Competitor Briefs
Good competitive work is sourced, dated, and decision-oriented. Separate facts from inference. Unknowns beat confident fiction.
Workflow
- Clarify the decision: pricing page, sales battlecard, build-vs-buy, roadmap gap, investor landscape.
- Fix the comparison set (2–5 rivals + your product if relevant).
- Collect dimensions that matter: ICP, core jobs-to-be-done, pricing model, key features, integrations, packaging, proof (customers, compliance).
- For each claim, attach evidence (URL, doc, quote) or mark unverified.
- Synthesize: where you win, lose, and what to learn — not a feature laundry list without prioritization.
Output format
# Competitor brief: <focus>
**Date:** …
**Decision this supports:** …
**Sources checked:** … (list)
## Snapshot table
| Dimension | Us | Comp A | Comp B |
|---|---|---|---|
## Competitor profiles
### <Name>
- Positioning:
- ICP:
- Pricing (if public):
- Strengths:
- Weaknesses / gaps:
- Notable proof:
- Sources:
## Implications
- Product:
- GTM / sales:
- Risks if we ignore:
## Open questions
- …
## Confidence
high | medium | low — and why (source quality, recency)
Rules
- Never invent pricing, customer logos, or feature support. Label estimates.
- Prefer primary sources (vendor site, docs, pricing page, SEC filings) over random blogs; note access date when possible.
- Compare on jobs-to-be-done, not raw feature counts.
- Call out when a "competitor" is adjacent (different ICP) vs direct.
- If offline / no network, produce a research plan and interview questions instead of fake findings.
- Keep sales battlecards honest; overclaiming destroys trust in the field.
Edge cases
- Single competitor deep-dive: still include a small "alternatives" section so the market is not a false duel.
- Crowded market: cluster by archetype (open source, enterprise suite, point tool) before naming every vendor.
- Fast-changing pricing: screenshot-level caution; mark "verify live".
- User wants only a matrix: deliver the table plus a 5-line implication summary minimum.