When should a startup invest in Brand Marketing vs Product Marketing?

Why Founders Fall for Brand First

Branding feels tempting because it’s visible, it’s fun, and it looks like progress you can actually show off. A new logo, a tagline that makes you feel clever, a campaign that gets you likes.

Then, you’re scrolling on LinkedIn, and everyone’s talking about how content is king. And the FOMO kicks in.

So you convince yourself that brand presence equals traction. And when you’re still stitching together the product story behind the scenes, brand can feel like the faster win.

The only catch? Visibility without clarity doesn’t stick.

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The Risk of Jumping Too Early

In the early days, it’s normal not to have all the answers. You’re still figuring out who you’re really building for, which problems matter most, what makes your product different, and how to explain it in a way that actually lands with people. That’s part of the process.

But if those answers aren’t clear yet, branding won’t save you.

Your campaigns turn into noise. You get louder, not clearer. Meanwhile your LinkedIn looks slick, your deck looks polished. But the deals aren’t moving forward.

And that’s the fastest way to burn energy (and budget) without building real momentum.

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Product Marketing Should be the First Step

Before you pour your money into brand, you first need narrative clarity: a sharp, consistent positioning you can repeat everywhere. Without fumbling.

It’s the story you can pitch in your sleep. One that makes prospects understand why you exist, why you matter, and why you’re different. It’s the difference between sounding like “just another tool” and sounding like the solution people have been waiting for.

And it doesn’t just look good on your website. Positioning defines the space you own in the market. It makes your pitch land. It arms founders and sales teams with the words to actually win conversations.

It also keeps your product roadmap focused, your marketing consistent, your pipeline full of the right customers (not the wrong ones), and your entire team aligned on where you’re heading.

That’s the work of product marketing, not brand marketing.

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When Brand Does Make Sense

Brand starts to make sense when the product story is proven. That means you’re seeing clear signals of product-market fit. It means you’ve got a sales story you can repeat like a chorus and actually close deals with. It means your messaging has been tested in-market, and you know it converts.

Once you’ve hit that point, then brand becomes a multiplier. You can scale with consistent content, campaigns that build trust, and design systems that actually reinforce what you stand for instead of just making things “look cool.”

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Wrap-Up

We get it. Brand feels like progress. It’s visible, it’s shareable, it makes you look like you’ve got it all figured out. And when you’re in the trenches, trying to win customers and convince investors, that can feel like oxygen.

But here’s the hard truth: a great brand can’t fix a fuzzy product story. You can’t market your way out of not knowing what you stand for. Founders who skip straight to brand usually end up with polished decks, nice logos, and a market that still doesn’t “get it.”

Start with clarity. Get the product story straight. Make it repeatable in one sentence. Make it land with the people who matter.

Once you’ve got that, brand stops being decoration and starts driving growth.

That’s what our Narrative Lab builds: a foundation you can grow on. Your product, told in words the market actually remembers.