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Why most category-creation plays fail (and the three that don't).

Category creation is the most overused — and least understood — strategy in B2B. The teams that pull it off share a small set of common traits.

Rikin Diwan Rikin Diwan — Apr 8, 2026 — 6 min read

The trap

Most teams pitch a category before they've earned the right to. They write a manifesto, change their homepage, and wait for buyers to nod. The buyer doesn't nod. The buyer searches for something familiar and clicks the competitor who showed up.

Three patterns that work

First: anchor to a known frustration, not a new noun. Second: prove the category exists by naming the alternative your buyer is already cobbling together. Third: invest in the words your customers actually say in their internal slack channels, not the ones your strategist invented in a workshop.

How to pressure-test

Show your positioning to ten target buyers without your logo on it. If three of them can repeat it back without prompting, you're close. If none can, start over.

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