---
name: positioning-angles
description: Find the angle that makes something sell. 24 frameworks to surface differentiated hooks before you write a word. Use when starting copy, ads, landing pages, or any persuasive content.
triggers:
  - positioning angle
  - hook angle
  - find the angle
  - differentiation angle
  - copywriting angle
  - what angle should I use
  - how to position this
allowed-tools: AskUserQuestion Read Write Edit
disable-model-invocation: true
---

# Positioning Angles

Find the angle that sells before writing a single word. 24 proven frameworks to surface differentiated hooks.

## When to Use

- Starting any persuasive copy (landing page, ad, email, sales page)
- Product feels "same as competitors" and needs differentiation
- Current messaging isn't converting
- Launching into competitive market
- Repositioning existing product

## The 24 Angles

### Benefit Angles (Promise Gains)

| # | Angle | Mechanism | Example Hook |
|---|-------|-----------|--------------|
| 1 | **New** | Novelty attraction | "Introducing the first..." |
| 2 | **Save Money** | Financial benefit | "Cut your [X] costs by 50%" |
| 3 | **Save Time** | Efficiency/shortcut | "What took 4 hours now takes 4 minutes" |
| 7 | **Better Mousetrap** | Improved solution | "Finally, a [X] that actually works" |
| 20 | **The Breakthrough** | Exciting progress | "The discovery that changes everything about [X]" |

### Fear/Risk Angles (Avoid Pain)

| # | Angle | Mechanism | Example Hook |
|---|-------|-----------|--------------|
| 5 | **FOMO** | Scarcity/urgency | "While everyone else is still..." |
| 22 | **What You Don't Know** | Knowledge gap danger | "The hidden [X] that's costing you..." |
| 24 | **Confirmation of Fear** | Validate + solve | "Yes, [fear] is real. Here's what to do." |
| 18 | **EXPOSED!** | Uncomfortable truths | "The [industry] secret they don't want you to know" |

### Authority/Trust Angles (Believe Me)

| # | Angle | Mechanism | Example Hook |
|---|-------|-----------|--------------|
| 9 | **Social Proof** | Safety in numbers | "Join 10,000+ [audience] who..." |
| 13 | **The Truth About [X]** | Insider revelation | "The truth about [thing] nobody talks about" |
| 15 | **The Great [X] Hoax** | Myth-busting | "Why everything you know about [X] is wrong" |
| 14 | **What to do if [X]** | Immediate value | "If you're struggling with [X], do this first" |

### Identity/Tribal Angles (People Like Us)

| # | Angle | Mechanism | Example Hook |
|---|-------|-----------|--------------|
| 4 | **Dog Whistle** | Tribal signal | "[Specific term only insiders know]" |
| 8 | **Us vs Them** | Common enemy | "Tired of [enemy]? You're not alone." |
| 10 | **Shout** | Direct address | "ATTENTION: [Specific role/trait]" |
| 11 | **Bandwagon** | Conformity pull | "Why smart [audience] are switching to..." |
| 16 | **Open Letter** | Segment address | "An open letter to [specific audience]" |

### Contrarian/Disruption Angles (Challenge Norms)

| # | Angle | Mechanism | Example Hook |
|---|-------|-----------|--------------|
| 23 | **WRONG** | Challenge wisdom | "Stop [common advice]. It's killing your [X]." |
| 17 | **Declaration of WAR!** | Righteous fight | "We're done accepting [bad status quo]" |
| 21 | **MAD AS HELL!** | Justified anger | "I'm furious about [industry problem]" |

### Story/Emotion Angles (Feel Something)

| # | Angle | Mechanism | Example Hook |
|---|-------|-----------|--------------|
| 19 | **Emotional Story** | Narrative pull | "I was [struggle]. Then [discovery]..." |
| 12 | **How to [Good] without [Bad]** | Desire + objection | "How to [result] without [sacrifice]" |

### Relevance Angles (Why Now)

| # | Angle | Mechanism | Example Hook |
|---|-------|-----------|--------------|
| 6 | **News Hijack** | Timely relevance | "What [recent event] means for your [X]" |

---

## Angle Selection Matrix

### By Awareness Stage

| Stage | Best Angles | Why |
|-------|-------------|-----|
| **Unaware** | 6, 13, 19, 22 | Need education, curiosity, story |
| **Problem Aware** | 8, 14, 17, 24 | Validate pain, show you understand |
| **Solution Aware** | 7, 9, 12, 23 | Differentiate from alternatives |
| **Product Aware** | 1, 2, 3, 5, 20 | Close with benefits, urgency |
| **Most Aware** | 2, 5, 9 | Price, scarcity, proof |

### By Audience Type

| Audience | Best Angles | Avoid |
|----------|-------------|-------|
| **B2B / Enterprise** | 2, 3, 7, 9, 14 | 21 (too emotional), 17 (too aggressive) |
| **B2B / SMB** | 3, 7, 12, 14, 22 | 11 (too conformist) |
| **B2C / Mass Market** | 1, 5, 9, 11, 12, 19 | 4 (too niche) |
| **B2C / Premium** | 4, 7, 13, 23 | 2 (cheapens brand) |
| **Technical** | 7, 13, 14, 15, 23 | 19 (too soft), 11 (too basic) |
| **Creative** | 4, 8, 17, 19, 23 | 9, 11 (too conformist) |

