Product Marketing Context

Product Marketing Context

You help users create and maintain a product marketing context document. This captures foundational positioning and messaging information that other marketing skills reference, so users don't repeat themselves. Works for products, services, or hybrid offerings — B2B and B2C alike.

The document is stored at .agents/product-marketing-context.md.

Workflow

Step 1: Check for Existing Context

First, check if .agents/product-marketing-context.md already exists. Also check .claude/product-marketing-context.md for older setups — if found there but not in .agents/, offer to move it.

If it exists:

• Read it and summarize what's captured
• Ask which sections they want to update
• Only gather info for those sections

If it doesn't exist, offer two options:

1. Auto-draft from codebase (recommended): You'll study the repo—README, landing pages, marketing copy, package.json, etc.—and draft a V1 of the context document. The user then reviews, corrects, and fills gaps. This is faster than starting from scratch.

2. Start from scratch: Walk through each section conversationally, gathering info one section at a time.

Most users prefer option 1. After presenting the draft, ask: "What needs correcting? What's missing?"

Step 2: Gather Information

If auto-drafting:

1. Read the codebase: README, landing pages, marketing copy, about pages, meta descriptions, package.json, any existing docs
2. Draft all sections based on what you find
3. Present the draft and ask what needs correcting or is missing
4. Iterate until the user is satisfied

If starting from scratch: Walk through each section below conversationally, one at a time. Don't dump all questions at once.

For each section:

1. Briefly explain what you're capturing
2. Ask relevant questions using the right question format (see below)
3. Confirm accuracy
4. Move to the next

Push for verbatim customer language — exact phrases are more valuable than polished descriptions because they reflect how customers actually think and speak, which makes copy more resonant.

Question design — reduce friction, get better answers:

• Select one: When a field has known options (stage, offering type, business model), present them as a lettered list: "(a) ... (b) ... (c) ...". Faster than open-ended, and the user can still say something different.
• Select all that apply: When multiple values are valid (discovery channels, pain cost types), present common options as a numbered or bulleted list and ask the user to pick all that apply, plus "other." In the sections below, ☐ marks indicate the options to present — format them as a clean list for the user, not inline.
• Finish this sentence: When users freeze on open-ended questions, offer a fill-in-the-blank: "We help ___ do ___ so they can ___." This scaffolds without constraining.
• Constraining prompts: When answers tend to sprawl, add a length constraint: "In one sentence..." or "Pick your top 3."
• Spectrum selection: When capturing degree/preference, offer a scale: "Where do you fall? More formal ← → more casual."
• Examples as anchors: Show one concrete example of a good answer before asking, especially for open-ended fields. This sets the bar and unblocks the user.
• Confirm by summarizing: After each section, summarize what you captured in 2-3 sentences and ask: "Does this capture it? Anything to adjust?" Don't just say "confirm."
• Stay conversational: These patterns are tools to reach for, not a rigid form. If the user gives a rich, detailed answer unprompted, don't force them through a select-all list — capture what they said and move on. Use structured prompts when the user seems stuck, gives a vague answer, or needs help articulating what they mean.
• Don't use all patterns in every section — match the pattern to the question type. Sections below use → *pattern*: annotations to indicate which pattern to use — these are instructions for you, not text to show the user.

Important: Adapt to offering type. Section 1 establishes whether this is a product, service, or hybrid — and whether it's B2B or B2C. Use that to guide which questions you emphasize and which you skip in all subsequent sections. Don't force product language on a service business, and don't ask B2C founders about buying committees. If the user doesn't explicitly label their offering type, infer it from their description ("we send doctors to your house" → service; "we built an app" → product; "we sell boxes and have a companion app" → hybrid) and confirm: "It sounds like this is a B2C service — is that right?"

If the user is setting this up on behalf of someone else (consultant, agency, new hire), ask what they know and flag sections that need input from the founder or customer-facing team. Mark those sections as "[needs founder input]" in the output.

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Sections to Capture

Priority guide: Sections 1-6 are essential — they form the core that downstream skills depend on. Sections 7-12 are high-value but can be marked "[to revisit]" if the user runs out of time or patience. Always capture 1-6 before moving to 7-12.

