nhouseholder/competitor-gap-analysis

Competitor Gap Analysis

Find the whitespace your competitors are leaving wide open. Analyze what they avoid, underuse, and get wrong — then turn those gaps into your unfair advantage.

When This Fires

• "Analyze my competitors"
• "What gaps exist in my niche?"
• "Competitor gap analysis"
• "What are my competitors missing?"
• "Find whitespace in my niche"
• Before building authority positioning (gaps inform positioning)

Prerequisites

1. Read brand-context.md — Required for niche and competitor info.
2. Read authority-positioning.md if exists — gaps should reinforce your positioning.
3. User must provide (or have in brand-context.md):
   • Niche description
   • 3-5 competitor accounts/brands
   • What competitors are known for
   • What YOU are known for (or want to be)

Workflow

Phase 1: Competitor Mapping

For each competitor (3-5), build a profile:

| Dimension | Competitor 1 | Competitor 2 | Competitor 3 | |-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------| | Known for | [Their positioning] | | | | Primary platform | [Where they're strongest] | | | | Content types | [What they post] | | | | Posting frequency | [How often] | | | | Tone/voice | [How they sound] | | | | Audience size | [Approximate] | | | | Monetization | [How they make money] | | | | Weakness | [Where they fall short] | | |

Use web search to research competitors if the user provides account names. Check their recent posts, engagement patterns, and audience reactions.

Phase 2: Five-Dimensional Gap Analysis

1. Topic Gaps — 5 angles competitors skip but your audience desperately wants:

| Gap | Why Competitors Avoid It | Why Your Audience Wants It | Your Action | |-----|------------------------|--------------------------|------------| | [Topic] | [Reason] | [Evidence of demand] | [How to fill it] | | [Topic] | [Reason] | [Evidence of demand] | [How to fill it] | | ... | | | |

2. Format Gaps — content types they underuse on the platform:

| Underused Format | Why It's Underused | Opportunity | Example | |-----------------|-------------------|-------------|---------| | [Format] | [Reason] | [Why it would work for you] | [Specific post idea] | | [Format] | [Reason] | [Why it would work for you] | [Specific post idea] |

3. Tone Gap — the emotional register they miss:

| Their Tone | What's Missing | Your Tone Advantage | |-----------|---------------|-------------------| | [Too polished/corporate] | [Authenticity, rawness, humor] | [How you fill this] | | [Too casual/bro-ish] | [Depth, sophistication, data] | [How you fill this] |

4. Positioning Gap — a claim you can own that no one is making:

UNCLAIMED POSITION: "[Statement no competitor is making]"
WHY IT'S OPEN: [Why no one has claimed this]
WHY IT'S CREDIBLE FOR YOU: [Your proof/authority]
HOW TO CLAIM IT: [Content strategy to own this position]

5. Quick Win — the ONE post to publish this week that outperforms your niche:

POST CONCEPT: [Specific post idea]
FORMAT: [Thread/carousel/reel/etc.]
HOOK: "[Opening line]"
WHY IT OUTPERFORMS: [Which gap it exploits]
EXPECTED RESULT: [What success looks like]

Phase 3: Whitespace Map

Synthesize all gaps into a visual competitive whitespace map:

                    COMPETITORS DO THIS
                    ────────────────────
                    │ [Common topics]  │
                    │ [Common formats] │
                    │ [Common tone]    │
                    ────────────────────

    YOUR WHITESPACE (what NOBODY is doing well):
    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │ Topic: [Uncovered angle]                │
    │ Format: [Underused content type]        │
    │ Tone: [Missing emotional register]      │
    │ Position: [Unclaimed authority claim]    │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Output

Save to competitor-gap-analysis.md in the project root. Structure:

1. Competitor mapping table
2. Five-dimensional gap analysis (all 5 dimensions)
3. Whitespace map visualization
4. Quick win post (ready to execute)
5. Prioritized action items (top 5 gaps to exploit first)

Rules

1. Research-backed — use web search to verify competitor claims, don't guess
2. Specific gaps only — "they don't post enough" is not a gap. "They never show failed experiments" IS.
3. Actionable — every gap must come with a specific content idea to exploit it
4. Honest — if competitors are genuinely strong somewhere, say so. Don't manufacture fake weaknesses.
5. Anti-slop — no "differentiate yourself" filler. Specific gaps, specific actions.
6. Quick win is mandatory — always end with one post the user can publish THIS WEEK