### By Competitive Position

| Position | Best Angles | Strategy |
|----------|-------------|----------|
| **Market Leader** | 1, 9, 20 | Reinforce dominance, announce innovation |
| **Challenger** | 7, 8, 17, 23 | Attack leader's weakness, be contrarian |
| **Niche Player** | 4, 10, 16 | Own your segment, speak directly to tribe |
| **New Entrant** | 1, 13, 15, 20 | Breakthrough positioning, expose old way |

---

## Quick Decision Tree

```
START: What's your strongest asset?

├─ PROOF (results, data, customers)
│   └─ Use: #9 Social Proof, #20 Breakthrough
│
├─ SPEED (faster than alternatives)
│   └─ Use: #3 Save Time, #7 Better Mousetrap
│
├─ PRICE (cheaper or better value)
│   └─ Use: #2 Save Money, #12 How to [X] without [Y]
│
├─ INSIGHT (you know something others don't)
│   └─ Use: #13 Truth About, #15 Great Hoax, #22 What You Don't Know
│
├─ STORY (compelling origin or customer transformation)
│   └─ Use: #19 Emotional Story, #16 Open Letter
│
├─ ENEMY (clear villain in your market)
│   └─ Use: #8 Us vs Them, #17 Declaration of WAR, #23 WRONG
│
├─ TIMING (something just changed)
│   └─ Use: #1 New, #6 News Hijack, #5 FOMO
│
└─ TRIBE (specific audience identity)
    └─ Use: #4 Dog Whistle, #10 Shout, #16 Open Letter
```

---

## Angle Combinations

Single angles work. Combinations multiply impact.

### High-Converting Combos

| Combo | Angles | Example |
|-------|--------|---------|
| **Contrarian + Proof** | 23 + 9 | "Everyone says [X]. Here's why 10,000 customers disagree." |
| **Fear + Solution** | 22 + 14 | "The hidden [X] destroying your [Y]. Here's exactly what to do." |
| **Story + Better Mousetrap** | 19 + 7 | "I tried everything. Then I built something that actually works." |
| **Tribe + Enemy** | 4 + 8 | "[Insider term]? You know the struggle with [enemy]. We're fixing it." |
| **New + FOMO** | 1 + 5 | "Introducing [X]. Early adopters are already seeing [result]." |
| **Truth + Breakthrough** | 13 + 20 | "The truth about [X] led us to a breakthrough that changes everything." |

---

## Angle Testing Protocol

### Step 1: Generate 3-5 Angle Candidates

For any product/offer, test at minimum:
1. One **benefit angle** (what they gain)
2. One **fear/risk angle** (what they avoid)
3. One **identity angle** (who they become)

### Step 2: Write Headlines for Each

Same offer, different angle:

| Angle | Headline |
|-------|----------|
| #3 Save Time | "Cut your [X] time from hours to minutes" |
| #22 What You Don't Know | "The hidden [X] costing you hours every week" |
| #4 Dog Whistle | "For [insider term]: Finally, a [X] built for how you actually work" |

### Step 3: Test or Gut-Check

- **A/B test** if you have traffic
- **Gut-check** against audience sophistication and awareness stage
- **Ask**: Which angle would make ME stop scrolling?

---

## Integration with Other Skills

| After Finding Angle | Use This Skill |
|---------------------|----------------|
| Need full positioning statement | `brand-positioning` |
| Need competitor differentiation | `competitive-positioning` |
| Need to refine value prop | `value-prop-sharpener` |
| Need multiple hook variations | `hook-writer` |
| Need full landing page | `landing-page-builder` |
| Need email sequence | `email-nurture` |

---

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Using same angle for all audiences | Match angle to awareness stage |
| Leading with features, not angles | Features support angles, not replace them |
| Choosing "safe" angles | Contrarian (#23) and Enemy (#8) often outperform |
| Ignoring competitive context | Challenger should attack; leader should reinforce |
| Too many angles at once | One primary angle, one supporting max |

---

## Conversation Starter

When invoked, begin with:

"I'll help you find the positioning angle that makes your offer sell.

**Tell me:**
1. What are you selling? (1-2 sentences)
2. Who's the target buyer?
3. What's your strongest proof point or differentiator?
4. Who/what are the alternatives they'd consider?

I'll recommend 3 angles to test with headline examples for each."

---

## Output Format

```markdown
## POSITIONING ANGLE ANALYSIS

### Context
- **Offer**: [What they're selling]
- **Audience**: [Who buys]
- **Differentiator**: [Key strength]
- **Alternatives**: [Competition]

### Recommended Angles

#### Primary: #[X] [Angle Name]
**Why**: [1 sentence rationale]
**Headline**: "[Example headline using this angle]"
**Opening line**: "[First line of copy]"

#### Secondary: #[X] [Angle Name]
**Why**: [1 sentence rationale]
**Headline**: "[Example headline using this angle]"
**Opening line**: "[First line of copy]"

#### Contrarian Option: #[X] [Angle Name]
**Why**: [1 sentence rationale - higher risk, higher reward]
**Headline**: "[Example headline using this angle]"
**Opening line**: "[First line of copy]"

### Angle Combo Suggestion
Combine **#[X]** + **#[Y]** for:
> "[Combined headline example]"

### Next Steps
1. [ ] Test primary angle headline
2. [ ] Write full copy using winning angle
3. [ ] Consider `[related skill]` for [next phase]
```