SSV Prevention Playbook
A Beyond Features field guide for security and devtool teams that want to avoid "Different domain. Same narrative." Use this before launch, before RSA, and before your next homepage rewrite.
Step 1
Define your anti-ICP in one sentence
If everyone is a fit, your homepage will default to category cliches.
Do this: Write: 'We are not for <team profile> who needs <constraint>.' Put this sentence next to every homepage draft.
Step 2
Replace adjectives with verifiable proof
AI-native, platform, developer-first are not differentiation. They are placeholders.
Do this: For each hero claim, add one receipt: benchmark, workflow capture, integration artifact, or customer outcome with context.
Step 3
Build a 3-level proof ladder
Buyers need confidence. Engineers need evidence. Champions need repeatable language.
Do this: Level 1: clear claim. Level 2: product evidence. Level 3: external validation (customer, benchmark, implementation detail).
Step 4
Write champion copy, not founder copy
If your champion cannot repeat it in Slack, you do not own the narrative.
Do this: Force a 2-sentence champion summary: problem, why your approach is different, what changes operationally.
Step 5
Run the SSV swap test before publish
If your copy can be pasted onto three competitor sites, it is not differentiated.
Do this: Take your headline/subhead and swap logos with two competitors. If it still reads 'normal,' rewrite until it breaks.
Fast pre-publish checklist
- - Can a buyer explain your wedge without your deck?
- - Can an engineer verify your top claim in under 3 clicks?
- - Would your headline look wrong on a competitor site?
- - Does your proof include outcomes and operational context?