---
name: icp-creator
description: Define ideal customer profiles with demographics, pain points, and buying triggers.
---

# Skill: ICP Creator

Create Ideal Customer Profiles that drive content strategy and marketing decisions.

## Purpose

Build detailed customer profiles that:
- Guide content topics and angles
- Inform product/service positioning
- Shape marketing messaging
- Feed into AI systems for personalization

## Output Format

Structured ICP document with:
1. Primary personas (2-4)
2. Demographics and psychographics
3. Problems and goals
4. Language patterns
5. Content needs
6. Trust signals

## Information Gathering

### Questions to Answer

```yaml
demographics:
  - Who are they? (role, industry, company size)
  - Where are they located?
  - What's their experience level?
  - What's their budget range?

psychographics:
  - What keeps them up at night?
  - What do they aspire to?
  - What frustrates them about current solutions?
  - How do they make decisions?

behavior:
  - Where do they hang out online?
  - What content do they consume?
  - Who do they follow/trust?
  - How do they search for solutions?

business_context:
  - What's their revenue/traffic level?
  - What tools do they currently use?
  - What have they tried that didn't work?
  - What would success look like for them?
```

## ICP Document Template

```markdown
# ICP — [Business/Brand Name]

This file defines who we're writing for. Reference before every content piece.

## Primary Audiences

### 1. [Persona Name] — [One-Line Description]

**Demographics:**
- Role: [Job title, responsibilities]
- Experience: [Years, skill level]
- Company: [Size, type, industry]
- Location: [Geographic considerations]
- Budget: [Range for solutions]

**Psychographics:**
- Mindset: [How they think about problems]
- Values: [What matters to them]
- Fears: [What they want to avoid]
- Aspirations: [Where they want to be]

**Current Situation:**
- Tools they use: [Existing stack]
- What's working: [Current wins]
- What's not: [Pain points]
- What they've tried: [Failed solutions]

**Problems:**
- [Problem 1 with context]
- [Problem 2 with context]
- [Problem 3 with context]

**Goals:**
- [Goal 1 with timeline]
- [Goal 2 with timeline]
- [Goal 3 with timeline]

**Language They Use:**
- "[Exact phrase they'd search]"
- "[How they describe their problem]"
- "[Questions they ask]"
- "[Terms they use vs. industry jargon]"

**Content Needs:**
- [Topic type they need]
- [Format they prefer]
- [Depth level appropriate]

**Where to Reach Them:**
- [Platform 1]
- [Platform 2]
- [Communities/forums]

**Trust Signals That Matter:**
- [What builds credibility with them]
- [What turns them off]

---

### 2. [Next Persona]

[Repeat structure]

---

## Anti-Personas (Who We're NOT For)

### [Anti-Persona Name]

**Why they're not a fit:**
- [Reason 1]
- [Reason 2]

**How to identify them:**
- [Signal 1]
- [Signal 2]

---

## Persona Comparison

| Attribute | [Persona 1] | [Persona 2] | [Persona 3] |
|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| Budget | $X-Y | $A-B | $C-D |
| Technical Level | [Level] | [Level] | [Level] |
| Primary Goal | [Goal] | [Goal] | [Goal] |
| Content Depth | [Depth] | [Depth] | [Depth] |
| Decision Speed | [Fast/Slow] | [Fast/Slow] | [Fast/Slow] |

---

## Content Implications

### For [Persona 1]:
- Lead with: [What matters most]
- Include: [What they need]
- Avoid: [What turns them off]

### For [Persona 2]:
- Lead with: [What matters most]
- Include: [What they need]
- Avoid: [What turns them off]

---

## Sample Reader Journey

### [Persona Name]'s Path

1. **Awareness:** Searches "[their search term]"
2. **Discovery:** Finds [content type]
3. **Evaluation:** Looks for [proof/validation]
4. **Decision:** Needs [final push]
5. **Action:** [Desired outcome]

---

## Quick Reference

**When writing for [Persona 1]:** [One-line guidance]
**When writing for [Persona 2]:** [One-line guidance]
**When unsure:** [Default approach]
```

## Persona Development Process

### Step 1: Data Collection

Sources to mine:
- Customer support tickets
- Sales call notes
- Survey responses
- Social media conversations
- Competitor reviews
- Search analytics
- Comment sections

### Step 2: Pattern Recognition

Look for:
- Repeated complaints
- Common questions
- Shared characteristics
- Similar journeys

### Step 3: Persona Synthesis

Group into 2-4 distinct personas:
- Different enough to need different content
- Similar enough within group
- Large enough segment to matter

### Step 4: Validation

Test against:
- Actual customers
- Sales team feedback
- Content performance data
- Conversion patterns

## Language Mining

### How to Capture Voice of Customer

**From reviews:**
> "I spent hours trying to figure this out..."
→ They value time savings, feel frustrated by complexity

**From support:**
> "I just want something that works..."
→ They're not technical, want simplicity

**From social:**
> "Why is this so expensive when..."
→ Price sensitive, comparing alternatives

### Document exact phrases:
- How they describe problems
- How they ask questions
- Terms they use (vs. industry jargon)
- Emotional language

## Content Mapping

| Persona | Awareness Content | Consideration Content | Decision Content |
|---------|-------------------|----------------------|------------------|
| [P1] | [Topic types] | [Comparison types] | [Proof types] |
| [P2] | [Topic types] | [Comparison types] | [Proof types] |

## Anti-Persona Definition

Equally important: who you're NOT writing for.

**Signs someone is an anti-persona:**
- Budget way below threshold
- Needs you don't serve
- Values that conflict
- Expectations you can't meet

**Example:**
> "Looking for free solution, don't want to pay for anything"
→ Anti-persona if you sell premium products

## Quality Checklist

- [ ] 2-4 distinct personas defined
- [ ] Each has specific demographics
- [ ] Pain points are specific (not generic)
- [ ] Goals have context/timeline
- [ ] Exact language documented
- [ ] Trust signals identified
- [ ] Anti-personas defined
- [ ] Content implications clear
- [ ] Based on real data (not assumptions)
- [ ] Validated against actual customers

## Common Mistakes

### Too Many Personas
More than 4 = probably overlapping. Consolidate.

### Too Generic
"Business owners who want growth" = useless. Get specific.

### Assumptions Without Data
"I think they want..." → Find actual evidence.

### Static Document
Update quarterly based on new data.

### Missing Emotional Layer
Demographics + psychographics. You need both.
