Your situation

The product's moved on but the story hasn't

When the message drifts, it's death by a thousand cuts.

Get a free content review

Trusted by marketing teams at leading companies

Meta Google Cloud Google Workspace Perk Usercentrics Imeld.ai DataGuard EY

It's subtle until it's not

Most messaging drift isn't dramatic. The product just kept going gangbusters and no-one had time to update the story.

The website that describes what you used to do

The homepage was written two product cycles ago. It's technically accurate, it's just not true anymore. And prospects can tell, even if they can't say why.

Launches that go limp

New feature. New capability. New market. But the message is three launches ago so nothing quite lands the way it should.

A story that means different things to different teams

Marketing says one thing. Product says another. Sales has started just making shit up. Nobody's wrong exactly, but the inconsistency is costing you credibility at exactly the worst moment.

Positioning that worked at Series A, less so now

What got you here was right at the time. But the ICP has changed, the product's evolved and the story hasn't caught up. You're winning deals in spite of the messaging, not because of it.

The story fell behind because nobody had time to stop and fix it

You need someone to get in front of the content and work out what the story should really be.

How I fix it

Getting the story back in front of the product

Senior thinking first, clear writing after.

i

Positioning reset

A structured rethink of what you do, who it's for and why it matters now. Not a rebrand or a tagline exercise. A clear, considered answer to the question buyers are really asking.

Done for scaling SaaS teams whose product had outgrown its original positioning and whose homepage no longer reflected how they win.
ii

Messaging framework

One source of truth for what you say and how you say it, for all your channels. Role-specific enough to be useful to everyone (and used by everyone).

Built for enterprise tech teams where product, marketing and sales had developed three separate versions of the same story.
iii

Website and narrative rewrite

The words that carry the new story into the world. Homepage, product pages, key campaign copy. Written with search and AI visibility in mind, not just conversion.

Delivered for HR tech, security and AI infrastructure platforms rebuilding their positioning after significant product evolution.

Applied in practice

If the story's fallen behind, here's how we help it catch up.

i

Positioning and messaging resets

A structured process to define what you do, who it's for and why it matters, aligned across every team.

ii

Homepage and product page rewrites

Clear, intent-led copy that reflects the product you have now, not the one you launched three years ago.

iii

Messaging houses and brand narratives

One framework. Every team. No more "it depends who you ask".

iv

Launch and campaign messaging

Copy shaped from the positioning up, so launches land the way they should.

v

ICP and value proposition work

Getting clear on who you're really talking to and what they need to hear. Before writing a word.

vi

Search and AI content optimisation

Restructuring existing pages so they perform in both traditional search and AI-driven environments.

Who does this

Hi. I'm Mike.

I've spent a decade writing for organisations where the product was constantly evolving and the story had to keep up. Meta. Google Cloud. HR tech, AI infrastructure, compliance platforms. Spaces where outdated positioning gets found out fast.

I know what messaging drift looks like from the inside. The homepage that nobody's touched in two years. The launch that didn't land. The positioning doc everyone's working from but nobody quite believes. My job is to fix that.

More about me
Mike Sharkey, B2B Copywriter
Try before you commit

Get a free review of a recent piece of content.

Send me a homepage, a campaign page or a piece of positioning copy. I'll share some honest notes on where the story's holding (and where it isn't).

No pitch, no obligation. You decide if the notes are useful.

From the B2Blog

Make your words work harder.

If your story's not holding anymore, let's fix it.

Get a free content review
Frequently asked questions

On messaging drift and positioning

What is messaging drift?

Messaging drift is what happens when a company's product or market position evolves faster than the story holding it together. The website starts describing what you used to do. Launches are limp. Sales teams start freelancing the pitch. Nobody made a bad decision, it's just the product kept moving and the messaging didn't keep up.

How do you know if your positioning has drifted?

The signs are usually subtle. Your homepage feels a bit off but nobody can say exactly why. A recent launch didn't land the way it should have. Marketing, sales and product are all describing the company slightly differently. You're winning deals in spite of the messaging, not because of it.

Why does B2B messaging drift happen?

Because product development moves faster than positioning work. Teams are focused on shipping — features, launches, campaigns — and nobody has the bandwidth to stop and ask whether the story still reflects what the company actually does. It's not negligence. It's just how fast things move at a scaling company.

What's the difference between a positioning reset and a rebrand?

A rebrand changes the visual identity — the logo, colours, name. A positioning reset clarifies the story — what you do, who it's for and why it matters now. Most companies that think they need a rebrand actually need a positioning reset. The visual stuff comes after the thinking, not before it.

What is a messaging framework and why do you need one?

A messaging framework is a single source of truth for what your company says and how it says it — across website, sales, campaigns and product. It means marketing, sales and leadership are all working from the same story. Without one, each team develops their own version, and the inconsistency costs you credibility at the moments it matters most.

How does messaging drift affect SEO and AI search visibility?

When your website describes what you used to do, it's targeting the wrong search intent. AI systems like ChatGPT and Perplexity surface pages that clearly and specifically answer what buyers are searching for now. Pages built around outdated positioning get overlooked — by search engines and by the buyers using them to build shortlists.