Blue Ocean Strategy Summary: Use AI to Turn It Into a LinkedIn Post That Sets You Apart

Here's a blue ocean strategy summary in one line: stop competing on the same terms as everyone else, and the competition stops mattering. This post takes that idea and turns it into one AI prompt that helps you state what genuinely sets you apart, not just what makes you slightly better.

The idea: blue ocean strategy

Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, divides every market into two kinds of water. Red oceans are crowded, existing markets where competitors fight over the same customers, usually on price or marginal features. Blue oceans are uncontested space, created not by beating the competition, but by making it irrelevant.

The mechanism behind this is what Kim and Mauborgne call value innovation: pursuing differentiation and lower cost at the same time, rather than picking one.

Most consultants only ever compete on the red ocean side, comparing themselves to others in their niche on the same handful of attributes: years of experience, industries served, services offered. (Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne)

Why does this build genuine differentiation?

Most consultant LinkedIn profiles and posts read like a red ocean: same language, same claims, same comparison points as everyone else in the niche. "Helping businesses grow," "20 years of experience," "trusted advisor to leaders." All of it is interchangeable.

A blue ocean post does something different. It states the one thing a consultant does, believes, or focuses on that genuinely isn't comparable to their competitors, not a superlative, an actual point of difference.

That's a much harder post to write, and a much more memorable one to read, because it can't be matched by simply claiming to be better.

The prompt

Before using the prompt, think about your niche. What do most consultants in your field compete on, and is there something you do, refuse to do, or focus on that genuinely sits outside that comparison?

You are a LinkedIn ghostwriter helping a [FIELD] consultant write a post using the value innovation concept from Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim and Mauborgne: find the one thing that makes them genuinely different from competitors, not just better.

What most competitors in this field compete on: [DESCRIBE THE COMMON ATTRIBUTES EVERYONE IN YOUR NICHE CLAIMS, e.g. years of experience, industries served, generic outcomes]

What I do differently: [DESCRIBE THE GENUINE POINT OF DIFFERENCE, A BELIEF, METHOD, FOCUS, OR REFUSAL THAT SETS YOU APART, NOT A SUPERLATIVE]

Write a LinkedIn post that:

• Opens by naming what everyone else in the niche competes on, briefly, without naming competitors

• States the genuine point of difference plainly, as a position, not a sales pitch

• Explains in 1-2 sentences why this difference matters to the right client, not every client

• Avoids comparative language like "better," "more," or "leading"

• Ends with a question that invites other consultants to name their own point of difference

• Maximum 220 words, short paragraphs, no bullet points, sounds like a person, not a brand account

  
  

Follow-up prompt

Review the post above. If it still reads like "we do X better," sharpen it until it reads like "we don't compete on X at all." Keep the voice conversational, with contractions and short sentences.

Frequently asked questions

What is the blue ocean strategy summary in one sentence?

Blue ocean strategy argues that lasting advantage comes from creating uncontested market space through value innovation, pursuing differentiation and lower cost together, rather than competing head-to-head with rivals on the same terms.

How does this apply to an individual consultant, not just a company?

The same logic scales down. A consultant who competes on the same claims as every other consultant in their niche is in a red ocean. A consultant who names a genuine, uncomparable point of difference creates their own uncontested space, even within a crowded market.

Do I need to read the whole book to use this prompt?

No. The core distinction, between competing harder in a red ocean and creating a blue ocean through genuine difference, is everything you need to use this prompt. Reading the book adds depth if you want to apply the full framework to your business strategy, not just your content.

What AI tools does this prompt work with?

This prompt is tool-agnostic. It works with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any other large language model.