…be slightly negative.

Most brands bend so far backwards to please people they look like the creepy girl from The Ring.

Meanwhile, the smartest marketers do the opposite.

WHY IT MATTERS

When you stop trying to be everything to everyone, you become something to someone. Negativity—when wielded strategically—cuts through the noise and magnetizes your real audience.

GO DEEPER

Here's what bold brands are doing:

• The van that owns it's not a sports car. Minivans lean into being practical, not sexy. They don't apologize for sliding doors and cargo space. That clarity wins families who need exactly that.

• The coffee shop that highlights a bad review. Instead of hiding criticism, they frame it. "Too strong? Good. That's the point." It signals to coffee snobs: this is your place.

• The watch that shows off being "dumb." No notifications. No apps. Just time. The anti-smartwatch stance attracts people drowning in digital overload.

• The Bible app that makes up a funny bad review. Self-awareness and humor disarm skepticism. Leaning into the "boring" stereotype makes the brand feel human.

Honesty about your limits attracts people who value your strengths.

Most founders fear narrowing their message will shrink their market. The opposite happens. Specificity builds an audience.

Negativity creates contrast. It tells people who you're not for.

Your brain notices what's different, not what's safe. A van that brags about sliding doors stands out in a sea of horsepower ads.

HOW TO USE THIS

You're not serving everyone. You're serving someone. Say it out loud:

• "This course isn't for beginners."

• "Our consulting takes 6 months minimum—no quick fixes."

• "We don't do cheap. We do transformational."

Negative positioning clarifies who belongs. And people who belong stick around and tell others.

The world doesn't need more vague, vanilla messaging. It needs leaders willing to say what they stand against so we know what they stand for.

THREE MOVES

Audit your weaknesses. Write down what your product or service isn't good at. Pick one. Now flip it into proof of your strength. (Example: "We're slow because we're thorough.")

Add a filter to your homepage. Tell people who this isn't for. "Not ready to invest 10+ hours a week? This isn't your program." Watch how the right people lean in.

Test a contrarian subject line or social post. Try: "Why [popular thing] doesn't work" or "I'm not [expected trait], and that's the point." Measure engagement.

BOTTOM LINE

Slightly negative, in a marketing world full of hype and empty promises, honesty is the sharpest edge you've got.

When you own what you're not, you make room for the people who need exactly what you are.

Before you go, here are 2 ways I can help:

TAKE ACTION: Forward this to someone wrestling with their positioning. Or reply and tell me what "slightly negative" angle you're testing this week.

CONNECT: VeryGoodGhost Agency gives Christian executives turnkey content (social, inbox, and beyond) that delivers scary good results without adding to their calendars.

—Payton

P.S. Pizza Hut just figured out how to get free advertising on every football game.