Find the Wave—Then Position to Ride It

Before you carve out your brand space, know who’s already there and where the market is heading.
Trend and competitor analysis gives you context. It helps you understand which shifts are shaping your industry, what competitors are doing (and missing), and where your brand can carve a unique position.

Why it's Important

Helps you time your entry and align with (or counter) emerging behavior
Reveals strategic whitespace your competitors haven’t claimed
Strengthens your value prop and positioning by contrast
Prevents you from building something that already exists
Helps you frame your product as part of a broader movement or shift

How to Implement

Start with market trend research—scan reports (CB Insights, a16z, McKinsey), Reddit threads, Substacks, and analyst briefings.
Track emerging behaviors, not just technologies—look at how users are adapting and what problems are gaining urgency.
Identify direct and indirect competitors—include adjacent players solving the same core problem differently.
Break down each competitor: Who they target, their core messaging, pricing model, brand tone, GTM approach, and traction.
Use tools like Crayon, SimilarWeb, or Craft.co to monitor changes in competitor positioning and product offerings.
Create a visual landscape map (e.g., quadrant chart, market matrix) to show who’s playing where—and where you're aiming.
Flag gaps, overlaps, and opportunities in messaging, UX, pricing, or underserved segments.
Share findings with product, sales, and marketing—turn insights into differentiation strategies.

How You Know You Got It Right

You can clearly state how your product is different, not just better
You know what your competitors are doing across messaging, GTM, and feature sets
Your team isn't surprised when a competitor launches something new
You've identified categories or narratives to attach to—or disrupt
Early users resonate with your contrast positioning
You avoid copying trends that don’t align with your vision
Your roadmap includes bets based on where the market is heading

Real-World Examples

Notion

Entered a saturated note-taking space by identifying a shift toward “tools for thought” and positioned themselves as a flexible workspace, not just a note app.

Duolingo

Recognized gamification and mobile-first learning as a trend and built a brand experience around engagement and streaks—very different from old-school language tools.

Zapier

Watched the rise of no-code and API fragmentation, then positioned as the easiest way to connect SaaS tools without dev work—owning a new category.

Make It Better

Interview customers about what other tools they considered or used
Set Google Alerts for key competitor terms and industry keywords
Create a battlecard template for internal teams
Track how competitors evolve over time—changes signal opportunity
Map brand tone/voice across competitors to identify white space

Don't Make These Mistakes

Assuming you don’t have competitors because your solution is “new”
Over-focusing on features, not messaging or business model gaps
Chasing every trend without strategic relevance
Underestimating indirect competitors who solve the same user problem
Doing this once at launch, then ignoring new entrants