on the Shopify Masters podcast. “I think people want to feel something in the choices that they make.”

5. Death Wish Coffee

Death Wish Coffee is known for selling the world’s strongest coffee. Since its humble beginnings in 2012, founder Mike Brown shared the narrative of Death Wish Coffee: “We live to rebel against blah beans—and a boring, lackluster life.” 

But Death Wish Coffee doesn’t just talk the talk. It supports this core claim through premium quality standards, ethical sourcing, and authentic brand storytelling. The brand has carved out a unique space in the coffee market by targeting enthusiasts who want strength and sophistication, pairing its rebellious identity with USDA Organic certification and Fair Trade practices. 

Death Wish Coffee’s evolution from local roaster to NASA collaborator demonstrates how a focused value proposition can fuel remarkable growth while maintaining brand authenticity.

3 elements of a successful value proposition 

A compelling value proposition should meet three criteria:

1. It’s specific

What are the specific benefits your target customer will receive? Your value proposition should focus on the superpowers that potential customers get from the product, not the product itself.

2. It’s pain point-focused

How will your product fix the customer’s pain point or otherwise improve their life?

“At its core, a value proposition is a promise you make to your customer post-purchase,” Unbound Merino co-founder Dan Demsky says on Learn With Shopify. “You’re essentially saying, This purchase will outperform your expectations and solve the problem that needs solving.”

3. It’s exclusive 

How is it both desirable and exclusive? How well does it highlight your company’s competitive advantage?

Don’t confuse brand slogans, catchphrases, or even a positioning statement with a unique value proposition—they’re all different things.

Rarely is your value proposition about the product itself or its features. Instead, it’s the way your brand or product fixes a meaningful pain point or improves the lives of your target market, as well as the way it makes them feel.

3 proven value proposition formulae

1. Steve Blank's XYZ formula

The Steve Blank formula is recognized for its simplicity and action-oriented approach. It frames the business around what you help customers achieve:

We help [X: Target Customer] do [Y: The Job/Action] by [Z: The Solution/Product].

Here’s how to use it:

• X (who): Name the exact customer or niche.
• Y (outcome): The tangible result they want.
• Z (how): Your unique moat or approach.

👉 Example: We help teams stay aligned by bringing all their communication into one place.

2. Harvard Business School framework

This formula is a distilled version of Michael Porter’s work on competitive strategy at Harvard Business School. It looks to identify the core set of choices that define your strategic position:

Which customers? → Which needs? → What relative price?

Breaking down this formula a bit:

• Which customers? Refers to market segmentation. Who will you serve and who will you ignore? Trying to serve all customers with all needs at a low price is a recipe for failure. 
• Which needs? Even within a customer segment, there are many needs. Choose the subset of needs that you can actually meet—the “value” part of a value proposition.
• What relative price? This is the price of your offering compared to the value you deliver and your competitors. A premium price means you meet needs far better than anyone else. A low price meets needs at a lower cost than competitors. 

👉 Example: “We serve urban Gen Z commuters who need ultra‑light helmets at a mid‑premium price that funds lifetime repairs.”

3. Shopify's aspiration-based formula

The basic value proposition formula is:

Value proposition = [adjective] [product or service] for [aspiration]

This version of the formula is adaptable enough that any business can use it. For example, here’s the value proposition from canned food brand Heyday Canning Co.:

“Create flavor-packed meals presto pronto with our line of canned (but never bland) beans.”

Compare that to the value proposition from underwear brand ThirdLove:

“In-demand bras that make you look great and feel even better.”

At first glance, the value props from Heyday and ThirdLove couldn’t be more different—one sells beans and the other sells bras—but they actually follow the same structure. Both value props position their product as the path to a better life, one in which you look and feel amazing in your bra while you whip up a meal in no time using canned beans.

How to write a unique value proposition

Here’s where to begin when writing a value proposition statement:

1. Understand your customer and their voice
2. Focus on clarity before creativity
3. Emphasize benefits, not hype
4. Use a template

1. Understand your customer and their voice

A good value proposition uses the exact words of your current customers to hook your future customers.

For example, if they were interviewed for a case study, how would your target customers describe your company’s product? How does it improve their lives? How do they describe your company? Why do they choose to associate with your brand?

Interview your customers or send out a survey to better understand how they speak about you, both to other people and to themselves. Pay attention to common words and phrases they use. You can keep track of responses and phrases in a simple Google Doc.

Your visitors should see themselves in your value proposition. The language you use plays a big role in shaping their perspective. If you want to go the extra mile, spend some time looking at value proposition examples of your competition. What are they doing right? What could they improve?

💡Take note of how your competition talks to their customers by signing up for their newsletters and email flows.

2. Focus on clarity before creativity

Above all, you must ensure your value proposition is clear. Sounds obvious, right? Your value proposition needs to serve many purposes, so achieving crystal clarity can be quite difficult.

When evaluating your draft, ensure it answers the following questions:

• What product are you selling?
• Who should buy your product?
• How will buying your product improve the visitor or their life?
• Why should the visitor buy from you and not your competitors?
• When will the value be delivered?

Your value proposition should be relatively short—two or three short sentences, maximum. Every word should improve clarity or make your unique selling proposition more compelling. Otherwise, cut it out.

