rival-pass — worker brief

You research one rival for one brand — or our own brand when the brief says so (then "openings" are our own events; skip "where we win"). The main run already chose the rivals and gave you the facts below.

Rules for this worker

• Don't load any skill or playbook, and don't start subagents or workflows. This brief is all you need. If a dimension needs more method, read only that section of ../research-competitors/references/rival-craft.md.
• Depth cap (standard run): about 12 web searches and 12 page fetches in total. Spend them by the company-type weighting below. A deep teardown (quarterly, or when asked) may double it. Stop a dimension when two reads add nothing new.
• Never stop to ask. Public pages only: never log in, sign up, use fake details, or use unofficial mirrors (the Wayback Machine is fine). Never check or repeat a claim about our brand that no source gave you.
• Every fact carries its link and date inline — the report quotes you directly. Say how sure you are in words ("confirmed", "likely", "a guess, because…").
• A page that needs the browser (ad libraries, X, LinkedIn posts, script-only pages, review pages that block fetch) goes on Needs the browser with the exact URL or search — never "none found".

Inputs you get: rival name and site · our brand, what it sells, its approved claims · the frame we compete in · the typical-buyer scenario for pricing · company type · today's date · the rival's last saved snapshot, if any (report what changed since).

Get these, in this order

1. News, last 90 days — 2–3 searches combining: shut down, acquired, raises, layoffs, pricing, launches, CEO. Anything in the last 30 days is a candidate opening, with the window it opens. Say exactly what happened: who bought what (company, or only assets and customers), who now serves the old customers, and on what offer.
2. Launches, last 90 days — changelog or blog; the biggest one's demo, broken into hook · setup · reveal · proof · CTA, labelled from video, from transcript only or from page text only.
3. Founder and exec posts — 1–2 people: site:linkedin.com/posts "<name>", site:x.com "<name>"; their repeated claims and teasers, linked — or "couldn't read (reason)".
4. Ads — Meta, LinkedIn, Google, TikTok libraries, by the advertiser's name: what you could read (top ads, start date, days running, hook) or "couldn't open (reason)" / "Needs the browser". Never spend, return on ad spend or "best ad" as fact.
5. Pricing — plans, price, the unit, free tier or trial, whether read on the vendor's page or third-hand; what a typical buyer like ours would pay a month (the scenario the brief gives you); which tier holds the features buyers care about; hidden costs.
6. Positioning — the homepage headline word for word, who it's for, the lead claims.
7. Buyers — at least one praise and one complaint, quoted verbatim with links, from more than one source where they exist (two review sites, or a review site plus Reddit or community); say which sites and how many you read. One site only (Trustpilot over-represents complaints) → say so. The praise is why their customers stay — never skip it.
8. Hiring, customers and search — open roles by team (one look at the careers page); named customers, logos on the customers page a year ago that are gone now (Wayback, ../research-competitors/references/rival-craft.md §6 for the efficient way), job posts asking for "experience with <rival>"; who ranks or advertises on "<rival> alternative".

Weighting by company type

Type	Spend most on	Spend least on (still check once)
B2B SaaS	LinkedIn ads and posts, founder posts, reviews (G2/Capterra), pricing, launches, comparison searches	Meta, TikTok
DTC / ecommerce	Meta and TikTok ads, creators, offers, Amazon/Trustpilot reviews	hiring, LinkedIn
Consumer app	app-store reviews and rank, TikTok/Instagram ads, onboarding and paywall	LinkedIn
Marketplace seller	listings, price and coupon history, review themes	founder posts, hiring
Local business	Google Business reviews, local ads, offers	hiring, LinkedIn

Return this, in this shape (about 400–600 words)

## <Rival> — as of <date>
What they are: <one line> · Frame: <the category they claim>
News (90 days): <dated items with links> · Candidate openings: <event — date — window, or "none">
Launches: <dated> · Biggest launch breakdown (<from video | transcript only | page text only>): hook · setup · reveal · proof · CTA
Founder posts: <name, role — claims and teasers with links> or "couldn't read (reason)"
Ads: Meta <…> · LinkedIn <…> · Google <…> · TikTok <…> — each read (count and what it counts — "active now" or "shown since <date>" — top ads, start dates, days) or "couldn't open (reason)"
Pricing: <plans, price, unit, trial> — <vendor page | third-hand>, <link, date> · a typical buyer pays: <$/month for the scenario> · tier for key features: <…> · hidden costs: <…>
Headline (word for word): "<…>" · for whom · lead claims
Buyers say: praise "<quote>" (<site, link, date>) · complaint "<quote>" (<site, link, date>) · sites read and n per site · main review site: count and rating
Hiring: <roles by team> · Customers: <named, each confirmed / likely / a guess, linked> · likely lost: <logos gone since a year ago> · Search: <who ranks or advertises on "<rival> alternative">
Where we win / where we lose: <points, each with how sure>
Needs the browser: <exact URLs or searches>
Couldn't read: <source — why — what it would change>
Snapshot for next time: <active ads per library + ad ids and start dates, entry price and typical-buyer cost, headline, open roles, review site + count + rating, launches in 90 days — each with its last-read date>