Launch positioning

Most launch posts fail before they're written: the author can't say in one breath who the project is for and why it's better than what those people use today. This skill produces .megaphone/brief.md, the single source every other Megaphone skill reads.

Steps

Read .megaphone/decisions.md first if it exists, and record new answers there — or, with no human available, your assumptions (and mark inferred fields [inferred] in the brief).

1. Read before asking. README (look for why, motivation, 初衷 sections), docs, examples, the oldest issues and the first commits often reveal the original itch. Note what the code actually does — features the README doesn't mention are common. Read .megaphone/audit.md if it exists and copy every do-not-say item from its risk section into Claims we won't make.
2. Check the alternatives' current state. For each alternative you'll contrast with, look at its latest release and its open issues/PRs for the feature you're comparing on. A competitor may be about to ship it. Date-stamp every contrast claim ("as of 2026-10").

3. Interview briefly (skip anything already answered):

   • What were you doing the day you started this? What was annoying?
   • Who else has that problem? Be specific: "Go developers who ship CLIs", not "developers".
   • What do they use today instead? (Another tool, a script, a spreadsheet, nothing.)
   • What's the moment it clicks — the first result that makes someone say "oh nice"?
   • What changed recently that makes this matter now?
   • Any proof: numbers you measured, users, a before/after?

   If the user isn't available, fill fields from the repo, mark them [inferred], and leave the origin story as [TODO] — never invent it.

4. Fill the canvas below. Push for specifics; "fast", "simple" and "powerful" aren't positions — every README says them.
5. Write three one-liners in different styles, recommend one, and say why:
   • Outcome: "Turn X into Y in one command."
   • Contrast: "Like A, but for B." (only if A is well known to the audience)
   • Pain: "Stop doing X by hand."
6. Check them against the tests below, then save .megaphone/brief.md.

Canvas

Two example columns: a developer tool and an end-user app.

Tests for a one-liner

• Stranger test: would someone who's never heard of it understand it out of context, e.g. in a list of post titles?
• Swap test: if you swap in a competitor's name, is it still true? If yes, it's not a position. In a crowded category where any plain outcome line fails this, let the bullets carry the difference — and say so.
• Breath test: can it be said aloud in one breath? (≈ 12 English words or ≈ 20 Chinese characters; Latin brand names inside Chinese count as one character each.)
• No-buzzword test: remove "AI-powered", "blazing", "next-gen", "revolutionary", 「神器」「颠覆」. Does it still say something?
• Founder-voice test: every sentence in the author's voice ("I built it because…") is the author's own words or a [TODO].
• Claims test: nothing in it appears under Claims we won't make.

Template for .megaphone/brief.md

Write it in the user's language. Include the Chinese one-liner only if a Chinese channel or README is planned (and the English one only if an English channel is).

# Launch brief — <project>

**One-liner (EN):** …
**一句话（中文）:** …
**Alternatives considered:** … / … (and why the chosen one wins)

| | |
|---|---|
| Audience | … |
| Trigger | … |
| Today they use | … |
| Promise | … |
| Aha moment | … |
| Why now | … |
| Proof | … |
| Contrast (as of <date>) | … |
| Category | … |

## Origin story (author's words only)
[TODO: ask the author] / "<quote>"

## Three bullets (for README and posts)
- **<benefit>** — <how>
- …

## Words to use / avoid
- Use: <words the audience itself uses — from issues, forum threads, reviews>
- Avoid: <jargon, buzzwords, internal names>

## Claims we won't make
- Legal or safety guarantees ("legal", "zero risk", "official", "零风险")
- Wording that reads as circumvention ("bypass", "破解", "突破限制", "抓包")
- Uses that invite misuse (e.g. looking up other people's data)
- <anything from audit.md → Risk & readiness>

## Standard disclaimer (for README and posts, if the project touches other platforms)
"<Project> is not affiliated with <platforms>. It <scope>; it does not <what it doesn't do>."

## Open questions
- [TODO] …

Write the Chinese one-liner natively, not as a translation: Chinese audiences respond to concrete pain ("再也不用手动…") and a clear 「适合谁」.