Why Creators Must Avoid The “Better” Trap At All Costs

How to avoid competing for only 24% of the value opportunity of a category.

Too many companies, entrepreneurs, writers, creators, and marketers are competing for a category’s table scraps.

They fall into this trap any time they compete on features, price, and “brand.” This comparison marketing drives down margins collectively and competitors are stuck fighting for one tiny sliver of the pie.

“Better” is a trap.

Anytime a company makes a comparison statement, they are falling into the “better” trap.

Words that end in -er and “most/more-than” statements imply comparison. Because in order for something to be fast-er or smart-er or cheap-er, something else has to exist to give it meaning.

Here are some easy-to-spot examples:

• Faster (faster than…what?)
• Smarter (smarter than…what?)
• Cheaper (cheaper than…what?)
• More economical (more economical than…what?)
• Most efficient (most efficient compared to…what?)

What’s really happening here is the company is making the unconscious, unquestioned, unconsidered, undiscussed decision to carry their brand into someone else’s…