From features to financial confidence
How I helped evolve Wave’s positioning for a paid product — and turned brand strategy into a system teams could actually use.
+15%
+8%
45–55
THE CHALLENGE
The product had changed. The positioning hadn’t.
Wave’s positioning was built for an era when the product was 100% free. Two years into monetization, the business had changed — but we were still competing with the same functional story: invoicing, accounting, payments, and payroll. Features alone weren’t enough to differentiate us, or explain why someone should pay.
THE AUDIT
Keep what held. Rebuild what didn’t.
The 2023 brand foundation established positioning, mission, vision, and the Everyday Game Changer personality. Two years later, the business had evolved. Some of that thinking still held. Some needed to change. And the personality had never become a usable system. I went back to the foundation to separate what was useful from what needed to evolve.
THE PIVOT
A new north star: financial confidence.
Research pointed to a stronger value proposition. Business owners didn’t need more financial software. They needed clarity, control, and confidence. Working with marketing and research leads, we turned those insights into a new north star: Wave exists to build financial confidence.
THE SYSTEM
An idea isn’t a personality until people can use it.
Everyday Game Changer existed as an idea. What was missing were the principles, voice, and guidance that would make it useful. I rebuilt the system around clarity, control, and confidence — so teams could apply it across messaging, design, and customer touchpoints.
FROM PRINCIPLES TO PRACTICE
A different belief about the customer.
Before, we spoke to overwhelmed business owners who needed reassurance. After, we spoke to capable operators who needed clarity, not handholding. The shift was from amplifying fear to helping people move forward.
BEFORE
The customer needs reassurance.
→ “It doesn't have to be scary."
→“It doesn't have to be boring."
→ “Running your own business is stressful.”
AFTER
The customer needs clarity.
→ “Your mid-year clean slate starts here."
→“The secret weapon to taking control."
THE PROOF
Then we tested the positioning.
We tested three messaging directions against the previous homepage. The new positioning delivered a 15% lift in pageview-to-Pro funnel conversion. A clearer story about the customer’s business outperformed our functional product story.
ROUND 1 · TEST THE POSITIONING
result
Lift in pageview-to-Pro funnel conversion
Control: Old messaging
WINNING DIRECTION
HOMEPAGE MESSAGING TESTS
Then we sharpened the winning direction.
A more concise, precise expression of the same strategy delivered an additional 8% lift in pageview-to-Pro subscription conversion against the first-round winner. The strategy held. Clearer, more concrete expression made it stronger.
ROUND 2 — SHARPEN THE WINNER
result
Lift in pageview-to Pro subscription CVR vs. Round 1 winner
Control: Old messaging
WINNING DIRECTION
FROM CAMPAIGN TO SYSTEM
Education builds confidence.
The customer newsletter had been dormant since 2024, with a focus on product announcements and cross-sell. In 2026, our Senior PMM relaunched it with the new positioning: practical education that helps customers run their businesses. The customer’s business became the subject, not Wave.
PEAK OPEN RATE
Peak open rate through June 2026. A strong early signal that an education-first approach could earn attention.
New messaging direction outperformed the control.
BEFORE
Feature announcements. Product updates. Cross-sell.
AFTER
The customer's business became the subject.
Practical tools to understand their numbers and make better decisions.
