Video & Scriptwriting / Commercial Writing

Identify and articulate Unique Selling Proposition from product features — differentiation clarity for competitive advantage.
Difficulty: Advanced
Model: GPT-4 / Claude / Gemini
Use Case: Differentiation, Positioning
Updated: May 2026
Why This Prompt Exists
“If everyone is special, no one is.” Most commercials list features that competitors also have — no differentiation, no reason to choose this brand over another.

You get:

  • commercials that sound identical to competitors (no brand distinction)
  • features listed without uniqueness (customer can’t differentiate)
  • no clear reason to choose this product over alternatives
  • “me too” positioning that blends into category noise
  • price competition instead of value competition

But USPs have patterns:

  • performance USP: fastest, strongest, most durable
  • experience USP: easiest, most enjoyable, least stressful
  • value USP: best price, best guarantee, lowest risk
  • access USP: available here, only here, exclusive
  • social proof USP: most popular, most trusted, #1 rated

Without USP extraction, commercials compete on price.

This prompt extracts and articulates Unique Selling Propositions.

The Prompt
Assume the role of a brand strategist who extracts Unique Selling Propositions.

Your task is to identify what makes a product truly different and scriptable.

Generate:

1. PRODUCT FEATURE INVENTORY

| Feature | Competitors Have? | Customer Value | Uniqueness Score (1-10) |
|---------|------------------|----------------|------------------------|
| [feature 1] | [Yes/No/Some] | [benefit] | [X] |
| [feature 2] | [Yes/No/Some] | [benefit] | [X] |

2. USP CANDIDATE EVALUATION

| Candidate USP | Evidence | Competitor Gap | Emotional Hook | Scriptable? |
|---------------|----------|----------------|----------------|-------------|
| [statement] | [proof] | [what others don't do] | [feeling] | Yes/No |

3. USP TYPES

| Type | Pattern | Example | Best For |
|------|---------|---------|----------|
| Performance | "The only X that does Y" | "The only toothbrush that whitens in 2 days" | Functional products |
| Experience | "The easiest way to X" | "The easiest way to learn a language" | Services, software |
| Value | "More X for less Y" | "More nutrients for less money" | Commodity categories |
| Access | "X that you can't find anywhere else" | "Ingredients sourced from remote mountains" | Specialty products |
| Social Proof | "The X million people trust" | "The productivity app 5M designers use" | Trust-sensitive categories |

4. USP STATEMENT FORMULAS

| Formula | Template | Example |
|---------|----------|---------|
| The only X | "The only [product category] that [unique benefit]" | "The only meal kit that cooks in 10 minutes" |
| The first X | "The first [product category] to [innovation]" | "The first toothbrush with AI coaching" |
| The easiest X | "The easiest way to [desired outcome]" | "The easiest way to build a website" |
| The most X | "The most [attribute] [product category]" | "The most awarded mattress in America" |
| Unlike X | "Unlike [competitor], we [differentiator]" | "Unlike others, we don't lock you into contracts" |

5. USP VALIDATION CHECKLIST

- [ ] Competitors cannot easily claim the same thing
- [ ] Customer cares about this difference
- [ ] Can be proven (not just marketing speak)
- [ ] Fits in a 30-second commercial
- [ ] Differentiates from at least top 3 competitors

6. USP INTEGRATION INTO COMMERCIAL

| Script Section | How to Use USP |
|----------------|----------------|
| Hook | Lead with the problem the USP solves |
| Interest | Explain why competitors fail at this |
| Desire | USP as the reason it works |
| CTA | "Get the only X that does Y" |

7. WEAK USP VS. STRONG USP

| Weak USP | Why Weak | Strong USP |
|----------|----------|------------|
| "High quality ingredients" | Everyone claims this | "Ingredients from the only farm in X region" |
| "Great customer service" | Subjective, unprovable | "Answers in under 60 seconds, guaranteed" |
| "Innovative technology" | Vague, meaningless | "The only toothbrush with real-time feedback" |
| "Best price" | Race to bottom | "Better ingredients for less than store brand" |

8. COMMON USP MISTAKES

| Mistake | Why It Fails | Correct Approach |
|---------|--------------|------------------|
| Feature that competitors have | No differentiation | Find what's truly unique |
| Benefit customer doesn't care about | No desire | Test with target audience |
| Unprovable claim | No credibility | Provide evidence |
| Too narrow | Small market | Balance uniqueness with market size |

INPUTS:

Product/service description:
[E.G., "Wireless headphones with 40-hour battery"]

Key features:
[E.G., "40-hour battery, fast charging, noise cancellation"]

Competitors (top 3):
[E.G., "Sony, Bose, Apple"]

Target customer pain point:
[E.G., "Headphones dying during long flights"]

RULES:
- USP must be something competitors cannot easily claim (true differentiation)
- USP must matter to the customer (not just a technical difference)
- USP must be provable (can't just be marketing speak)
- USP should fit in a 30-second commercial (not too complex)
- Test USP with target audience before production
- One USP per commercial (multiple USPs confuse)
- USP can be different for different audience segments
How To Use It
  • USP must be something competitors cannot easily claim — true differentiation, not just a feature difference.
  • USP must matter to the customer — not just a technical difference they don’t care about.
  • USP must be provable — can’t just be marketing speak, needs evidence.
  • USP should fit in a 30-second commercial — not too complex to explain.
  • Test USP with target audience before production — does it resonate?
  • One USP per commercial — multiple USPs confuse the viewer.
  • USP can be different for different audience segments — one size doesn’t fit all.
Example Input

Product/service description:
“Online therapy platform connecting users to licensed therapists”

Key features:
“24/7 messaging, video sessions, therapist matching, insurance accepted”

Competitors:
“BetterHelp, Talkspace, local therapy practices”

Target customer pain point:
“Can’t find a therapist who specializes in their specific issue”

Why It Works
Most commercials list features without differentiation — resulting in “me too” messaging that blends into category noise.

This framework improves outcomes by forcing:

  • feature inventory (what you have vs. competitors)
  • USP candidate evaluation (evidence, gap, emotional hook, scriptability)
  • USP type classification (performance, experience, value, access, social proof)
  • USP statement formulas (ready-to-use templates)
  • validation checklist (ensuring true differentiation)

Failure modes this prevents:

  • Commercials that sound identical to competitors (no distinction)
  • Features without uniqueness (customer can’t differentiate)
  • “Me too” positioning that blends into category noise
  • Price competition instead of value competition

This improves on: Feature-dumping commercials. USP extraction creates differentiation.

Related to: CW-01 (AIDA) for structure; CW-06 (Objection) for addressing doubts.

Build Better AI Systems

Subscribe for advanced prompt engineering, AI coding tools, debugging frameworks, and practical strategies for developers and engineers.


See also  Objection Handler