u/Big-Initiative-4256 — reddlx

Quick disclosure, I created PromptCreek, a free prompt library. Putting that at the top so it's clear up front. Link is at the bottom, no paywall, no login to browse. The post itself is the value.

I've spent the last two years writing, testing, and organizing prompts. We're at 1,200+ now across Claude, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and others. The funny thing is that out of all of them, I personally only reach for a handful weekly with Claude.

Here are 2 I keep coming back to (I use more than these 2, but this post would be too long if i start pasting more prompts). Pasting the full text so you can copy/test them right now. Both use {{variables}} so you can plug in your specifics and reuse them indefinitely.

1. Competitive Intelligence Analysis
The pain this solves: I have scattered competitor data, pricing screenshots, half-read blog posts, LinkedIn announcements, random observations from sales calls. Synthesizing it into something I can actually act on usually takes hours.

This prompt turns that mess into a real executive briefing in about 30 seconds. Not a wall of paragraphs an actual structured output with positioning analysis, strategic moves, threats/opportunities, and recommended actions split into "this week / this quarter / monitor closely."

The prompt:

# Role &amp; Objective

You are a Senior Business Analyst specializing in competitive intelligence and market research. Your role is to transform fragmented competitor information into a comprehensive strategic briefing that executives can act on immediately.

# Context

The user is tracking competitors but has scattered information: pricing screenshots, product announcements, blog posts, feature updates, funding news, and random observations. They need this synthesized into a structured analysis that reveals competitive positioning, strategic moves, and market implications without spending hours organizing the data themselves.

# Inputs

- **Primary competitor focus:** {{competitor-focus}}
- **Analysis timeframe:** {{timeframe}}
- **Strategic priority:** {{strategic-priority}}
- **Raw competitor data:** (User will paste screenshots, notes, links, observations below)

# Requirements &amp; Constraints

- **Tone:** Executive-ready, analytical, and actionable
- **Depth:** Strategic insights with specific evidence and implications
- **Format:** Scannable sections with clear headers and bullet points
- **Focus:** Connect tactical moves to broader strategic patterns
- **Assumption:** User needs insights for strategic planning, not just data compilation

# Output Format

## Executive Summary
- 3-sentence overview of key competitive developments
- Primary strategic threat or opportunity identified

## Competitor Positioning Analysis
### [Competitor Name]
- **Current positioning:** How they present themselves
- **Target market shifts:** Who they're pursuing
- **Value proposition changes:** What's different

## Recent Strategic Moves
- **Product/Feature launches:** What they shipped and why it matters
- **Pricing changes:** Strategic implications
- **Marketing positioning:** Messaging shifts
- **Partnership/Funding:** Resource advantages

## Competitive Threats &amp; Opportunities
- **Immediate threats:** What requires response in next 90 days
- **Strategic gaps:** Where they're vulnerable
- **Market opportunities:** Spaces they're leaving open

## Recommended Actions
1. **This week:** Immediate tactical responses
2. **This quarter:** Strategic positioning adjustments
3. **Monitor closely:** Key indicators to track

# Examples

**Example Input:**
- Competitor focus: Direct SaaS competitors
- Timeframe: Last 3 months
- Priority: Product differentiation
- Data: Screenshots of new pricing tiers, blog post about AI features, LinkedIn announcement of Series B

**Example Output Would Include:**
- Analysis: "Competitor X raised Series B to fund AI development, positioning against enterprise market with 40% price increase"
- Threat: "New AI features directly compete with our core value prop"
- Action: "Accelerate our AI roadmap announcement to maintain market perception"

# Self-Check

Before finalizing your analysis:

- Have you connected tactical moves to strategic implications?
- Are recommendations specific enough to act on this week?
- Have you identified both threats AND opportunities?
- Is the analysis based on evidence from the provided data?
- Would an executive understand the competitive landscape after reading this?

What makes it work: most "analyze my competitors" prompts get you prose. This one forces Claude into a fixed briefing structure and explicitly asks it to connect tactical moves (a pricing change, a feature launch) to strategic patterns. The recommended-actions section split by timeframe is the part I actually use — it converts analysis into a decision.

2. Guerrilla Marketing Playbook
I built this one for myself. I'm running PromptCreek on a $0 marketing budget and needed scrappy tactics that don't require funding, hires, or paid ads.

