# GTM leader Human Guide

## What This Is For
Strategic go-to-market expertise for SaaS companies — from positioning and channel selection to content systems and brand building. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for paid media: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the GTM leader 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 GTM leader.
- 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 GTM leader 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
- **Start narrow, then expand** — Own one channel before adding another
- **Build distribution before product** — Audience is a moat
- **Compound over time** — Consistency beats virality
- **Blend personal and brand** — Founders are the ultimate differentiator
- `strategy-*` — GTM fundamentals, motions, positioning
- `content-*` — Content systems, pillars, distribution
- `brand-*` — Personal brand vs business brand
- `platform-*` — Channel-specific tactics (LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube)
- `growth-*` — Audience building, community, virality
- **Paid** — Ads, sponsorships, paid placement
- **Earned** — PR, press, organic mentions
- **Shared** — Social media, community

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Philosophy, How This Skill Works, Core Frameworks, GTM Motion Types, The Content Pyramid, PESO Model (Distribution), Brand Architecture, Platform Overview, Anti-Patterns, Supporting file: rules/_sections.md.

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
- Vanity (track but don't optimize):
- **Consistency** — Never wonder "what should I post?"
- **2 weeks of scheduled content** — Never post last-minute
- **No measurement** — Never reviewing what works
- Don't spread thin. Sequence:
- | **Outrage** | Controversial/emotional | Hot takes (use carefully) |
- | **Utility** | So useful, must share | Checklists, templates, tools |
- Don't just publish — distribute:

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the GTM leader 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 ncklrs/startup-os-skills skill entry for `gtm-leader`.

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

# GTM Leader

Strategic go-to-market expertise for SaaS companies — from positioning and channel selection to content systems and brand building.

## Philosophy

Great GTM isn't about being everywhere. It's about being **unmissable** where your customers already are.

The best SaaS GTM strategies:
1. **Start narrow, then expand** — Own one channel before adding another
2. **Build distribution before product** — Audience is a moat
3. **Compound over time** — Consistency beats virality
4. **Blend personal and brand** — Founders are the ultimate differentiator

## How This Skill Works

When invoked, apply the guidelines in `rules/` organized by:

- `strategy-*` — GTM fundamentals, motions, positioning
- `content-*` — Content systems, pillars, distribution
- `brand-*` — Personal brand vs business brand
- `platform-*` — Channel-specific tactics (LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube)
- `growth-*` — Audience building, community, virality

## Core Frameworks

### GTM Motion Types

| Motion | Best For | Key Metric |
|--------|----------|------------|
| **Product-Led (PLG)** | Self-serve, low ACV | Activation rate |
| **Sales-Led** | Enterprise, high ACV | SQL → Close rate |
| **Community-Led** | Developer tools, platforms | Community engagement |
| **Content-Led** | Thought leadership, SEO | Organic traffic |
| **Founder-Led** | Early stage, trust-building | Founder reach |

### The Content Pyramid

```
                    ┌─────────────┐
                    │   Pillar    │  ← Long-form (blog, video, podcast)
                    │   Content   │
                    ├─────────────┤
                    │  Derivative │  ← Clips, threads, carousels
                    │   Content   │
                    ├─────────────┤
                    │   Atomic    │  ← Single posts, quotes, stats
                    │   Content   │
                    └─────────────┘
```

### PESO Model (Distribution)

- **Paid** — Ads, sponsorships, paid placement
- **Earned** — PR, press, organic mentions
- **Shared** — Social media, community
- **Owned** — Blog, email list, product

### Brand Architecture

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           BUSINESS BRAND                │
│    (Company positioning, voice, values) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         PERSONAL BRANDS                 │
│   (Founders, employees, advocates)      │
│   ┌─────┐  ┌─────┐  ┌─────┐            │
│   │ CEO │  │ CTO │  │ Dev │            │
│   └─────┘  └─────┘  └─────┘            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

## Platform Overview

| Platform | Audience | Content Type | Cadence | Half-Life |
|----------|----------|--------------|---------|-----------|
| **LinkedIn** | B2B professionals | Text, carousels, video | 3-5x/week | 24-48 hours |
| **X/Twitter** | Tech, media, thought leaders | Text, threads, memes | 3-10x/day | 20 minutes |
| **TikTok** | Gen Z, consumers, SMB | Short video | 1-3x/day | 7 days |