Hey, hey Reader,

My son is fascinated by the ocean. It started with a love for sea monsters, particularly the kraken.

Then, it shifted to deeper depths like the angler fish.

Now he’s into the Mariana Trench. And more specifically, the stoplight loosejaw.

If you’ve never heard of the stoplight loosejaw… allow me to explain.

This is a fish that lives in the bottom-bottom parts of the ocean. And it’s the stuff of nightmares.

Well, for me, that is. For my son, fascinating.

Similar to the angler fish, the stoplight loosejaw produces a light… only its light is red, giving it its namesake (it can also literally loosen its jaw to capture prey).

It’s the only one of its kind with this red light. Other deep-sea fish can’t see red light. Which means the loosejaw has a powerful, unfair advantage: it can see without being seen.

A stealthy, strategic move that helps it survive.

So why am I talking about a creepy deep-sea fish in your inbox?

Because good marketing works the same way.

Let’s play a little game called Stoplight Loosejaw: Value Prop, Benefits, and Features:

• Value proposition: Life is hard enough in the deep, dark ocean; get your next meal without becoming one.
• Benefit: See without being seen.
• Features: An ultra-flexible jaw, razor-sharp teeth, and signature red light.

The loosejaw’s red light is cool, sure. But it’s not the reason it survives.

The real power is what that feature unlocks which is the benefit:

Stealth hunting. Seeing prey without being seen.

👆 That’s the difference.

Features are the “what.” Benefits answer “so what?”.

Most education brands lead with features.
But school buyers don’t care about features like AI-generated data management or smart dashboards.

They care about the result:

• Less stress for teachers.
• Struggling students caught before they fall behind.
• More time back for admins drowning in tasks.

It's the destination that matters. The feature is just the vehicle.

If you can nail that, your marketing stops being invisible.

Need help making your messaging clearer? Hit reply and let’s chat.

And as always , I'm rooting for you 👏. Kelly