brainstorm

/octave:brainstorm - GTM Ideation Engine

Interactive brainstorming for campaigns, playbook concepts, lead magnets, CTAs, offers, and growth experiments—all grounded in your Octave library context.

Usage

/octave:brainstorm [topic]

Examples

/octave:brainstorm                           # Open-ended, asks what to brainstorm
/octave:brainstorm campaigns for enterprise  # Campaign ideas for enterprise segment
/octave:brainstorm lead magnets              # Content offer ideas
/octave:brainstorm playbook pack             # Generate playbook concepts for TAM
/octave:brainstorm CTAs for CFOs             # Call-to-action ideas for persona

Instructions

When the user runs /octave:brainstorm:

Step 1: Determine Brainstorm Type

If no topic provided, ask:

What would you like to brainstorm?

1. Campaign Ideas - Outreach campaigns for specific segments/personas
2. Playbook Concepts - New playbook ideas to cover your TAM
3. Lead Magnets - Content offers to attract prospects
4. CTAs & Offers - Calls-to-action and promotional offers
5. Growth Experiments - Test ideas to improve conversion
6. Messaging Angles - New positioning approaches
7. Something else - Tell me what you're thinking

Your choice (or describe freely):

If topic is provided, infer the type and confirm:

I'll brainstorm lead magnet ideas for you. Sound good?
(Or tell me more about what you're looking for)

Step 2: Gather Context

Use MCP tools based on brainstorm type:

For Campaigns:

- list_all_entities({ entityType: "segment" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "persona" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "playbook" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "use_case" })

For Playbook Concepts:

- list_all_entities({ entityType: "segment" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "persona" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "product" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "use_case" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "playbook" })  # To see existing coverage

For Lead Magnets:

- list_all_entities({ entityType: "persona" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "use_case" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "proof_point" })
- search_knowledge_base({ query: "pain points challenges problems" })

For CTAs & Offers:

- list_all_entities({ entityType: "persona" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "product" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "proof_point" })

For Growth Experiments:

- list_all_entities({ entityType: "playbook" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "segment" })
- list_all_entities({ entityType: "persona" })

Step 3: Ask Scoping Questions (Optional)

If the request is broad, narrow the focus:

For Campaigns:

Let me tailor these campaign ideas. Quick questions:

1. Target segment? (e.g., Enterprise SaaS, Healthcare, All)
2. Target persona? (e.g., CTOs, VP Sales, Multiple)
3. Campaign goal? (e.g., awareness, demos, pipeline)
4. Channel preference? (e.g., email, LinkedIn, multi-channel)

(Answer any/all, or say "surprise me")

For Playbook Pack:

To generate playbook concepts for your TAM:

1. What verticals/industries should we cover?
2. Company size focus? (SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise, All)
3. Any specific use cases to emphasize?
4. Gaps you've noticed in current playbook coverage?

(Share what you know, or I'll analyze your library for gaps)

Step 4: Generate Ideas

Present ideas in a structured, actionable format:

---

See campaign-ideas-output.md for the Campaign Ideas output template.

---

See playbook-pack-output.md for the Playbook Pack output template.

---

See lead-magnet-ideas-output.md for the Lead Magnet Ideas output template.

---

See cta-offer-ideas-output.md for the CTA & Offer Ideas output template.

Step 5: Refine and Save

After presenting ideas, offer next steps:

What would you like to do next?

1. Develop one of these ideas further
2. Generate more ideas (different angle)
3. Save an idea to your library
4. Create content for an idea (/octave:generate or /octave:pmm)
5. Done for now

Your choice:

If "Save to library":

• Campaign → Create as playbook with campaign details in notes
• Lead Magnet → Create as collateral or resource reference
• Playbook concept → Use create_playbook to generate full playbook

For Playbook Creation:

1. First, get available offerings:

   list_all_entities({ entityType: "product" })
   

2. Ask user which product/service this playbook is for:

   Which product or service is this playbook for?
   
   1. [Product A] (px_abc123)
   2. [Product B] (px_def456)
   
   Your choice:
   

3. Create the playbook:

   create_playbook({
     name: "Healthcare Digital Transformation",
     description: "Sales playbook for healthcare digital transformation targeting CTO/VP IT personas",
     instructions: "Create a sales playbook for healthcare digital transformation. Target CTO/VP IT personas in healthcare organizations. Focus on HIPAA compliance, interoperability, and patient outcomes. Use the strategic angle of 'secure, compliant foundation for healthcare innovation'.",
     productOId: "<selected product oId>",
     keyContext: "<relevant context from the brainstorm>"
   })
   

MCP Tools Used

Read Operations

• list_all_entities - Get entities for context
• get_entity - Deep dive on specific entities
• get_playbook - Understand existing playbook coverage
• search_knowledge_base - Find relevant messaging and proof points

Write Operations

• create_entity - Create new entities (except playbooks) from ideas
• create_playbook - Create new playbooks with offering association
• add_value_props - Add value props to new playbooks

Brainstorm Modes Summary

Mode	Output	Key Inputs
Campaigns	3-5 campaign concepts with hooks, sequences, rationale	Segment, persona, channel
Playbook Pack	3-7 playbook concepts covering TAM gaps	Current coverage, target markets
Lead Magnets	3-5 content offer ideas with mechanics	Persona pain points, buying stage
CTAs & Offers	Tiered CTA options + promotional offers	Persona, funnel stage
Growth Experiments	Test hypotheses with success metrics	Current playbooks, conversion goals
Messaging Angles	Alternative positioning approaches	Product, competitors, personas

Error Handling

Empty Library:

Your library needs some content for effective brainstorming.

I can still generate ideas, but they'll be more generic. For better results, add at least:

• 1 product
• 2-3 personas
• Key pain points

Run /octave:library create to add content, or continue anyway?

No Relevant Context:

I couldn't find [segment/persona] in your library.

Options:

1. Brainstorm anyway (I'll use general knowledge)
2. Create [segment/persona] first (/octave:library create)
3. Choose a different focus

Related Skills

• /octave:generate - Generate content for brainstormed ideas
• /octave:pmm - Develop lead magnets and collateral
• /octave:library - Create entities from brainstormed concepts
• /octave:prospector - Find prospects for brainstormed campaigns
• /octave:audit - Identify gaps to brainstorm around
• /octave:campaign - Turn brainstormed ideas into full campaigns
• /octave:messaging - Build messaging frameworks from brainstormed angles