3. Emphasize benefits, not hype

How many “World’s Best Coffee” signs would you see in store windows walking down just one busy New York City street? Dozens. Each sign you encounter would make it a little more difficult to believe the previous one.

Hype, which can come in the form of superlatives (“best”) and exaggerations (“world’s best”), can be dangerous. Instead, focus on distinct benefits and the concrete value your product delivers.

If you need to use hype to sell your products, it’s a sign that your value proposition is not well defined, or, perhaps, even that your product is not as valuable as you think. Don’t let the love for your product or service get in the way of viewing your brand objectively.

4. Use a template

When it comes to something as daunting as distilling your product’s value into a sentence or two, having a guide can help. This is where you can use value proposition templates to help you organize your thoughts.

💡Brainstorm without digital distractions by printing out a hard copy of the free downloadable template below.

Value proposition template

It’s easy to create a clear value proposition for your brand by using a template. This free downloadable template offers three variations you can customize to your brand, each with real-world examples from successful companies.

Understand your audience, perfect your sales pitch and take your business to the next level, with our free value proposition template.

How to test your value proposition

Creating an effective value proposition is easier when you get customer input. Here is how to test your own value proposition. 

Conduct customer surveys

Create quick online surveys using tools like Google Forms or TypeForm, and ask direct questions about what problems your customers face and how much they’d value your solution. 

Don’t just survey random people. Target those who match your ideal buyer persona. Honest feedback now can save you from expensive mistakes later.

A/B test your value proposition

Create two slightly different versions of your pitch or landing page, then show them to similar groups of people. Pay attention to which one gets more positive responses, clicks, or sign-ups. The beauty of A/B testing is that it gives you concrete data rather than just gut feelings about what works.

Analytics and monitoring

Use web analytics to track how visitors interact with the value proposition on your site. 

Look at the data on your homepage and landing pages to see if your messaging is sticking. For example, look at your bounce rate. A high bounce rate (over 60%) is considered bad because it indicates that visitors are leaving quickly. A lower bounce rate (under 40%) paired with average time on page can mean your message is compelling enough to make visitors explore more. 

What matters most, though, is your conversion rate. If your call-to-action has a low conversion rate, like below 2%, it’s a sign your promise isn’t persuasive enough to drive clicks. You may need to revisit your value proposition if visitors aren’t adding products to their cart or signing up for newsletters. 

6-step implementation timeline

Bringing your value proposition to life involves a standardized process. Follow this timeline to develop, text, and launch a message that connects with your audience. 

• Week 1: Research and brainstorming. Gather information from across your organization. Interview existing customers, sales and support teams, and analyze your competitors’ messaging. Hold a brainstorming session and create a list of potential concepts that address customer needs.
• Week 2: Draft and refine top options. Select the best three to five concepts from your list. Then, write a value proposition for each. Get feedback from everyone involved to make sure each version reflects the brand.
• Week 3: Prepare for A/B testing. Set up an A/B test on your homepage and core landing pages. Create a variant for each of your value proposition candidates, then set the goal. Maybe you want to get newsletter sign-ups, free trial starts, or more sales—just make sure you have a way to measure which performs best. 
• Week 4-5: Run live tests. Go live with your A/B test and let it run until you reach statistical significance, ideally around two weeks. 
• Week 6: Analyze results. Once your testing is done, see which variant did best according to your goals from step two. Also look at conversion rates, bounce rates, and engagement to identify the winner. Last, implement the winner across your website headlines and marketing channels by updating the messaging. 
• Ongoing: Monitor and retest. Schedule a bi-annual retest as customer pains shift. Your value proposition should constantly evolve with what’s going on in your customers’ minds. 

Value proposition FAQ

What is the value proposition canvas?

The value proposition canvas is a framework developed by business consultant Alex Osterwalder for the book Value Proposition Design. It involves identifying customer jobs, customer pains, and customer gains and then using those insights to help you write an acceptable value proposition.

Can a value proposition change over time?

A value proposition absolutely can and should change as your market and customer needs do. Assess your value proposition regularly to stay relevant and competitive. Make adjustments based on customer feedback, market research, and analytics.

What is the difference between a value proposition and a positioning statement?

A positioning statement is an internal document describing what’s unique about your brand or product and how you plan to market it. A value proposition is a shorter, customer-facing statement that communicates the same unique value.

What is the purpose of a value proposition?

A value proposition shows potential customers why they should choose your product or service over the alternatives.

What are four types of value propositions?

• Primary (brand‑level): Company‑wide promise that defines your brand’s value.
• Prospect‑level (segment): Tailored statement for a specific audience linking pain point to outcome.
• Product‑level: Explains how one product solves a problem better than competitors.
• Process‑level (action‑specific): Micro‑promise tied to a CTA or next step.

What if my value proposition fails?

If your value proposition fails, it means you’re not effectively communicating the unique benefits of your product or service. You’ll get fewer sales, lower customer retention, and ultimately less profit for your brand.

What is Nike’s value proposition?

Nike has four primary value propositions: accessibility, innovation, customization, and brand/status.

What is a value proposition and an example?

A value proposition is a statement that promises the value a customer will get from a product or service. For example, Uber’s early proposition was “The smartest way to get around.” Today, it’s “We reimagine the way the world moves for the better.”

How long should a value proposition be?

A value proposition should be concise and readable in seconds. The best are short and quippy so the core benefit is easy to grasp instantly.