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name: doctrine description: > Go-to-market strategy engine -- positioning, messaging, launch sequencing, and channel strategy. USE WHEN: User needs product positioning, messaging frameworks, launch plans, channel strategy, pricing psychology, competitive differentiation, or GTM playbooks. DON'T USE WHEN: User needs brand identity or visual design. Use creative tools for that. Use Runway for fundraising and pitch decks. Use Closer for sales execution. OUTPUTS: Positioning documents, messaging hierarchies, launch timelines, channel strategies, pricing analyses, competitive battlecards, GTM playbooks. version: 1.0.0 author: SpookyJuice tags: [gtm, go-to-market, positioning, launch, strategy, marketing] price: 14 author_url: "https://www.shopclawmart.com" support: "brian@gorzelic.net" license: proprietary osps_version: "0.1"

Doctrine

Version: 1.0.0 Price: $14 Type: Skill

Description

Doctrine is a go-to-market strategy skill that builds the full strategic stack from product positioning through launch execution. It covers positioning frameworks, messaging hierarchies, launch sequencing, channel strategy, pricing psychology, and competitive differentiation -- the strategic work that determines whether a good product finds its audience or dies in obscurity.

Most products fail not because they are bad, but because they are poorly positioned. They try to be everything to everyone, launch into crowded channels without differentiation, and price based on costs rather than value perception. Doctrine fixes this by forcing clarity at every stage: who exactly is this for, why should they care, how is this different, and what is the sequence of actions that puts it in front of the right people at the right time.

Whether you are launching a SaaS product, shipping a developer tool, releasing an indie game, or bringing a physical product to market, Doctrine provides the strategic framework that turns "we built something" into "people are buying this."

Prerequisites

• A product or service that is at least at functional prototype stage
• Clear understanding of what the product does (features are known, even if positioning is not)
• Access to at least 5 conversations with potential customers or users
• Willingness to make hard positioning choices -- you cannot be everything to everyone

Setup

1. Document your product's capabilities -- what it does, not what it means (positioning comes next)
2. List every customer segment that could theoretically use this product
3. Gather competitive intelligence -- who else serves these segments and how
4. Identify your distribution advantages -- existing audience, partnerships, unique channels, content assets

Commands

• "Position my product for [market/segment]"
• "Build a messaging hierarchy for [product]"
• "Create a launch plan for [product/feature]"
• "Design a channel strategy for reaching [audience]"
• "Analyze pricing options for [product]"
• "Build competitive battlecards against [competitors]"
• "Write a GTM playbook for [product launch]"
• "Help me differentiate from [competitor]"

Workflow

Positioning Framework

1. Identify the competitive alternatives -- what would your target customer do if your product did not exist? This is not always a direct competitor. It might be spreadsheets, manual processes, hiring a contractor, or doing nothing. The real alternative frames your positioning
2. Map your unique attributes -- list every capability that differentiates you from the competitive alternatives. Be ruthless: "easy to use" is not a differentiator unless competitors are genuinely difficult. Focus on capabilities that are objectively different, not subjectively better
3. Translate attributes to value -- each unique attribute enables a specific benefit. "Real-time sync" is an attribute. "Your team always works on the latest version" is the value. Map every attribute to the concrete outcome it creates for the customer
4. Identify the best-fit customer segment -- which customer segment values your unique attributes the most? Not the biggest market -- the segment where your advantages matter most. This is the beachhead. A product that is perfect for 500 companies beats one that is okay for 50,000
5. Define the market category -- choose the context that makes your value obvious. You can position in an existing category ("CRM for real estate agents"), create a subcategory ("AI-powered code review"), or create a new category (rare, expensive, only when no existing frame works). Existing categories are easier -- buyers already understand them
6. Write the positioning statement -- format: "For [target customer] who [key need], [product] is the [market category] that [key differentiator]. Unlike [competitive alternative], [product] [unique value]." This is internal strategy, not marketing copy -- clarity over cleverness
7. Validate with 5 conversations -- test the positioning with actual target customers. If they immediately understand what you do and why it matters to them, the positioning works. If they ask clarifying questions or say "so it is like X but...," iterate

Launch Sequencing

1. Define launch tier -- not every release needs the same playbook. Tier 1: new product launch (full GTM). Tier 2: major feature launch (targeted campaign). Tier 3: incremental update (changelog + existing channels). Mismatching tier to release wastes budget or underserves the moment
2. Set the launch objective -- choose one primary metric: signups, revenue, press coverage, user activation, or waitlist size. Secondary metrics are fine, but one number defines success. "Awareness" is not a metric -- it is an excuse to avoid measurement
3. Build the pre-launch sequence (T-30 to T-0) -- T-30: seed the narrative with thought leadership content in target channels. T-14: begin teaser campaign, open waitlist or early access. T-7: brief press, influencers, and partners with embargoed assets. T-3: final asset review, war room setup. T-1: pre-load all scheduled content
4. Design launch day execution (T-0) -- morning: publish landing page, send launch emails, post on primary channels simultaneously. Coordinate Product Hunt, Hacker News, or platform-specific launches for maximum concurrent visibility. Have team online for real-time engagement with comments and questions
5. Plan the post-launch sequence (T+1 to T+30) -- T+1: share early traction metrics and social proof. T+7: publish "lessons learned" or behind-the-scenes content. T+14: release customer stories and use cases. T+30: first cohort analysis and iteration plan
6. Prepare the contingency playbook -- plan for: site goes down (cached landing page, status page), negative reception (response framework, not reactive tweets), underwhelming traction (double-down channels, adjust messaging), and unexpected viral moment (scaling plan, support capacity)
7. Assign owners for every asset -- landing page, email sequences, social posts, press kit, demo video, support docs, analytics dashboards -- each needs a named owner and a deadline at least 48 hours before launch. Nothing ships on launch day that was not finished two days prior

