v1.0.0 to v1.0.0

---

name: experiment-ideas

version: 1.0.0

description: >

metadata:

author: Stefanos Karakasis

context: brain-dependent

quality_gate: true

last_updated: 2026-09-01

---

# Experiment Ideas

## How This Works

Most idea-brainstorm output is five generic tactics that could belong to

any company — "post more on LinkedIn," "run a referral program." This

skill grounds ideation in what's actually known: who the ICP is, what

alternatives buyers compare against, and why now matters, so every idea

is specific enough to differentiate from what a status-quo competitor is

already doing. It doesn't write anything durable — generated ideas are

disposable brainstorm output, not a company fact — and it hands off

explicitly to `experiment-doc` (pmm-execution), which is where a chosen

idea gets pressure-tested before it becomes a real test.

**Step 0** — Load brain Sections 1 (Product), 2 (ICP), 3 (Alternatives),

5 (Market Context) if present, and guardrails from

`/context/meta-patterns.md`.

**Step 1** — Clarify constraints: budget or resource ceiling, channels

already tried (and what happened), how many ideas wanted (default 5).

**Step 2** — Generate ideas: each with Channel, Core Message, Why It

Works (tied to ICP or market energy state when brain data exists), Cost

Efficiency.

**Step 3** — Self-check each idea against the ICP and named alternatives

— an idea indistinguishable from what a status-quo competitor already

does gets flagged, not silently kept.

**Step 4** — Rank by effort-vs-impact, not generation order.

**Step 5** — Learning Close: log the session to `/context/skill-sessions.md`.

---

## Trigger

- **When:** Brainstorming marketing or growth ideas, looking for

low-budget/high-impact tactics, exploring channels before committing

budget, or any "what should we try" moment before a specific hypothesis

exists.

- **Not for:** Pressure-testing a single idea you've already picked

→ `experiment-doc` (pmm-execution), run this skill first only if you

don't yet have a specific hypothesis to test. Rewriting an already-set

positioning into segment-specific value-prop copy → `value-prop-statements`

(pmm-growth), run this skill first only if you need raw campaign ideas,

not copy variants of an existing statement. A full campaign brief with

calendar, audience, and metrics → `gaccs-brief`. Channel or motion

selection for a launch already scoped against ICP deal economics

→ `gtm-motions`. Writing the actual positioning statement or messaging

hierarchy → `positioning-messaging`.

- **Example prompts:**

- "Give me 5 marketing ideas for this launch"

- "What are some cheap ways to get in front of our ICP?"

- "Brainstorm growth tactics for Q4"

- "We have almost no budget — what should we try?"

- "Creative campaign ideas for [product]"

---

## Inputs

- **Args:** Number of ideas wanted (default 5), budget or resource

ceiling, channels already tried and what happened.

- **Defaults:** No brain → ask directly for product, target segment, and

constraints before generating. Brain exists → load silently, ask only

for constraints not already on file.

- **Context keys:**

- `/foundation/brain.md` — read Sections 1, 2, 3, 5 if present. Never

written to — this skill produces no durable brain output.

- `/context/meta-patterns.md` — guardrails, read at Step 0.

---

## Connectors (Optional)

| Connector | What it adds |

|---|---|

| `~~product analytics` | Where users drop off |

| `~~SEO` | Keyword demand signals |

| `~~email marketing` | What lifecycle email already tests |

| `~~marketing analytics` | Channel efficiency |

| `~~cloud storage` | Past experiment logs and results sheets |

> **No connectors?** Paste the material and I'll work from that. The output has the same shape.

> Pulled facts are drafts: each is tagged with category, tool and date, and nothing is written until you confirm.

---

## Pre-flight

- Load `/foundation/brain.md` if it exists — Sections 1, 2, 3, 5,

silently.

- If `/context/meta-patterns.md` exists and a weak-idea pattern has fired

2+ times in prior sessions logged there (e.g., ideas keep skipping the

cost-efficiency rationale, or keep repeating the same channel), surface

it once before Step 2.

- If no brain found: surface once, non-blocking — "No brain found. I can

still generate ideas from what you tell me directly, but they'll be

more generic without ICP and alternatives context. Continuing."

---

## Steps

**Step 1 — Clarify constraints.**

Ask in one message: budget or resource ceiling (if any), which channels

have already been tried and what happened, how many ideas wanted

(default 5 if not specified). If brain Sections 1–3 are populated, skip

re-asking product/ICP/alternatives — state what's loaded instead.

**Step 2 — Generate ideas.**

For each idea, produce all four fields:

- **Channel** — the primary marketing channel (social, content,

partnerships, community, email, product-led, etc.)