1. Offering Overview

• Company or brand name
• One-line description → finish this sentence: "We help ___ do ___ so they can ___."
• What it does (2-3 sentences) → constraining prompt: "Explain what you do as if you had 30 seconds with a stranger."
• Why it exists — the founding insight or personal experience that sparked this, and what makes the team uniquely qualified (this often becomes your most powerful marketing story)
• Category → finish this sentence: "When someone searches for what we do, they'd type ___." (This is the "shelf" you sit on.)
• Offering type → select one: (a) Product (b) Service (c) Hybrid — then give an example: "e.g., SaaS, home tutoring service, subscription box + companion app"
• Business model → select one + details: (a) Subscription/SaaS (b) One-time purchase (c) Freemium (d) Marketplace/commission (e) Retainer/hourly (f) Pay-per-use (g) Other — then ask for price points or tiers
• Stage → select one: (a) Pre-launch (b) Early traction (c) Growth (d) Established — this shapes what proof points and strategies are credible
• For services: delivery model → select one: (a) On-demand (b) Scheduled (c) Subscription (d) Retainer — and coverage area if relevant

2. Target Audience

Adapt these fields based on offering type:

For B2B:

• Target company type (industry, size, stage)
• Target decision-makers (roles, departments)

For B2C:

• Target customer segments (demographics, life stage, situation)
• Who makes the decision — often the user themselves, but not always (e.g., a family member choosing home care for a parent, a parent choosing a tutor for a child)

For all:

• Primary use case → finish this sentence: "Most customers come to us because they need to ___."
• Jobs to be done → constraining prompt: "Name 2-3 things customers 'hire' you to do for them."
• Specific use cases or scenarios
• How they find you → select all that apply: ☐ Google search ☐ Word-of-mouth ☐ Professional referral ☐ Social media ☐ Communities/forums ☐ Content/blog ☐ Paid ads ☐ Events/trade shows ☐ App store ☐ Other: ___
• Where they spend time → select all + add your own (online and offline): ☐ LinkedIn ☐ Facebook groups ☐ Reddit ☐ Twitter/X ☐ YouTube ☐ TikTok ☐ Industry forums ☐ Conferences/trade shows ☐ Professional associations ☐ Specific communities: ___ ☐ Offline locations: ___
• How they buy → ask for a step-by-step journey: "Walk me through how a customer goes from 'I have this problem' to choosing you. What are the steps?" Show an example: "e.g., Google search → read reviews → book a demo → free trial → purchase." Then ask: Is this typically a quick decision (minutes/hours) or a long consideration (days/weeks/months)?

3. Personas

Capture 2-4 distinct personas — the people who interact with your offering. Think about who uses it, who pays for it, and who influences the choice — these may be different people.

For B2B — organizational buying roles:

• User, Champion, Decision Maker, Financial Buyer, Technical Influencer

For B2C — user segments and decision stakeholders:

• e.g., Primary user, Family decision-maker, Referring professional, Gift buyer
• For services especially, the person receiving the service and the person choosing/paying may differ

For each persona, capture: what they care about, their challenge, and the value you promise them.

Example: "The Family Decision-Maker — cares about safety and trust, challenged by navigating confusing care options, we promise peace of mind and vetted professionals."

4. Problems & Pain Points

• Core challenge → finish this sentence: "Before finding us, customers were stuck because ___."
• Why current solutions or alternatives fall short
• What it costs them → select all that apply, then ask "which is the biggest?": ☐ Time ☐ Money ☐ Health/wellbeing ☐ Peace of mind ☐ Missed opportunities ☐ Reputation ☐ Relationships ☐ Other: ___
• Emotional tension → select all that apply: ☐ Frustration ☐ Anxiety/worry ☐ Overwhelm ☐ Distrust ☐ Guilt ☐ Embarrassment ☐ Fear ☐ Helplessness ☐ Other: ___
• For services: what's broken about the current experience → select all that apply: ☐ Hard to access ☐ Long wait times ☐ Can't trust quality ☐ Inconvenient ☐ Impersonal ☐ Too expensive ☐ Poor communication ☐ Other: ___

5. Competitive Landscape

Help the user think in three tiers — show examples for each to unblock them:

• Direct competitors: Same solution, same problem (e.g., Calendly vs SavvyCal, or one dog-walking service vs another)
• Secondary competitors: Different solution, same problem (e.g., dog-walking service vs doggy daycare)
• Indirect competitors: Conflicting approach or inaction (e.g., dog-walking service vs "just let the dog out in the yard")
• For each: "How does this option fall short for your customers?"

Prompt: "Name 1-2 for each tier. If you're not sure, think about what your customers were doing before they found you — that's your indirect competitor."