# Launch positioning builder Human Guide

## What This Is For
Research the competitive landscape and produce a complete positioning document — category definition, differentiation claims, value props, proof points, and messaging hierarchy. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for brand and messaging: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Launch positioning builder agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for launch positioning builder.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Launch positioning builder guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- "Help me position [product] against [competitors]"
- "We need a positioning doc before our launch"
- "How should we differentiate from [competitor]?"
- "Rewrite our positioning — it's too generic"
- "What category should we create or own?"
- **Product name + URL** — What are you positioning?
- **One-sentence pitch** — How do you describe what you do today?
- **Top 2-3 competitors** — Names + URLs. Who does your buyer compare you to?
- **ICP** — Title, company type, stage (e.g., "Head of Growth at Series A B2B SaaS")
- **Key differentiators** — What do you believe makes you different? (even if not yet articulated)
- **Existing proof points** — Customer wins, metrics, logos, quotes (anything you have)
- **Positioning trigger** — Why now? (new launch, competitive pressure, rebrand, entering new segment)

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: When to Use, Phase 0: Intake, Phase 1: Competitive Landscape Research, 1A: Competitor Website Analysis, 1B: Review Mining (if available), 1C: Ad Copy Analysis (optional), Phase 2: Positioning Framework, 2A: Category Definition, 2B: Competitive Alternatives, 2C: Unique Attributes → Value Props.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- If you'd spend 50% of sales calls explaining the category → don't create a new one
- Choose dimensions where you win on at least one axis. Avoid dimensions where you lose on both.
- We don't claim to be [X] — that's [competitor]'s territory
- We don't target [segment] — outside our ICP
- We avoid the word "[buzzword]" — overused, means nothing

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Launch positioning builder human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the gooseworks-ai/goose-skills skill entry for `launch-positioning-builder`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Launch Positioning Builder

Research the competitive landscape and produce a complete positioning document — category definition, differentiation claims, value props, proof points, and messaging hierarchy. Output is directly usable in website copy, sales decks, and investor materials.

**Built for:** First PMM hire at a seed/Series A startup, or a founder wearing the product marketing hat. The output should be opinionated, not a generic template.

## When to Use

- "Help me position [product] against [competitors]"
- "We need a positioning doc before our launch"
- "How should we differentiate from [competitor]?"
- "Rewrite our positioning — it's too generic"
- "What category should we create or own?"

## Phase 0: Intake

1. **Product name + URL** — What are you positioning?
2. **One-sentence pitch** — How do you describe what you do today?
3. **Top 2-3 competitors** — Names + URLs. Who does your buyer compare you to?
4. **ICP** — Title, company type, stage (e.g., "Head of Growth at Series A B2B SaaS")
5. **Key differentiators** — What do you believe makes you different? (even if not yet articulated)
6. **Existing proof points** — Customer wins, metrics, logos, quotes (anything you have)
7. **Positioning trigger** — Why now? (new launch, competitive pressure, rebrand, entering new segment)

## Phase 1: Competitive Landscape Research

### 1A: Competitor Website Analysis

For each competitor, research and extract:

```
Search: "[competitor name]" site:[competitor-url]
Search: "[competitor name]" positioning OR "we help" OR "the only"
Fetch: competitor homepage, pricing page, about page
```

Extract from each competitor:
- **Tagline / hero copy** — their primary claim
- **Category language** — what category do they put themselves in?
- **Key differentiators** — what do they emphasize?
- **Proof points** — customer logos, metrics, case studies
- **Pricing model** — free trial, freemium, enterprise, usage-based
- **Target audience language** — who do they say they serve?

### 1B: Review Mining (if available)

If competitors have G2/Capterra reviews, scan for:
- What customers praise (their perceived strengths)
- What customers complain about (your potential wedge)
- How customers describe the category

### 1C: Ad Copy Analysis (optional)

Search for competitor ad copy:
```
Search: "[competitor name]" advertisement OR "sponsored"
```

Ad copy reveals what competitors believe converts — their sharpest positioning.

## Phase 2: Positioning Framework

Build the positioning doc using April Dunford's framework adapted for early-stage:

### 2A: Category Definition

| Approach | When to Use | Example |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| **Existing category** | You compete head-to-head | "CRM for startups" |
| **Subcategory** | You serve a niche better | "AI-native sales engagement" |
| **New category** | You do something genuinely different | "Revenue orchestration platform" |

**Decision criteria:**
- If your ICP already searches for the category → use existing or subcategory
- If you'd spend 50% of sales calls explaining the category → don't create a new one
- If no existing category captures what you do → create one, but keep it intuitive

### 2B: Competitive Alternatives

What would your customer do if you didn't exist?