Business Idea Prompts
Competitive Positioning & Moat Analysis
Run a structured, multi-step competitive positioning analysis that identifies your defensible moat and articulates it as a market-facing strategy.
FreeClaudeChatGPT
Best for
Founders, product leaders, and strategists who need a rigorous, defensible market positioning rather than a generic 'unique value proposition' statement.
Suitable LLM groups
FrontierReasoning
Prompt
Act as a senior strategy consultant conducting a competitive positioning engagement. I will give you information about my company and up to 5 competitors. Work through the following steps in order, showing your reasoning at each stage before moving to the next:
Step 1 — Map each competitor against these dimensions: price, target segment, core value proposition, and one visible weakness.
Step 2 — Identify white space: segments or needs that no competitor is serving well.
Step 3 — Assess my company's defensible moat using this framework: switching costs, network effects, proprietary data/IP, brand trust, and economies of scale. Rate each 1-5 and justify the rating.
Step 4 — Synthesize a positioning statement (1-2 sentences) that a customer would immediately understand and that competitors cannot easily copy.
Step 5 — Flag the single biggest risk to this position over the next 18 months and one mitigation.
Here is my company and competitor information:
{{company_and_competitor_info}}How to use
- Gather basic facts about your company and up to 5 competitors: pricing, target segment, value proposition, and known weaknesses.
- Paste this information into {{company_and_competitor_info}}.
- Review each step's output before using it; the model shows its reasoning so you can challenge any step if it seems off-base.
- Use the final positioning statement in marketing materials, sales enablement, and investor decks.
Example input
Act as a senior strategy consultant... Here is my company and competitor information: My company, FlowStack, sells workflow automation software for mid-size logistics companies, priced at $500/mo, with strong customer support and a proprietary route-optimization algorithm. Competitors: Competitor A (enterprise-focused, $5000/mo, weak onboarding), Competitor B (SMB-focused, $99/mo, generic templates, no logistics specialization), Competitor C (logistics-specific, $600/mo, poor UI, strong integrations).
Example output
Step 1 — Competitor map: Competitor A serves enterprise at high price with weak onboarding; Competitor B serves SMB cheaply but lacks logistics specialization; Competitor C matches on logistics focus but has poor UI... Step 2 — White space: mid-market logistics companies wanting specialization without enterprise pricing or complexity are underserved... Step 3 — Moat assessment: Proprietary IP (4/5, the route-optimization algorithm is hard to replicate quickly), Switching costs (3/5, integrations create moderate lock-in), Brand trust (2/5, still building reputation)... Step 4 — Positioning statement: 'FlowStack is the only logistics-specialized workflow platform built for mid-market teams, combining enterprise-grade route optimization with SMB-friendly simplicity.' Step 5 — Biggest risk: Competitor C improving its UI would erode the main differentiator; mitigation is accelerating UI investment and deepening the proprietary algorithm's accuracy advantage.
Customization tips
- — If you don't have full data on a competitor, tell the model to flag assumptions explicitly rather than inventing facts.
- — Ask for the moat assessment to be re-run after providing more detail on any single dimension you're unsure about.
- — Follow up by asking the model to draft the positioning statement in 3 different tones (bold, understated, technical) to test with your team.
Tags
#strategy#competitive analysis#positioning#business planning
FAQ
What is this prompt for?
It runs a structured, consulting-style competitive positioning analysis, ending in a defensible market positioning statement and risk assessment.
How much detail do I need to provide about competitors?
The more specific and accurate your input, the better; vague or guessed competitor data will produce a shallower analysis. At minimum, provide pricing, target segment, and one known weakness per competitor.
What's a limitation of this prompt?
The model has no real-time market data and relies entirely on what you provide, so it cannot independently verify competitor claims or catch information you didn't include.
How is this different from just asking 'what's my competitive advantage'?
A direct question like that tends to produce a generic, unstructured answer. This prompt forces a specific analytical framework (moat dimensions, white space mapping, risk assessment) that produces a more rigorous and actionable result.
Related Prompts
All Business Ideas prompts →Free
Competitor Gap Analysis for New Business Ideas
Analyzes a list of competitors in a space to identify specific, actionable gaps a new business could exploit, rather than a generic feature comparison table.
ClaudeChatGPT
#competitive-analysis#business-strategy#market-positioning
Free
New Market Entry Risk Model
Evaluate whether to enter a new market or launch a new product line using a structured risk model covering demand validation, cost of entry, and reversibility.
ClaudeChatGPT
#market entry#strategic planning#risk analysis
Free
Business Model Unit Economics Mapper
Translate a business idea into transparent unit economics, cash timing, sensitivity ranges, and evidence needed to test financial viability.
ClaudeChatGPT
#unit-economics#business-model#break-even-analysis
Related Skills
Brand & Creative DirectionFree
Brand Identity Starter Kit
Generates a foundational brand identity brief — positioning, tone, color/typography direction, and messaging pillars — from a short business description.
ClaudeChatGPTCursor
#branding#brand-identity#brand-strategy
Brand & Creative DirectionFree
Brand Voice and Messaging System Designer
Create a usable brand voice and messaging system with positioning, audience language, tone, proof, message hierarchy, and examples.
ClaudeChatGPT
#brand voice#messaging strategy#positioning
Brand & Creative DirectionFree
Brand Messaging System Builder
Create a practical brand messaging system with positioning, audience language, value pillars, proof, voice, and reusable message templates.
ClaudeChatGPTCursor
#brand messaging#positioning#value proposition
Related articles coming soon — visit the Learn hub.