{"id":"mkt-x-competitor-messaging-lines","track":"marketing","audience":"marketing","category":"research","technique":"verification","title":"Compare competitor messaging and label the rumors","free":false,"task":"You're prepping a competitor messaging comparison for Pebble Post, a direct-mail printing service, before Friday's positioning meeting. You need exactly 3 numbered lines, one per competitor, each written as Competitor - their main promise - our counter, under 25 words, ending with (Source: website), (Source: sales call) or (Source: unverified). Use only the notes. Plain text, only the list.","materialLabel":"Competitor notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"PEBBLE POST - competitor messaging notes (compiled by Wes, Oct)\n\n1) Inkwell Direct\nFrom their homepage: \"Postcards in 48 hours, or they're free.\"\nOur angle: we deliver in 3 business days but include free design templates; Inkwell charges $49 for design.\n\n2) MailMint\nFrom a sales call (prospect told our rep, Oct 14): MailMint pitched them \"no minimum order,\" which is true per their pricing page.\nOur angle: our per-card price drops below MailMint's after 500 cards.\n\n3) Postwise\nFrom a Reddit thread (r/smallbusiness, anonymous): someone says Postwise is about to cut prices by 40%. Nobody at Postwise has said this publicly. Their website still says \"Premium print, premium paper.\"\nOur angle: same paper weight (16 pt) at a lower list price today.\n\nRandom notes:\n- Inkwell's CEO was on a podcast. Didn't say anything new.\n- Our logo refresh is next quarter.\n- Keep it neutral; no trash talk. Legal reviews anything that names competitors before it leaves the team.","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":3},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Asking for \"a competitor comparison\"","why":"The AI builds a big markdown table with columns you didn't ask for.","fix":"Set the shape: \"Exactly 3 numbered lines: Competitor - their promise - our counter.\"","checks":["numberedItems","plainText","r0"]},{"title":"Treating a rumor as fact","why":"The Reddit price cut sounds like news, so the AI reports it as Postwise's strategy.","fix":"Add: \"End each line with its source: website, sales call or unverified.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Inventing counters","why":"The AI writes generic counters like \"better service\" that aren't in the notes.","fix":"Add: \"Use only the 'our angle' notes for each counter.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Getting a report","why":"The AI adds an intro, a summary and recommendations.","fix":"Add: \"Output only the 3 lines, plain text.\"","checks":["r2","plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Sets the line shape","patterns":["competitor\\s*-","promise","counter"]},{"label":"Says how many","patterns":["\\b(3|three)\\b.{0,20}(lines|competitors)","one (per|line per) competitor"]},{"label":"Asks for sources","patterns":["source","unverified","rumor"]},{"label":"Keeps to the notes","patterns":["only (the |my )?notes","don't (invent|add)"]},{"label":"Asks for only the list","patterns":["only the (numbered )?list","no (intro|notes|explanation)","nothing else","plain text"]}],"hint":"A comparison is only useful if you know which claims are solid. Ask for one line per competitor and a source tag on each.","rubricLabels":["Each line follows the shape Competitor - their main promise - our counter, is under 25 words, and ends with a (Source: ...) tag","Inkwell Direct is tagged (Source: website), MailMint is tagged (Source: sales call) or (Source: website), and the Postwise price-cut rumor, if mentioned, is tagged (Source: unverified) rather than stated as fact","Each counter uses the matching angle from the notes (free design templates; cheaper after 500 cards; same 16 pt paper at a lower price), with no insults toward competitors and no intro or notes"]}