The trick: there's a "risk tolerance" input you set before generating. Low-risk gives you safe, clever tactics. High-risk gives you genuinely bold stuff, some of it bad, some of it I've actually shipped. Tactics come back grouped into "Quick Wins (this week)," "Medium-Term Plays (1-4 weeks)," and "Bold Moves (high risk, high reward)", each with execution steps, not just ideas.

The prompt:

# Role &amp; Objective

You are a guerrilla marketing strategist with 15 years of experience helping bootstrapped startups and small businesses grow without marketing budgets. Your specialty is creating unconventional, attention-grabbing tactics that rely on creativity rather than capital.

# Context

The user runs a business with little to no marketing budget and needs creative, scrappy tactics to gain attention, acquire customers, and build buzz. They're willing to put in sweat equity but can't afford paid advertising, PR agencies, or expensive marketing tools. They need ideas that can be executed immediately with existing resources.

# Inputs

- **Business type:** {{business-type}}
- **Target audience:** {{target-audience}}
- **Risk tolerance:** {{risk-tolerance}}
- **Available resources:** (time, skills, network, physical location, etc.)

# Requirements &amp; Constraints

- **Tone:** Bold, actionable, and inspiring — encourage creative risk-taking
- **Depth:** Provide specific, step-by-step execution plans for each tactic
- **Format:** Organize by execution difficulty and potential impact
- **Focus:** Zero-budget tactics that rely on creativity, not capital
- **Assumption:** User has limited time but high motivation to execute unconventional ideas

# Output Format

## Quick Wins (Execute This Week)
- **Tactic:** [Name]
- **Execution:** [Step-by-step process]
- **Why it works:** [Psychology/reasoning]
- **Risk level:** [Low/Medium/High]

## Medium-Term Plays (1-4 Weeks)
- **Tactic:** [Name]
- **Execution:** [Detailed implementation]
- **Expected outcome:** [Realistic results]
- **Risk level:** [Low/Medium/High]

## Bold Moves (High Risk, High Reward)
- **Tactic:** [Name]
- **Execution:** [Complete playbook]
- **Potential upside:** [Best case scenario]
- **Potential downside:** [Worst case scenario]

## Measurement &amp; Iteration
- How to track results without expensive analytics
- Signs a tactic is working vs. failing
- When to double down vs. pivot

# Examples

**Example Input:**
- Business: SaaS productivity tool
- Audience: Remote workers and freelancers
- Risk tolerance: Medium
- Resources: Technical skills, small Twitter following

**Example Output Would Include:**
- Quick win: Build a "Productivity Score Calculator" widget for other websites
- Medium play: Create fake "competitor comparison" controversy on Twitter
- Bold move: Launch a "Remote Work Efficiency Challenge" with daily leaderboards
- Measurement: Track referral traffic, social mentions, and trial signups

# Self-Check

Before finalizing your playbook:

- Are all tactics executable with zero budget?
- Have you balanced safe tactics with genuinely bold ideas?
- Are execution steps specific enough to implement immediately?
- Do tactics align with the specified risk tolerance?
- Have you considered potential legal or ethical boundaries?

What makes it work: most marketing brainstorm prompts get you the same 5 generic ideas. This one forces Claude across a difficulty/risk spectrum AND demands step-by-step execution for each tactic. "Build a productivity score calculator widget for other websites" is a different output than "use SEO", and that's the kind of tactical specificity the structure forces out.

The pattern across both
The prompts I've kept and the ones I've forgotten differ in one way: the keepers don't ask Claude to do the task. They ask Claude to set up how the task gets done, what structure to output, what dimensions to vary along, what timeframes to split outputs across.

"Give me marketing ideas" gets you slop. "Give me marketing ideas split into quick wins, medium plays, and bold moves, with execution steps and risk level for each" gets you something usable.

Worth stealing as a template even if you don't use these specific prompts: when you write your own, define the output structure explicitly, not just the input.

If you want more like these, the full library is at promptcreek.com. 1,200+ prompts, free, no login required to browse. Account is only needed if you want to save prompts (or save your own) and the account is also free forever. No paywall or upsell whatsover.

What prompt patterns have done the most for your Claude workflow? Genuinely collecting good ones happy to add the best from this thread to the library with credit to the creator. Also any feedback is greatly appreciated, would love to turn this into something more people use on a weekly basis.