reverse-engineer-winners

name	reverse-engineer-winners
description	Use this skill when the user asks Claude to analyze a winning competitor ad, extract its structural patterns, and translate those patterns into Jake's brand. Outputs a structural breakdown + variant prompts. Strict rule — never copy the competitor's literal copy or claims; only the underlying pattern transfers.

Reverse Engineer Winners

Purpose: Decompose a winning competitor ad into transferable structural patterns. Apply those patterns to Jake's brand. Never copy literal copy or claims.

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INPUT FORMAT

Jake provides:

• The ad (screenshot OR image URL)
• The ad copy (text)
• Why he thinks it's winning (gut sense, GetHookd performance score, ad library cadence, etc.)
• The competitor brand name

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ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK

Visual structure breakdown

• Composition — rule of thirds, centered, off-center, full-bleed, layout grid
• Color — palette, contrast, light/dark dominance, where the eye lands first
• Focal point — product / person / before-after / data viz / text
• Text placement — overlay vs caption-only, top/center/bottom, font weight
• Emotional tone — calm, urgent, aspirational, intimate, bold
• Format clues — static / carousel / animated / video frame

Copy structure breakdown

• Hook type — pattern interrupt / curiosity / pain-first / proof-led / specificity
• Body framework — PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solve) / AIDA / BAB (Before-After-Bridge) / Star-Story-Solution
• Proof element — testimonial / stat / authority / mechanism / demo
• CTA style — soft (learn more) / direct (buy now) / urgent (today only) / conditional (if you're X, this is for you)
• Length — short scroll-stopper vs long-form mid-funnel

Audience inference

• Avatar — who is this written FOR?
• Awareness level — problem / solution / product / most aware?
• Sophistication level (Eugene Schwartz axis 2) — how many competing claims have they seen?

Why it likely works (hypothesis)

• 2-3 sentences explaining the pattern's psychological mechanism

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EXTRACTION → TRANSLATION

For each structural element extracted, translate to Jake's brand:

Competitor pattern	Jake's translation
"Aspirational product-in-hand shot, off-center, soft light"	Palm Aura — hands cradling massager, morning light, ceramic mug nearby
Hook: "The 30-second morning ritual changing how women treat hand stiffness"	Pattern: specificity + ritual framing + audience callout. New hook: "[New ritual angle for Jake's avatar]"
Body: PAS framework, 3 sentences each	Same framework, Jake's pain + agitate + solve
CTA: "See if it's right for you"	Same soft style: "See how it works"

Never copy literal:

• Brand-specific claims ("our patented formula")
• Quoted reviews
• Specific stats ("9 out of 10 customers...")
• Product names or trademarks

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OUTPUT FORMAT

Write to plans/reverse-engineer-<source>-<date>.md:

# Reverse Engineer — <Competitor Brand> — <Date>
**Source ad:** [link or attachment]
**Brand:** <Jake's brand>

## Visual Breakdown
- Composition: ...
- Color: ...
- Focal point: ...
- Text placement: ...
- Emotional tone: ...
- Format: ...

## Copy Breakdown
- Hook type: ...
- Body framework: ...
- Proof element: ...
- CTA style: ...
- Length: ...

## Audience Inference
- Avatar: ...
- Awareness level: ...
- Sophistication level: ...

## Why It Works (Hypothesis)
[2-3 sentences]

## Translation to <Jake's Brand>
[Structural pattern restated for Jake's brand pack]

## 3 Variant Prompts for Higgsfield
### Variant A: <name>
[Higgsfield brief — visual direction]

### Variant B: <name>
[Higgsfield brief]

### Variant C: <name>
[Higgsfield brief]

## Copy Drafts
### Variant A copy
Hook: ...
Body: ...
CTA: ...

### Variant B copy
...

### Variant C copy
...

## Compliance Pre-Check
- [ ] No literal competitor copy retained
- [ ] No fabricated stats
- [ ] No medical/cure claims (for wellness brands)
- [ ] No before/after imagery implying medical results
- [ ] Brand pack palette + voice applied

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ANTI-PATTERNS

• Copying the literal hook with words swapped — Meta + brand integrity both reject. Take the PATTERN, write fresh copy.
• Adopting the competitor's brand aesthetic — defeats the purpose. Apply your brand's aesthetic to the competitor's structure.
• Reverse-engineering 1 winner, calling it "validated" — one ad isn't a pattern. Reverse-engineer 3-5 in the same vein to find what's actually transferable.
• Skipping the "why it works" step — without a hypothesis, you can't tell which element transferred and which didn't when you test.

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INTEGRATION

After generating variant prompts, hand off to:

• higgsfield-image-gen skill → for image production
• ad-concept-generator skill → log the new concepts to the batch
• dtc-second-brain → save the reverse-engineer doc into raw/competitors/ for future wiki compilation