- **Core Message** — the actual message, in language the ICP would

recognize, not a category-level description

- **Why It Works** — tied to a specific ICP trait, market energy state

(if brain Section 5 loaded), or named alternative's weakness — not a

generic engagement claim

- **Cost Efficiency** — a concrete reason the tactic is cheap or

resource-light for this specific team's constraints, not an assertion

("low cost because it's organic" is not concrete; "no paid spend, ~3

hours/week from one person, reuses existing customer interview

transcripts" is)

Ideas must be differentiated from each other — five variations on the

same channel fail this step and get regenerated.

**Step 3 — Self-check against ICP and alternatives.**

For each idea, ask: would a buyer who already uses [named alternative]

find this message meaningfully different from what that alternative

already says? An idea that fails this test is flagged

`[GENERIC — doesn't differentiate from status quo]` rather than silently

delivered as-is.

**Step 4 — Rank by effort vs. impact.**

Order the final list by realistic effort-to-impact ratio for this team's

stated constraints, not by generation order. State the ranking rationale

in one line per idea.

**Step 5 — Learning Close.**

Append an entry to `/context/skill-sessions.md`, in the format defined in

`product-marketing-context/.claude-plugin/skill-sessions-format.md`

(Type A — execution session):

````yaml

type: execution

skill: experiment-ideas

session_date: {{date}}

pattern: "{{what surprised you, a recurring weak-idea pattern, or 'none'

if nothing notable happened — never skip the row}}"

source: {{surprised/wrong/missing/N/A}}

````

State explicitly which idea(s), if any, look strong enough to send to

`experiment-doc` for real pressure-testing — this skill's output is a

starting list, not a validated plan.

---

## Outputs

- A ranked list of ideas (Channel / Core Message / Why It Works / Cost

Efficiency each), delivered in chat only — this skill writes no output

file of its own

- Session logged to `/context/skill-sessions.md`

- An explicit handoff line naming which idea(s) are strong candidates for

`experiment-doc`

- **External side effects:** N/A

- **Next skill:** check `next-skill-map.md` for "After experiment-ideas"

and surface that prompt.

---

## Verification

- Every idea has all four required fields, none left implicit

- No two ideas share a channel with substantively the same message

- Every Cost Efficiency claim names a specific reason, not an assertion

- Every idea has passed or been flagged by the alternatives self-check

- Final list is ranked by effort-vs-impact, not left in generation order

- Session logged with all five fields, `pattern: none` written explicitly

if nothing notable happened — the row is never skipped

---

## Do Not Use For

- **experiment-doc** (pmm-execution) — when the task is pressure-testing

one specific idea with ICE scoring and statistical rigor, not

generating the raw list it draws from. Run this skill first only if no

specific hypothesis exists yet.

- **value-prop-statements** (pmm-growth) — when the task is rewriting an

already-set positioning statement into segment- or channel-specific

copy variants, not generating new raw campaign concepts.

- **gaccs-brief** — when the task is a full campaign brief with calendar,

audience detail, and success metrics, not a raw idea list

- **gtm-motions** — when the task is selecting the channel/motion stack

for a launch already scoped against ICP deal economics, not

brainstorming ideas pre-scope

- **positioning-messaging** — when the task is writing the actual

positioning statement or messaging hierarchy itself, not generating

campaign concepts

---

## Operating Rules

1. **Load brain first.** Don't re-ask what Sections 1–3 already answer.

2. **Never deliver a generic idea unflagged.** If it fails the

alternatives self-check, mark it — don't quietly include it as if it

passed.

3. **Every idea needs all four fields.** A channel with no concrete

cost-efficiency reason isn't a finished idea.

4. **Rank before delivering.** Generation order is not a prioritization.

5. **Write nothing to the brain.** Ideas are disposable; only a

pressure-tested experiment (via `experiment-doc`) earns durability.

6. **Name the handoff explicitly.** Don't leave "what's next" implicit —

state which idea(s) are strong enough for `experiment-doc`.

---

## Quality Gate

| Check | Standard | Pass = |

|---|---|---|

| All fields present | Channel, Core Message, Why It Works, Cost Efficiency for every idea | Yes |

| Ideas differentiated | No two ideas share channel + substantively same message | Yes |

| Cost efficiency concrete | Each claim names a specific reason, not an assertion | Yes |

| Alternatives self-check run | Every idea checked; generic ones flagged, not hidden | Yes |

| Ranked by effort/impact | Final order isn't generation order | Yes |

| Handoff stated | Explicit line naming candidate(s) for experiment-doc | Yes |

| Learning Close complete | Five-field row appended, never skipped | Yes |

---

## Commands

### /brainstorm [product or context]

Run full flow: constraints → generate → self-check → rank → handoff.

### /more

Generate additional ideas beyond the initial set, using the same

constraints and brain context already established this session.