# Messaging AB tester Human Guide

## What This Is For
Stop debating which message is better — test it. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for messaging AB tester: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Messaging AB tester 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 messaging AB tester.
- 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 Messaging AB tester 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
- "Which of these value props should we lead with?"
- "Test our messaging angles and tell me which works"
- "I can't decide between [message A] and [message B]"
- "What messaging resonates most with [ICP]?"
- "Run a messaging test for [product/feature]"
- **Core value prop** — The claim or positioning you want to test (e.g., "We help growth teams run outbound 10x faster")
- **Test goal** — What are you deciding? (Headline for website, cold email angle, LinkedIn content strategy, ad copy direction)
- **ICP** — Who should this resonate with? (Title, company type, stage)
- **Current messaging** — What are you using today? (Baseline to beat)
- **LinkedIn organic** — Post variants across consecutive days, compare engagement
- **Cold email** — A/B test subject lines or opening hooks via Smartlead
- **Both** — Run in parallel for fastest signal

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: When to Use, Phase 0: Intake, What to Test, Test Channel, Constraints, Phase 1: Generate Messaging Variants, Variant Types, Variant Template, Phase 2: Deploy Tests, Option A: LinkedIn Organic Test.

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
- **Core principle:** At seed/Series A, you don't have enough traffic for website A/B tests. But you do have enough LinkedIn impressions and cold email sends to test messaging angles fast.
- Don't boost any posts — organic only for clean comparison

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Messaging AB tester 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 `messaging-ab-tester`.

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

# Messaging A/B Tester

Stop debating which message is better — test it. Generate messaging variants, deploy them through real channels, and measure which framing actually resonates with your ICP.

**Core principle:** At seed/Series A, you don't have enough traffic for website A/B tests. But you do have enough LinkedIn impressions and cold email sends to test messaging angles fast.

## When to Use

- "Which of these value props should we lead with?"
- "Test our messaging angles and tell me which works"
- "I can't decide between [message A] and [message B]"
- "What messaging resonates most with [ICP]?"
- "Run a messaging test for [product/feature]"

## Phase 0: Intake

### What to Test
1. **Core value prop** — The claim or positioning you want to test (e.g., "We help growth teams run outbound 10x faster")
2. **Test goal** — What are you deciding? (Headline for website, cold email angle, LinkedIn content strategy, ad copy direction)
3. **ICP** — Who should this resonate with? (Title, company type, stage)
4. **Current messaging** — What are you using today? (Baseline to beat)

### Test Channel
5. **Where to test:**
   - **LinkedIn organic** — Post variants across consecutive days, compare engagement
   - **Cold email** — A/B test subject lines or opening hooks via Smartlead
   - **Both** — Run in parallel for fastest signal
6. **Sample size available:**
   - LinkedIn: followers/typical impressions per post
   - Email: list size available for testing

### Constraints
7. **Number of variants** — 3-5 recommended (more = slower signal)
8. **Test duration** — How long to run? (Default: 1 week for LinkedIn, 3-5 days for email)

## Phase 1: Generate Messaging Variants

Create 3-5 variants that test different **angles**, not just different words. Each variant should represent a distinct strategic bet:

### Variant Types

| Type | What It Tests | Example |
|------|--------------|---------|
| **Outcome-driven** | Leading with the result | "3x your pipeline in 30 days" |
| **Pain-driven** | Leading with the problem | "Tired of spending 4 hours a day on manual prospecting?" |
| **Identity-driven** | Leading with who they are | "Built for growth teams who move fast" |
| **Proof-driven** | Leading with evidence | "How [Customer] went from 10 to 50 demos/month" |
| **Contrast-driven** | Leading with what you're not | "Not another CRM. An outbound engine." |

### Variant Template

For each variant:
```
VARIANT [N]: [Type — e.g., "Outcome-driven"]

Hypothesis: This framing will resonate because [reasoning tied to ICP psychology]

LinkedIn post version:
---
[Full post copy — 100-200 words, native LinkedIn format]
---

Email subject line version:
[Subject line — max 50 chars]

Email opening hook version:
[First 2 sentences of an email]

Headline version:
[Website headline — max 10 words]
```

## Phase 2: Deploy Tests

### Option A: LinkedIn Organic Test

**Setup:**
1. Schedule variants as consecutive posts (1 per day, same time of day)
2. Each post should be similar length and format (control for post structure)
3. Don't boost any posts — organic only for clean comparison