Early in my career, I received the most important feedback: Just be clear.
I thought the crosshead I’d written was good (it wasn’t). Since then, “just be clear” has basically become a mantra.
As it turns out, being clear is challenging. In sales-led B2B SaaS, clarity is also rare.
Consider just 3 of the 121 homepage heroes I recently analyzed for the 2026 Healthcare SaaS Messaging Trends & Opportunities Report:
Practically any healthtech software company could say “where transparency meets technology” or “reduce administrative time and make informed decisions about their patients’ care.” If anyone can say it, you shouldn’t say it.
(Also, yes, I removed the logos and brand names, but it doesn’t matter. I could’ve swapped all of the logos because the messaging isn’t specific enough to be ownable by just one company. Combine that with the lack of key positioning details, and the messaging is downright opaque.)
Even if clarity is rare, it’s still worth striving for.
Especially on your homepage hero.
Especially in the language you use to position your software.
When you are clear, you:
Help ideal buyers easily identify that your software is right for them. The act of self-qualification is an early step in the buying process. Without self-qualification, your software is unlikely to appear on the consideration list.
Show respect for your buyer’s time. Why should they invest extra time to understand what it is that your product does, and how you differ from the competition, if you can’t figure out how to clearly communicate those ideas?
When I see vague headlines (like the examples above), one of my favorite first steps is to swap the subhead and headline. Sometimes that improves clarity because the swap elevates more specific positioning details in the visual hierarchy.
Unfortunately, improving clarity isn’t always just a swapping (or writing) exercise. It is very difficult to be clear without differentiated positioning already defined.
For example, it is challenging to be clear about your audience if you don’t know who you’re trying to sell to, or if your org sells to many different types of buyers in many different industries.
Likewise, it’s challenging to differentiate from the competition if you don’t know why your best buyers choose you instead of them. I guarantee you it’s not just because your software “saves time” or “makes money.” Other products do that also. You need to dig deeper in your buyer research to understand why they see your way of saving time or making money as superior to your competitors.
Remember: copy is the last ten percent. You can't write your way out of fuzzy positioning. You’ve gotta fix that first before the clearest possible messaging is available to you.
‘Til next week,
Carolyn
P.S. Remember those vague hero examples earlier in this post?
Later this month, I’ll be releasing a messaging trends and opportunities report for sales-led healthcare SaaS, co-authored with Andrew Yedlin (Tested). The study synthesizes the analysis of 121 homepage heroes to flag the industry patterns nearly everyone is using and the opportunities we see to stand out.
Join the waitlist and get the report the moment it's live.
Before you go…
My firm (Boxcar) helps sales-led B2B software companies translate their proven sales motion into a clear positioning and messaging strategy.
Interested in working together? Reach out via this form.