2 builders who never spoke to each other

Pick the category with the weakest competition

A ranking or a shortlist is relative to whoever else is standing in it, so choose which category you enter rather than accepting the obvious one. Lil Nas X submitted a track as country music knowing that chart was less contested. Justin Jackson relays April Dunford's argument that defining a brand new category costs more than a bootstrapper has, so launch something differentiated inside a category buyers already recognise.

The method

1. 01

   Launch a differentiated product into a category buyers already recognise instead of trying to establish a new category, which requires resources a bootstrapper does not have.

2. 02

   Enter yourself in the least contested category available, because a ranking is relative to whoever else is in it.

What it returned

• April Dunford argues defining a new category while trying to grow is one of the hardest routes to initial traction; she cites the iPhone as a highly differentiated product launched inside an existing category.

• He submitted the track as country music, knowing that chart was less competitive than the alternatives.

Sources

• Business is like surfingJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Building the right product · undated
• The marketing genius of Lil Nas XHarry Dry · Marketing Examples · Part 2 · undated