| name | mkt-positioning |
| description | Find the angle that makes something sell. Use when launching a product, writing a landing page, crafting an offer, or when marketing feels flat. Searches competitor messaging to map the landscape, loads brand context, then generates 3-5 distinct positioning angles with a recommended pick. Writes chosen angle to brand_context/positioning.md. Optionally seeds an ad testing matrix. Triggers on: "find angles for", "how should I position", "what's the hook", "why isn't this selling", "make this stand out", "differentiate", "USP", "positioning". Foundation skill — run before execution skills that need an angle to write from. Does NOT trigger for voice extraction, audience research, or content writing.
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Positioning
The same product can sell dramatically better with a different angle. Not a different product — just a different way of framing what it already does. This skill finds those angles.
Outcome
brand_context/positioning.md containing: primary positioning angle, competitive landscape summary, market sophistication assessment, and all explored alternatives.
The structured data format is defined in references/positioning-output.md.
Context Needs
| File | Load level | How it shapes this skill |
|---|
brand_context/icp.md | Full | Audience segments, pain points, and language patterns inform angle generation |
brand_context/voice-profile.md | Tone only | Ensures angle language matches brand register |
context/learnings.md | ## mkt-positioning section | Apply previous feedback on what converted |
Load if they exist. Proceed without them if not.
Before You Start
Check if brand_context/positioning.md exists.
If it exists → Update mode. Read the file, show the current primary angle and statement, and ask: "Want to refine this with fresh competitive data, or start from scratch?" Refine mode runs a fresh competitive search and suggests adjustments. Start fresh runs the full process below.
If it doesn't exist → proceed to Step 1.
Step 1: Identify the Transformation
Not the product. The transformation. What does the customer's life look like after? What pain disappears? What capability appears?
Ask: "What does your customer's life look like after using this? What changes?"
A fitness program sells "fit into your old jeans." A SaaS tool sells "close your laptop at 5pm." The transformation is the raw material for angles.
Step 2: Map Alternatives
What would customers do if this didn't exist? Not just competitors — all alternatives:
- Do nothing (live with the problem)
- DIY (cobble together a solution)
- Hire someone (consultant, freelancer, agency)
- Buy a different category entirely
- Buy a direct competitor
Each alternative has weaknesses. Those weaknesses become angle opportunities.
Step 3: Competitive Messaging Search
Search the web for real competitor messaging. This grounds angles in current market reality.
Read references/competitive-search.md for the full search process and landscape map format.
Key output: a map showing saturated claims (everyone says it), partially claimed territory, and white space (nobody is talking about it). Angles built on white space outperform echoed claims.
Step 4: Assess Market Sophistication
Read references/market-sophistication.md for Schwartz's 5 stages.
The market stage determines which angle type will work. A new category needs simple announcement. A crowded market needs mechanism explanation. A jaded market needs identity framing.
Step 5: Generate Angles
Run the product through multiple angle frameworks. Read references/angle-frameworks.md for the full set (Contrarian, Unique Mechanism, Transformation, Enemy, Speed/Ease, Specificity, Social Proof, Risk Reversal).
Generate 3-5 distinct options. For each:
- Statement — one sentence positioning
- Psychology — why this works with this audience at this market stage
- Headline direction — how it would sound in copy
- Best for — market conditions and audience segments
Mark one with a recommendation and explain why it's the strongest fit given their competitive white space and market stage.
Ask: "Which angle resonates? Pick a number, or tell me to combine elements from multiple."
Step 6: Validate Before Saving
For each angle, verify:
- Is it specific? ("Better results" fails. "20 lbs in 6 weeks" converts.)
- Is it differentiated? Cross-reference the competitive landscape — if a competitor already claims it, sharpen further.
- Is it believable? Does the mechanism or proof support it?
- Is it relevant to THIS audience? If icp.md is loaded, verify alignment.
- Does it lead somewhere? Can you picture the headline, the landing page, the ad?
Step 7: Save Output
After the user selects an angle, write brand_context/positioning.md.
Read references/positioning-output.md for the exact format.
If the file already existed, show what changed and confirm before overwriting.
After saving, offer: "Want me to generate a 12-ad testing matrix for this angle? I'll map 4 hooks across 3 formats."
Step 8: Collect Feedback
Ask: "How did this angle perform once you used it?"
Log feedback to context/learnings.md under ## mkt-positioning with date and context.
Rules
Updated automatically when the user flags issues. Read before every run.
Self-Update
If the user flags an issue with the output — wrong angle, bad framing, missed competitive signal, incorrect assumption — update the ## Rules section in this SKILL.md immediately with the correction and today's date. Don't just log it to learnings; fix the skill so it doesn't repeat the mistake.
Troubleshooting
User can't articulate the transformation: Ask what their best customers say about the product — the transformation is in their words, not the founder's.
No competitors found: The product may be category-creating (Stage 1). Lead with simple announcement angles.
All angles feel similar: The mechanism isn't clear enough. Go back to Step 1 and dig deeper on what makes their approach different.
Positioning exists but feels stale: Run a fresh competitive search and compare — the market may have moved.