Channel Strategy

1. Map channel candidates to audience behavior -- where does your target customer already spend attention? Developer tools: Hacker News, Reddit, Twitter/X, GitHub, Dev.to. B2B SaaS: LinkedIn, industry newsletters, conferences, partner channels. Consumer: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, influencer partnerships. Go where they already are
2. Evaluate channel economics -- for each candidate channel: estimated reach, cost per impression/click/acquisition, time to first results, and scalability ceiling. Content marketing is cheap but slow (3-6 months). Paid ads are fast but expensive. Partnerships are effective but take relationship investment
3. Select 2-3 primary channels -- concentration beats diversification at launch. You cannot execute well on 7 channels simultaneously. Pick 2-3 where you have the best combination of audience fit, cost efficiency, and existing advantage (existing audience, content library, relationships)
4. Design channel-specific messaging -- your positioning stays constant but messaging adapts per channel. LinkedIn: professional value, ROI framing. Twitter/X: concise, opinionated, technical credibility. Product Hunt: innovation angle, maker story. Reddit: genuine value, zero promotion smell
5. Build the content engine -- create a content calendar with 4-6 weeks of channel-specific content planned before launch. Each piece should ladder up to positioning. Mix formats: long-form (blog, video), short-form (tweets, LinkedIn posts), interactive (demos, tools), and social proof (testimonials, case studies)
6. Set up attribution tracking -- tag every link with UTM parameters. Set up conversion tracking for each channel. Without attribution, you cannot tell which channel is working and you will keep spending on channels that feel productive but are not
7. Review and reallocate monthly -- after 30 days, kill channels with CAC above threshold, double down on channels with best unit economics, and test one new channel per month. Channel strategy is a portfolio -- rebalance based on data, not hope

Output Format

+=============================================+
|  DOCTRINE -- GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY          |
|  Product: [Product Name]                    |
|  Market: [Target Market / Segment]          |
|  Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]                         |
+=============================================+

--- POSITIONING ---
For: [target customer]
Who: [key need / pain point]
Product is: [market category]
That: [key differentiator]
Unlike: [competitive alternative]
We: [unique value delivered]

--- MESSAGING HIERARCHY ---
Level 1 (Headline): [one sentence]
Level 2 (Value Props):
  * [value prop 1]
  * [value prop 2]
  * [value prop 3]
Level 3 (Proof Points):
  * [evidence for each value prop]

--- COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE ---
  [Competitor] .... [positioning] .... [weakness]
  [Competitor] .... [positioning] .... [weakness]
  Your Advantage: [differentiation summary]

--- LAUNCH TIMELINE ---
  T-30: [action]
  T-14: [action]
  T-7:  [action]
  T-0:  [LAUNCH -- action sequence]
  T+7:  [action]
  T+30: [action]

--- CHANNEL STRATEGY ---
  Primary:
    [Channel] .... [audience fit] .... [budget]
    [Channel] .... [audience fit] .... [budget]
  Secondary:
    [Channel] .... [audience fit] .... [budget]

--- PRICING ---
  Model: [subscription / one-time / freemium / etc.]
  Price Point: [$X]
  Anchor: [what it compares to]
  Justification: [value-based rationale]

--- SUCCESS METRICS ---
  Primary: [metric] = [target]
  Secondary: [metric] = [target]
  Review Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]

--- ACTION ITEMS ---
  [ ] [Priority 1 action]
  [ ] [Priority 2 action]
  [ ] [Priority 3 action]

Common Pitfalls

• Positioning for everyone -- "Our product is for anyone who needs X" is not positioning. If your target audience is "everyone," you have no positioning. The narrower your initial segment, the stronger your message and the faster you win
• Feature-led messaging -- leading with features instead of outcomes. Customers do not buy features, they buy the result. "AI-powered analytics" means nothing. "Know which customers will churn before they do" means everything
• Launching without a channel -- building a product and then asking "how do we get users?" is backwards. If you do not have a channel strategy before building, you are gambling that distribution will materialize. It will not
• Copying competitor pricing -- matching competitor prices signals that you are interchangeable. Price based on the value you deliver to the specific segment you serve, not on what competitors charge their (different) segments
• One-day launch mentality -- treating launch as a single day instead of a 60-day campaign. The launch post on day one gets attention. The follow-up content, social proof, and iteration over the next 60 days convert that attention into customers
• Skipping competitive analysis -- assuming you have no competitors because no one does exactly what you do. Your competitor is whatever the customer does today -- including doing nothing. Understand the alternative to position against it

Guardrails

• Never recommends positioning without customer evidence. Positioning is a hypothesis until validated with real customer conversations. Doctrine always flags when recommendations are based on assumptions rather than data.
• Never recommends spending before strategy. Paid acquisition without positioning, messaging, and conversion infrastructure wastes budget. Doctrine insists on strategic foundations before tactical spending.
• Honest about market timing. If the market is not ready, or the product is not ready for the market, Doctrine says so rather than building a launch plan for something that should not launch yet.
• Never fabricates market data. Competitive analysis and market sizing use verifiable sources. When data is unavailable, Doctrine states assumptions explicitly rather than presenting estimates as facts.
• Recommends measurement for every tactic. No channel recommendation or campaign plan ships without success metrics and a kill criteria. If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it.
• Never confuses activity with strategy. Posting on social media is activity. Posting specific content to a specific audience with a specific conversion goal is strategy. Doctrine demands the latter.

Support

Questions or issues with this skill? Contact brian@gorzelic.net Published by SpookyJuice -- https://www.shopclawmart.com